Contents of the summer 2009 Northants News

BCSS Zone 6 Show                                                                              Trevor Wray        

Mike Turland at the BCSS Zone 6 Show

Mike Turland of Kettering was Show Secretary for the Zone 6 Show. How's the juggling Mike?

Later we had to juggle the show plants to make room on the tables.

I entered the Zone 6 Show this year (hosted by Kettering). Bang up to date the show could be entered via email (acknowledgement promised that day). I sent Mike the Show Secretary my entries, branch, address and signature to show I agreed to the rules… For the signature, I printed X; as in ‘his mark’, cos I can’t sign an email.

Seemed to have worked, Mike acknowledged my entry the same day - a miracle of cyberspace.

All I had to do was turn up with my (few) entries at the Community Centre on the day. Somewhat earlier than the Show Schedule would suggest because I had offered to lend a hand. Kettering is a small but enthusiastic branch in the Zone. Since it is just 12 miles down the road we at NMK thought we should show some solidarity, and I was it, maybe…

Might be a Northants News article there…

So, at 08.20am I arrived; just in time, the home team had set up and covered all the tables.

With not a lot to do, I perused the sales plants grown by Kettering members. Six plants for £5.20 – my sorta prices! (Though the F.L said, ‘trust you to buy the expensive ones!) These included a couple of stick Euphorbias, (one potentially tender, so must remember to bring that one in), and  a couple of Echeverias. Ages since I grew *‘Hoveyi’.

Tina and I were representing NMK. We duly staged our plants. Then ‘ta committee could start to worry about whether there was enough space. Even after stealing the cafeteria tables it was tight in places. Adjusting exhibits we found a Senecio in the Crassula Group. ‘Well it used to be there in my Guide to Shows,’ said the miscreant; a prominent member of Kettering Branch. ‘What edition was that?’ we say.

 

Judges John Watmough and Bill Darbon set off. Just a hint of a possibility of scandal in the Anacampseros Class and your NN reporter was there for an exclusive. Talinella pachypoda ISI 98-64 had raised its (ugly) head. Was it NAS ? (i.e. not a member of the group.) Personally I was thinking ‘Was it a succulent? Was it alive?’ It must have been OK because it came back best of three. The only judging decision I disagreed with. The other two were small but I am a condition is (very nearly) all, judge. I made a mental note to learn the genus though, noticing the owner it could turn up in some Judges’ Course identification test.

 

John Watmough (left) judges the Zone 6 Show with Barry Goodfellow

Judge John Watmough (left) assisted by steward Bob Sawfoot look over the Gymnocalyciums. There was a time when Judges were obliged to wear a bowtie, but surely never cactus judges. However was John's shirt NAS?

A Gymnocal;ycium hybrid?

In the discussion that always follows the judging I was on the fringe of a party of OSBs (other-succulent boffins).

‘Ah, Gypsophila, that’s a rare one… nice condition,’ I heard Rodney say.

Gypsophila? A succulent Gypsophila? Let me see!’ I pushed through the thronging OSBs.

‘No, no. That’s Dorstenia gypsophila from Somalia’, said Rodney, tut tutting.

I met Gymnocalycium guru Graham Hole so naturally led him to the Gymno classes for a masterclass.

‘An artistic hybrid bred for shape and form. Note the elongated areoles.’

Of a G. vatteri I rather fancied, ‘Another hybrid, too many ribs for vatteri.’

It’s great to get an expert opinion and I agree, many of our plants are a product of careless (or even open) pollination in greenhouses. Luckily our judges don’t have to make a judgement on the pedigree of our plants. I looked up the description of G. vatteri in Graham Charles' new book. It is considered G. ochoterenae now but the original description of vatteri was included and calls for only eleven ribs. 

A Gymnocal;ycium vattre (ochoterenae hybrid?

‘An artistic hybrid bred for shape and form. Note the elongated areoles.’

A possible Gymnocalycium vatteri hybrid? Still a fine plant!

In the afternoon Jim and the Rixons turned up and I bought them tea and cake. Jim pronounced the homemade cake so good he had a second piece. Looking at cacti can make you really hungry!

Mammillaria magnimamma (centrcirrha)

Mammillaria perbella

mammillaria geminispina

I know that some NN readers like to see the Mammillarias and there was some spectacular ones at the Show. Mike Stansbie won first with M. magnimamma (centricirrha) and second with M. perbella. Well grown Mike. Barry Goodfellow's M. geminispina was third; still a very impressive plant.

The raffle was drawn and I won a trowel, (it was that or a bottle of wine, but we had plenty of wine and we can never find a trowel when we need one).

So that was that really. Oh… how did we do? Well, Tina won lots of cards and a gong, (sign here) and I got a few cards. I was especially pleased to get a second for a Sempervivum in the Sempervivum or Aeonium Subgroup. Mind you there were only two entries! I don’t think I have ever entered a Sempervivum in a show before, though I was a bit miffed because an Aeonium was first.

Clearing up was a breeze… Many hands… etc. We were on our way in half an hour.

Finally. the quote I liked was from a pair of ladies looking at my Haworthia truncata, ‘It looks just like a sweet!’ That sweetie lady, just won me a first at the Zone 6 Show.

Thanks to Kettering Branch for managing the Show for the Zone, the crew in the kitchen also did a grand job. Yummmee, that fruit cake!

Phyllanthus mirabilis

Afternote: When I get back from a show I like to write up some notes: maybe for NN. Naturally I like to look through the photos I took. Some are an attempt at good record shots, some are just aide memoirs.

My picture of Phyllanthus mirabilis was interesting. Here was a caudiform with fissured bark and ash leaves on top. A succulent? Maybe. But was it an official succulent? To qualify the genus has to be listed in the relevant ‘Handbook to Shows’. There it was on page 23 and listed as a member of the Euphorbia family. So that’s OK.

bark of Phyllanthus mirabilis

* Echeveria ‘Hoveyi’ Now here is a weirdo. (I actually typed weido which seems about right.) Leaves with yellow and pink stripes, said to be a chimera of a somatic mutation of ‘Zahnii’ and about to celebrate its 100th birthday. So now you know!

 

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