BY JEAN CARR

The exceptional quality of plants was praised by judges at the Falmouth Spring Flower Show at the weekend.

During the two day event at Gyllyngdune Gardens over 1,000 exhibits greeted almost as many visitors entering the Princess Pavilion with its display of Cornwall’s finest spring flowers.

There were tiers of daffodils and flowering shrubs, potted and cut flowers and foliage, sprays of orchids, floral art, over 200 children’s exhibits, cacti and succulents. The backdrop on the pavilion’s stage was replaced with a record entry of photographs.

Show judge Nigel Pascoe, gardening expert and broadcaster, said: "The standard of garden plants is quite exceptional. We have had just the right sort of growing conditions this year for our Cornish spring flowers and shrubs. The depth of colour in flowers and their foliage is quite wonderful, particularly the magnolias and camellias. The white magnolia from Glendurgan is just stunning."

Judge Andrew Tompsett, horticulturist and bulb expert, added: "It’s the same for the daffodils, a truly wonderful display of all varieties, each with well defined shape and colour."

Before Falmouth’s mayor Grenville Chappel presented the awards, the show’s president Ron Scamp said: "This year we have sadly missed orchid grower Walter Williams who has passed away age 91. He delighted us for years with his displays. Nevertheless we have a wonderful selection here from orchid lovers.

"A big thank you to Val Bidgood for the tremendous job she has done for us on the flower show Facebook pages, and also finding time to enter 42 exhibits. We really appreciate the immense contribution to our show from the children at Boot Up Outdoor Learning, and the staff and volunteers there who encourage them to enjoy horticulture. And thank you too to Falmouth’s Hoteliers Association for sponsoring our show's flags and banners."

When presenting the cups and trophies Ron commented how the Tremough gardeners at the Penryn Campus "had done us proud with their shrubs from their terrific garden," how Simon Penna’s team from Falmouth Town Council have brightened up our town with hundreds of daffodils, and that the arrangement of exotic plants which won the Cormac gardeners the show’s Champion Cup came from the town’s historic Gyllyngdune and Fox Rosehill gardens.

The Mayor’s Cup went to horticultural advisor and joint show director Bob Lawrence for his "outstanding services over the years." To Edwin Lanyon, ten, who won a Best Exhibit Award for his daffodils and a special miniature silver cup, Ron said: "Edwin already has his own daffodil hybridisation breeding book. I am sure we will be hearing a lot more of him in the future."

The Chamber of Commerce Silver Challenge Cup for shrubs was won by the gardeners at Tremough, Penryn. Falmouth Town Council was awarded the Daffodil Society Medal and the Royal Horticultural Society Banksian Medal for the most points from first prizes in the show. Cormac’s gardeners won The Champions Cup for the show’s best exhibit.

Daffodil winners were: Cormac awarded the Carter Memorial Cup for single blooms; Reg Sleeman, the Duckham Trophy for miniatures; and Ron Scamp, the Phillpott Cup for best seedling. Alan Trathen won the Hazel Cox Memorial Cup for his cacti and succulents and the Andrew Cox Memorial Cup went to Cormac for the best cacti exhibit.

Elizabeth Doidge won both the Phillpotts Trophy and the Challenge Cup for floral art; Peter Batson ‘s photography won the Challenge Cup and the Wass Shield, with Wendy Nicholson winning the Andrew Cox Trophy for her photographs.

The WJ Bull Memorial Cup for a best bloom camellia went to Richard Cook; Esther Mason won the Mr CCD Steel Orchid Cup; Cormac won the Sylvanus Treveal Cup for their pot plants and the Parry Silver Challenge Cup for cut plants.

In the children’s sections, Oscar Bennetts, five, won the Fred Jane Award for his decorated wooden spoon; St Francis School's Bug Hotel won the Ken Pound Challenge for the Charles Rowe Trophy; the children from Boot Up Outdoor Learning won the Maindorge Award, and the Youth Group Challenge for the Princess Pavilion and Gyllyngdune Garden Youth Cup with their Spanish themed miniature garden. King Charles School pupils delighted visitors with their 104 Mother’s Day book tokens and Marlborough School were highly commended for their miniature European garden. Children for all of Falmouth’s five primary schools had grown the pots of St Keverne daffodils on the Gyllyngdune Gardens bandstand.