Show notes 2005 Barry Tibbetts
You can click the thumbnails in Barry's report for a better image
Having been Show Secretary for several years now, most of the plants at our Branch Shows have become quite familiar to me. This year however, I noticed several new plants taking some of the class wins, so I thought I would investigate.
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The Ferocactus peninsulae, which won class 6 and also an Award of Merit, is a very nice mature plant (except when compared to specimens in habitat), and was just coming into bud at the show. Jeff Capel tells me it is at least 25 years old and was acquired from another branch member, so it is great that a plant of this quality has stayed in the branch. |
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Class 10 was won by a very large 6 headed Gymnocalycium mostii, which Jeff said had been a first time winner at this year’s Zone 6 Show, after no success last year. It is clearly a very healthy plant, and has been flowering prolifically. |
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The Matucana madisoniorum that took the honours in class 15 is a little stunner. A beautiful, very clean 3 headed plant, which Tina Wardaugh obtained through the BCSS Forum. A member from Southend called Ernie was advertising his collection for sale, and as Tina was the only person to respond, she was lucky enough to have the pick of his best plants. Why does this never happen to me?? |
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Class 23 was won by, in my opinion, the best cactus in the show, a magnificent 10 headed Thelocactus hexaedrophorus again obtained from Ernie of ‘Sarfend’ fame. What a grower he must be! The label in the pot says 24.4.73, therefore making this superb plant at least 32 years old, and just to rub it in, Tina told me the price she paid was in single figures!! Hopefully we will see this plant at many more shows. |
| Moving to the succulent classes, the winner of class 28 was a beautifully symmetrical Agave potatorum. Jack Bramhill had bought this plant at the Zone 6 Convention in 2004, and this was its first show outing. Rightly so, our judge also gave it an Award of Merit. |
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Class 34 for one Euphorbia was blown apart by one plant – David Kirkbright’s very old and very beautiful Euphorbia cylindrifolia. David believes this plant to be at least 50 years old, and with the caudex – like body measuring some 13cm x 10cm (5” x 4”), I can well believe it. Our judge, John Watmough, had no hesitation in awarding it Best Succulent in Show. David tells me he hasn’t shown this plant for years, because the stems are quite delicate, and could be easily damaged in transit, but decided to risk it this year, luckily for us. What about the 2008 National Show David?? |
| The final new plant at the show was my own Adeniun obesum in class 42 for one succulent. I have had this plant for about 5 years since it was 15cm (6”) high, and as this was the first year it had flowered, I thought I would try my luck. Since the show in August, the number of deep carmine two-tone flowers has increased daily (at one time I counted 39 fully open flowers), and is only now in mid-October starting to slow down. This is the first A. obesum I have managed to grow to this size and flower. Normally they rot off as 2-3 year old seedlings. |
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Thanks to everyone who entered, and maybe we’ll see even more new plants next year.
Barry
