SAFFRON WALDEN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

AUTUMN SHOW

The Autumn Show was held on Saturday, September 22nd in the United Reformed Church Hall in Abbey Lane. From 1994 to 2005 this last show of our season was held as part of the Gardeners' Weekend at Audley End. Regrettably this event was cancelled at short notice in 2006 so that our show also had to be abandoned. This year we were pleased to be able to be one of the first events to take place in the newly refurbished United Reformed Church Hall.

With a total of 276 entries, this proved to be a successful and colourful show despite the problems caused to exhibitors by the changeable summer weather we have experienced. In the flower section, it was mainly the dahlias which provided the drama with their large and colourful blooms. The Winner: of the best dahlia was Alan Taylor. The prize for the best rose was won by David Livermore. The Winner: for the flower arrangements in wine glasses judged by the public was Kate Chambers.

In the pot plants section, beautiful orchids won first and second prizes with magnificent begonias being pipped to the post. In the class of a plant grown from a pip or seed, the banana plant grown from a seed eleven months ago had reached a height of more than 3 feet – though no bananas as yet.

In the vegetable classes, the giant parsnips were the most noticeable but as always, all the vegetables looked good enough to eat! The domestic classes were also mouth-watering with large numbers of entries in the victoria sandwich and other cake, preserves and wine classes. In the hand crafted section, the Winner: was a plate of realistic apples made out of wood - they also looked very appetizing.

The children's exhibits were impressive with the award for the best one going to Charlotte Staniforth with her miniature garden in a seed tray. It was a very interesting garden with a small meadow with two sheep and a greenhouse with a giant cucumber growing in it.

The Town Mayor, Mr Sarfraz Anjum and the Mayoress Mrs Anjum kindly attended to present the prizes. The Chairman, Mrs Doreen Townley expressed her thanks to the Town Mayor and to the hard-working Show Secretaries, Mrs Yvonne Bishop and Mrs Kate Chambers. Thanks too were given to the judges, to show stewards and to all committee members, all of whom had helped to make the show such a success. Delicious refreshments were available in the new neighbouring Salvation Army run café.

This is the last of the society’s three annual shows. However, events continue in the autumn when the first evening meeting of the 2007/2008 season will take place at the Bowls Club in Abbey Lane on October 2nd with a talk entitled Michaelmas to Candlemas in a Suffolk Garden to be given by Mr R Leeds.

Collette Biggs, Publicity Secretary

WINNERS

Babington Smith Trophy – Most points in show

Winner: Ken Peck

Runner-up: Hamish Davidson

Sewell Cup – Most point in Vegetable Section 1-22

Winner: Hamish Davidson

Runner-up: Ken Peck

Acrow Cup – Most point in Flower and Fruit Sections 23-54

Winner: Vic Mortlock

Runner-up: Ken Peck

John Coe Memorial Trophy – Best bloom in dahlia section Classes 28-31

Winner: Alan Coe

John Coe Trophy – Best bloom in Chrysanthemum Section Classes 32-34

Winner: (not awarded)

Harry Green Trophy – Best exhibit in Rose Section Classes 37-39

Winner: David Livermore

Harry Green Cup – Best Floral Arrangement Class 54

Winner: Yvonne Bishop

Walker Trophy – Most point in Domestic Section Classes 56-71

Winner: Jean Petchey

Runners-up: Jane Bennett and Jenny Davidson

Rickett Shield – Best exhibit in Domestic Classes 56-62

Winner: Jane Bennett

Scrivener Cup – Most point in Junior Section Classes 72-79

Winner: Charlotte Staniforth

Runner-up: Charlotte Bennett

“Eric the Hedgehog” – Best Exhibit in the Junior Classes

Winner: Charlotte Staniforth

Ellis Rooke Cup – Most points in all three shows in the year

Winner: Ken Peck

Tom Green Cup – Most points in Junior Classes in all three shows in the year

Winner: Charlotte Staniforth

CLASSES

SECTION 1 - VEGETABLES

1) Beans, Runner – 9 pods with stalks

Winner: Hamish Davidson

2) Beans, Dwarf or French - 9 pods with stalks

Winner: John Bullen

3) Beetroot – 3

Winner: Ken Peck

4) Cabbage, green – 2 with stalks

Winner: Hamish Davidson

6) Cucumbers – 2

Winner: Ken Peck

7) Leeks – 3

Winner: Hamish Davidson

8) Marrows, - pair for table use

Winner: Hamish Davidson

9) Onions – 4, dressed under 250g

Winner: Peter Cranfield

10) Onions – 4 dressed 250g or over

Winner: Hamish Davidson

11) Totatoes – 4 white

Winner: Hamish Davidson

12) Potatoes – 4 coloured

Winner: Hamish Davidson

13) Parsnips – 3

Winner: Hamish Davidson

14) Shallots – 9 culinary

Winner: Hamish Davidson

15) Shallots – 9 pickling, small not exceeding 35mm in diameter

Winner: Ken Peck

16) Tomatoes – 6 with stalks

Winner: Peter Cranfield

17) Tomatoes, small variety – 6

Winner: Peter Cranfield

18) A truss of tomatoes (ripe or unripe)

Winner: Janet Bullen

19) Collection of Vegetables – 4 different kinds in a tray

Winner: Hamish Davidson

20) Collection of Salad Vegetables – 4 different kinds in a tray

Winner: Ken Peck

21) Courgettes – 3

Winner: Anne Dawson

22) Any other vegetable – minimum 2, not included in schedule

Winner: Hamish Davidson

SECTION 2 – FRUIT AND FLOWER CLASSES

23) Apples – 3 culinary with stalks

Winner: Ken Peck

24) Apples – 3 dessert with stalks

Winner: David Livermore

25) Pears – 3 with stalks

Winner: Eric Hammond

26) Blackberries – 12 with stalks

Winner: Anne Dawson

27) Any fruit not included in schedule

Winner: Peter Cranfield

28) Dahlias, decorative or ball – 3 blooms

Winner: Alan Taylor

29) Dahlias, cactus or semi-cactus, 3 blooms

Winner: Alan Taylor

30) Dahlias, pompon – 5 blooms

Winner: Robert Chambers

31) Dahlias, mixed – to be judged on quality

Winner: Alan Taylor

33) Chrysanthemums, 3 sprays

Winner: Janet Bullen

35) A container of cut flowers

Winner: Anne Dawson

36) Display of foliage in a container

Winner: Yvonne Bishop

37) Roses, large flowered HT – 1 specimen bloom

Winner: David Livermore

38) Roses, large flowered HT – 3 specimen blooms, any colour(s)

Winner: David Livermore

39) Roses, cluster flowered – 3 stems

Winner: Kate Chambers

40) Gladioli – 3 spikes

Winner: Vic Mortlock

41) Asters – 6 stems

Winner: Janet Bullen

42) A container of yellow/bronze flowers and/or foliage

Winner: Alan Taylor

43) Flowering trees or shrubs – 3 stems

Winner: Ken Peck

44) One pot plant in flower

Winner: Ken Peck

45) One pot plant for foliage

Winner: Vic Mortlock

46) Cactus in a container not greater than 23cm diameter as grown by exhibitor

Winner: Vic Mortlock

47) Succulent in pot maximum 23cm diameter as grown by exhibitor

Winner: Peter Cranfield

48) One plant grown from pip, stone, nut, berry, etc, not previously shown this year

Winner: Robin Crouchman

49) Pelargonium – in a pot as grown by exhibitor

Winner: Robin Crouchman

50) Fuchsia – in a pot not more than 23cm diameter as grown by exhibitor

Winner: Robin Crouchman

51) Fuchsia – 6 mounted flower heads

Winner: Yvonne Bishop

52) A container of plants as grown

Winner: Vic Mortlock

53) A container of fruits and berries – 3 stems

Winner: Doreen Townley

54) Floral arrangement: “A Study in Scarlet” – an exhibit using plant material

Winner: Yvonne Bishop

55) A flower arrangement in a wine glass judged by the public

Winner: Kate Chambers

SECTION 3 – DOMESTIC CLASSES

56) Apple and cinnamon cake – made according to given recipe

Winner: Jane Bennett

57) Eccles cakes – 4

Winner: Jean Petchey

58) A Victoria Sandwich

Winner: Jane Bennett

59) Gingerbread – 4 pieces

Winner: Sue Staniforth

60) Jam – 1 jar

Winner: Jenny Davidson

61) Any other preserve – 1 jar

Winner: Ruth Coe

62) Chutney – 1 jar

Winner: Jenny Davidson

63) A bottle of home made wine – red

Winner: John Bullen

64) A bottle of home made wine – other than red

Winner: Betty Green

65) A set of snapshots of tresses

Winner: Jane Bennett

66) A framed photograph of a horticultural subject

Winner: Sue Staniforth

67) A picture – any medium

Winner: Peter Farley

69) A hand crafted article – hard material

Winner: Dennis Woodley

70) A hand crafted article – any other material

Winner: Vic Mortlock

71) An embroidered article, tapestry, cross-stitch or patchwork

Winner: Sarah Hammond

SECTION 4 – JUNIOR CLASSES (age up to 15)

72) Gingerbread men – 4

Winner: Charlotte Staniforth

73) Potato print – maximum A4 size

Winner:s Abbie Bennett and Charlotte Bennett

75) Faces on flowers – any material

Winner: Yasmin Malik

76) Computer generated book mark

Winner: Charlotte Bennett

77) A miniature garden in a seed tray

Winner: Charlotte Staniforth

78) Flowers in a container

Winner: Charlotte Staniforth

79) Plant(s) growing in a pot, maximum 18cm

Winner: Charlotte Staniforth