The BGS Northern Show, Hartlepool 19th August.

After Southport I had a day's rest before going up to Hartlepool to judge the Northern Show on the Saturday. The 150 mile drive is proving a little tiring these days. I might even catch the train next year. I arrived about 7.30 pm. I went to the show hall to see old and new friends. My first conversation was with Bill Bonas, an excellent carnation grower. Unfortunately, as has been the case this year, there wasn't a huge amount of opposition for Bill to go up against but we had a good chat as he had almost finishing vasing his flowers. I noticed that, in his larger vases of six or so, he 'scotched' every stem. This is an old technique that I was taught by Brian Dean. It involves positioning each stem where you want it and then wedging two other pieces of stem either side of the stem at vase level so the stems can't move out of place. When the judge picks up the vase (unfortunately these days it's sometimes IF the judge picks up the vase) nothing can move out of place.  It takes more time, but Bill has that kind of attention to detail which has led him to beating Ivor in the Gold Cup at Harrogate, a feat few would even attempt. A thoroughly nice bloke, especially when you consider that at Harrogate last year I accidentally poured water over his carnations. We are still speaking which is a measure of his character.

Anyway, I then met up with all the usual 'suspects' - Nigel, Brian Bland, Phil Orley, Malcolm Read, Tom and Tracey Leck, John Davies, Peter Forrow and so on. Of course I didn't look at their flowers but just had a chat.

I slept badly at the hotel, as the seagulls started at 3.20 am and seemed keen to keep me awake. I had breakfast in Morrisons with Nigel's wife and daughter, Alison and Nina who just happened to appear in the queue with me, and then I made my way to the show. It was a very good show in terms of entries - some classes had more than a dozen entries so I had my work cut out to do them all justice. Brian Bland was my steward and John Davies came along to learn the ropes. I suspect that the Southern Show, which is held on the same day, had far fewer exhibits as there are less exhibitors down south.

It's a little bit disconcerting when glads that you have bred appear on the bench. I'm always overly harsh on ones that I've bred: I've seen other judges not be like this and don't know what they have for a conscience. I was at pains to point out to John the faults in those bred by me and a little relieved that none of them actually won a class. Lots of seconds and thirds. There was Kathryn, Panier, Leslie Swinnerton, Sally's Orange II, Diane Phibben (named after my lovely cousin), Seedling 002 which Peter Forrow has kept going, Bonzo, Mira and a few others. I think I have named 50 different prims now so I'm trying to breed 200s and 300s this year and next and maybe for much longer than that.

The class for three prims took some sorting  

As did the single 400 with Babsbill winning.

There were a couple of entries of this Panier in the single prim class. I wrongly identified this as Sophie B, another one of mine but the latter is earlier and more peachy and Nigel rightly said it was not Sophie B. Eventually I remembered what it was.

This prim, Leslie Swinnerton is named after the owner of the care home where my mother-in-law, Peggy Roseby, spent her last years.

The second time I have seen my Mira on the bench: there was one at Huddersfield as well. Quite nice form.  Mira is one of the Albanian students in my English class.

These three Kathryn exhibited by Peter Forrow were not as good as the ones he won with previously which appeared in the BGS Annual a couple of years ago.

Bonzo which I hope will be a 500 smokey, was named after a late friend of mine Dennis 'Bonzo' Roberts.

This is an old garden prim in  bright orange which was actually shown on TV years ago in a programme called The Flying Gardener. Named after my daughter, this is Sally's Orange II.

A good entry in the two floret box classes. Best overall was Murmansk, a lovely white Russian glad.

Only one or two classes had low entries, largely in the different colour classes.

Grand Champion and best 400 was Cream Perfection. The other winners can be seen in photos on the BGS website. the honours were well spread across the exhibitors but Peter Forrow had the lion's share of the firsts. 

So the judging was over. Deals were done over exchanges of plants and requests for the same. Then it was the long drive back home. I had to stop for a power  nap not far down the A19 but then it was all plain sailing. That's my judging done for this year so I can relax and enjoy the remaining shows. Next up is the National where i won't have as much as last year but I hope to have some novelties for people to look at. Poynton have asked me to enter the PF Carnations section so I hope I can do that justice for them. The forecast here is rain all week so I may well be getting the bags over some of my spikes to stop them from being spoiled. As I have other things on on Thursday afternoon  it's going to be a mad rush to cut the glads on Thursday morning  and on Friday I'll dress them before I get them over to the show. I was thinking today that most winners are made at home in the way that people look after them before the show. 

Here is the best floret box: Mirmansk, all the way from Russia.

Footnote

My apologies for getting John Davies and John Jones mixed up in an earlier version of this.