Garden stars win prizes at Stamford Horticultural Society Spring Show

A delightful display of daffodils greeted visitors to a spring show that brings together some of the best growers in the area.

Held at the United Reformed Church Hall in Broad Street on Saturday (March 29), Stamford Horticultural Society Spring Show attracted 320 entries, and 67 were in the daffodil and narcissi classes.

Members of the society had each been given seven Juanita daffodil bulbs, which they grew ready for the show in 24 pots to create a beautiful display.

The Very Reverend Chris Armstrong, retired Dean of Blackburn Cathedral and recent vicar of the Barrowden group of parishes, had the task of choosing a winner and presenting all of the show’s prizes.

Show chairman John Mitchell said: “The event was well attended and the hall was as attractive with daffodils and spring bulbs and flowers for as long as can be remembered.

“This is in part due to the show being two weeks earlier than it was last year, when daffodils were pretty much over.”

On the other hand, tulips were less visible - by the weekend very few had begun to flower.

This year the event attracted 320 entries from 38 different people, and 67 of the entries were in the daffodil and narcissi classes.

There were another 52 entries in the flowers and foliage sections, with the ‘spring medley of up to 10 flowering stems’ class being particularly competitive.

The floral art section attracted 16 entries and there were beautiful arrangements in the ‘flowers that bloom in spring’ class, the ‘foliage-only’ class and the ‘miniature’ classes.

The talent on show went beyond garden growing, with two dozen handicraft entries, and both the cookery and the photography sections received three dozen entries each.

John added: “Our marmalade class always attracts a good number of entries, and the carrot cake class is also very competitive.”

A host of sponsors made the show viable, including Nick Hamilton of Barnsdale Gardens, John Dawson of Dawson Jewellers, Nicholas Watts of Vine House Farm in Deeping St Nicholas, Harrison and Dunn of Stamford, and Mick Thurlby of The Crown Hotel.

The society’s next meeting will take place from 7.30pm on Thursday, May 1, at Christ Church in Green Lane, Stamford, where Barnsdale Gardens owner Nick Hamilton will talk about summer blooms. To find out more about the society and its programme of events, visit stamfordhorticulturalsociety.org.uk.

Prize winners were:

John Jaques - WR Belton Cup for the most points in the daffodil and narcissi section; The Daffodil Society Medal for the best daffodil and narcissi exhibit

Steve Harris - Daffodil Society Diploma for the best pot of daffodils and narcissi; Notcutts Trophy for the most points in flowers and foliage; E Steel Cup for the best exhibit in flowers and foliage; Alan Hart Trophy for points in the members’ classes

Harry Upton, aged 9 - Daffodil Society Diploma for the second best pot of daffodils and narcissi

Judy Measures - the John Freeman Memorial Trophy for the most points in other bulbs; Best Exhibit Award in other bulbs

John Mitchell - Garden News Spade for the most points in the kitchen garden section

Bronwen Leonard - Flower Arranging Trophy; best photography exhibit

Kay Bamford - Best flower arranging exhibit

Honor Harris - Carol Collins Trophy for the most points in the cookery section

Victoria Valentine - Evelyn Hirst Trophy for the most points in the handicraft section; best handicraft exhibit

Bronwen Leonard, Sue Lee, Katharine O’Connor and Linda Biddle - June Griffiths Trophy for the most points in photography

Oli O’Connor - best photography exhibit by an under-18.