Crowds enjoy Falmouth Spring Flower Show: PICTURES

The two day event at Gyllyngdune Gardens and the Princess Pavilion showcased the best of Cornwall’s spring flowers with vases of flowering shrubs, thousands of daffodils, camellias, azaleas, and rhododendrons. Among the 600 plus individual exhibits were orchids, cacti and succulents, potted plants, photography and the children’s classes which included a new cup The Youth Group Challenge.

Cornwall’s latest daffodil made its debut on the gardens’ bandstand which was filled with pots of the newly named Gylly Glow, which were grown by Falmouth primary school children and christened by one of them.

Show president, Ron Scamp, presented the prizes and highlighted some of the show’s stars which included a very rare rhododendron prostistum from the Meudon Hotel gardens which originates from Burma or India and is hardly ever seen in this country.

“We are privileged to have this flower here,” said Mr Scamp.

Also on show were white magnolia and camellias from the old convent gardens on the Penryn Campus at Tremough. “It is wonderful that the university’s gardeners are preserving these excellent specimens,” he added.

“The children’s contributions are always something to look forward to. It has been my pleasure to give daffodil bulbs to children and this year they have grown 600 bulbs of an unnamed seedling I had bred. It was the idea of Jacqui Owen from Gyllyndune Gardens that the children also name it. The Cormac gardeners who take excellent care of our town’s gardens, helped the children grow the bulbs and Jacqui organised the naming competition with the schools.

“We choose the name Gylly Glow suggested by Alfie Eustace from St Mary’s Primary School. This young gentleman and his newly named daffodil have created universal interest with inquiries from Holland and the Daffodil Society of America.”

Mr Scamp presented Alfie, eight, with a photograph of Gylly Glow and a framed certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society officially registering the new variety.

The show’s youngest first time exhibitor was Spencer Herring, who insisted he was “four-and-three-quarters-years-old.” He won second prize for his miniature garden on a dinner plate, and christened his grasshopper made from celery sticks with garlic bulbs for eyes “Dave.” His grandmother Julia Webb said: “Gardening runs in the family. Spencer and his sister Ruby often come over to my house after school and we work in the garden together. Ruby exhibited here last year, and Spencer couldn’t wait to have his go.”

The show’s veteran exhibitor was Walter Williams, 90, from Sennen, whose orchids have delighted visitors for over 20 years. He said: “I started with one when I retired from farming 25 years ago. I now have 700 plus in three greenhouses and I enjoy sharing them with people at these shows.” Walter won the show’s Mr CCD Steele Orchid Cup and the Champions’ Cup for the show’s best overall exhibit for his orchid Songbird.

Other winners of cups and medals were Trebah Gardens, awarded the Chamber of Commerce Silver Challenge Cup for flowering shrubs, and the WJ Bull Memorial Cup for camellias; Falmouth’s Cormac gardeners won the Daffodil Society Medal, the Sylvanus Treveal Cup for pot plants, the Parry Silver Challenge Cup for cut plants. Mabe Garden Club carried off the George Sowden Award for the second year running with their cottage garden Spring Border.

Triple winner Alan Trathen was given Hazel Cox and Andrew Cox memorial cups and the RHS Banksian Medal for his cacti and succulents. Elizabeth Doidge won the Phillpotts Trophy for floral art and the Challenge Cup for Floral Art went to Al Menary for her Tulip Mirage.

The Carter Memorial Cup and the Pendennis Shield were awarded to Marie Bersey for her daffodils, while Reg Sleeman won the Duckham Trophy for his miniature versions. Winners for their photography were Barry Kelly, awarded the Wass Shield, Matt Secombe, the Challenge Cup for Photography; and Richard Viner, the Andrew Cox Trophy. The Silver Challenge Cup for the best trade stand display was won by Pencoose Nursery. The Falmouth Mayor’s Cup went jointly to Tracy Hladky and her mother for organising the show’s trade stands and raffle which help pay for staging the show.

The theme for primary school age children for the Ken Pound Challenge for the Charles Rowe Trophy was fantasy gardens. It was won by the Mylor Rainbows, with St Francis School’s Gardening Club second, Falmouth Primary School third, and Marlborough School’s Gardening Club, highly commended for their Narnia themed exhibit.

The Fred Jane Award for the best exhibit for a child under eight was won by Corbin House; Ethan Cheung won the Maindorge Award for the best exhibit for a child nine to 12. The Youth Group Challenge for the new Princess Pavilion and Gyllyngdune Gardens Youth Cup for 13 to 16 year olds was won by the Tuesday group from Boot Up for their beach themed gardens, with the Wednesday Group coming second.