Ponteland heralded in the finale on another Show season, but what a colourful ending on a drab Northumberland day.  Cyclamen were the main component but crocus, gentians, galanthus and foliage plants provided excellent support.

The Local Group gained a Gold Award for an outstanding photographic display that was educational by illustrating the ways to cultivate and display alpines, along with glimpses of wild populations. 

Harperley Hall Nursery received a Silver Award for a display of Alpines in attractive pots.

Amongst the many long travelling exhibitors Anne Vale won the Newcastle Trophy for an immaculate Spiranthes cernua x odorata Chadd’s Ford.

The Ewesley Trophy plant, (for the best Cyclamen in a 19cm pot) Cyclamen graecum, was awarded to Derek Pickard .  As observed by a grower of some standing, ho no, Dereks not content with Dionysias he’s growing Cyclamen too!

Certificates of Merit were earned by Alan Newton with Gaultheria sp,  a wonderful pot full of foliage and berries,

Ivor Betteridge with Asplenium ceterach,

Ian Kidman with a fine potful of Galanthus peshmanii, which challenged for the Premier Award last year and continues to show promise of greater things to come

and finally, a stunning Cyclamen cilicium for Dr Mike and Christine Brown.  This plant had won Best in Show at a recent Cyclamen Society gathering in Birmingham, but now with leaves showing and several hundred flowers already removed, still caused a stir with its deep pink flowers.

Although initial thoughts were that a Cyclamen would receive the ultimate accolade due to the number and quality on show,  Hyacinthoides lingulata a mass of blue stars narrowly gained the Farrer Medal for Bob and Rannveig Wallis, surely a welcome comfort in coping with the long journey back to South Wales, allied to the AGS Medal they won for class 36.

Other exhibits that caught the eye included George Young’s Celmisia argentea, a silver cushion that  is extremely hard to grow in a pot to the size shown,

Gentiana Braemar brought by Stan da Prato, an Ian McNaughton BerryBank hybrid showing promise,

and finally, but not least, Saxifraga fortunei Cherry Pie adding uplifting colour to the benches by Christine Boulby.