The Welsh Dahlia Trials at Pencoed College 2003


 I was sent the results of the Welsh trials before Christmas but this is the first chance I’ve had to get anything down. It struck me that the heat of 2003 did play apart in the final results. It was obvious the strong sunlight had affected the red and pink varieties, as these colours were nowhere to be seen in the honours list. I didn’t have the names of all the cultivars at the trials but you can bet there where some crackers in those colours on trial. Under the conditions of last year it’s a wonder anything came through unscathed.


I was fortunate to acquire some dahlia photographs from a web site belonging to a gentleman called Ivor Mace, it’s funny because he grows chrysanthemums, well when I say he grows chrysanthemums, it’s an under statement. In his time he’s received every award a chrysanthemum grower could, and these aren’t ordinary chrysanthemums, oh no, these are the most difficult of all to grow. Japs, as we use to call them, those giant exhibition varieties as big as a bucket. God knows how many years he’s been picking up the prizes but it has to be at least thirty. Not content in growing and showing these, his other passion apart from his family, are roses, I’ve a sneaky feeling he shows these as well, and then there’s the onions and leeks, well he is a Welshman. You see these blokes in the course of exhibiting, they are there in the back ground of your own life, but you never think your going to get to know them, man to man or should I say email to email. Of course he didn’t know I was one of the also runs in those days, how could he, but it was nice to have made his acquaintance, this time round.


Any way, this isn’t getting the job done. Ivor Mace is the man who does a lot of the donkey-work on the Welsh trial grounds. You know the rotovating etc, I believe he works at the college but can’t be sure. He insisted I mentioned Monty Price and Richard Hill who do all the hard work on the trial plants, no mean fete. Another man called David Hill who runs Abacus Nursery told me about Ivor; it’s surprising what you can achieve with a few emails. I was enquiring were I could find photographs of the winning Welsh trial ground varieties, and David told me, “You’ll find them on Ivor Mace’s web site” I contacted Ivor to see if I could use them, and he told me I could. It seems chrysanthemums and dahlias, will always been linked.


The photos show the trial ground winners in a natural state, as they were when the photograph was taken. We are very lucky to have them, without these there would be know record of the 2003 Welsh Dahlia trials. In due course, when photos of individual blooms become available I will add them to the article. Call me fussy but when a breeder has gone to the trouble to produce a dahlia good enough to win an award I like to see it in all its glory, close up.


Now for the winners:


1st. Marston Lilac: Miniature Decorative. Raised by John Digweed, and sent by Frank Taylor.

 

  

 

Good stems, plenty of petal right back to the stem. Picked up an AM for Exhibition at Wisley as well, so I think that says it all, a worthy winner.

 


2nd. Ryecroft Jan: Miniature Ball. Raised by Philip Godsmark, and sent by Dave Spencer.

  


 
Beautiful, I liked this as soon as I saw it, the first bloom I took myself at Wisley, recon we’ll see a lot of it at the shows. The second photograph I snatch from Halls site, it was probably taken by Stan Hall, he always seems to get the angle just right, but then he's been doing it a few years now.


3rd. Avoca Cherokee: Medium Decorative. Raised and sent by Roger Turrell

 

   


   
Some meat on this, the camera caught the group just right. This is another that is sure to be seen on the bench. Most of these blooms have a fair bit to go yet, wonderful form for this type of flower, which could be called an open decorative.

 


4th Ruskin Sunshine: Medium Semi-Cactus. Raised by Stan Pennington sent by F Taylor.

 



   
 I haven’t been able to get a better example of this variety yet, the bloom in the photo has quite a baby, and will probably be first class when finished, but unfortunately it has Primrose Pastelle to contend with, only time will tell.

 


Camano Derek:   Small Decorative raised and sent by Dick Ambrose.

 

 


 
This was considered the best American variety at Pencoed. Dick Ambrose lives, or used to live at Camano Island, in Washington State USA, hence the prefix on some of his dahlias.


There were a few more from the Welsh trials that Ivor had included, the one that caught my eye the most was:

 


Top Tottie: Miniature Ball raised by Tom Cleghorn.

 

 


                
When I first heard the name, I wasn’t sure what it meant, okay I knew it was to do with the fairer sex but that’s about all. When I looked it up in book I’ve got on slang it said, `A girl or young woman, considered sexually’ the term originally referred to a high-class prostitute. One thing I’ll say about the flower is, she’s a classy dame and I suppose you could say she’s one of our first sexy dahlias. I thought this should have been amongst the winners. Still we’ll see this year, perhaps it will be. I bet five quid to a pinch of salt; Mary’s Jomanda was involved in this cross, only joking. Second photo courtesy of Halls of Heddon.

 


Barbarry Centerpoint:  Small/Miniature Decorative raised by Barry Davies.

 

 

 


Looks good, one from the same stable received a Gold Certificate of Exhibition Merit at the Northern Trials at Golden Acre Park Leeds. The single bloom photo I borrowed from those sent by Don Sutcliffe, that he took for the Winter Bulletin, and my Northern trials report. The camera lies how ever; the colour of this flower is really cerise, isn’t it.


Barton Memory: Small Semi-Cactus raised by W Marsden

 

 

 



I had two shades of this one. The photograph that was taken at the Welsh trials was probably nearer the mark but the one in Halls catalogue was the better shape. I even wondered if there’d been a mix up, and Halls one wasn’t Embrace, but perhaps not, every camera shows its own picture.

 


Embrace: Small Semi-Cactus.

 

 


   
I’m sorry but I’ve no information on who raised this beauty, it’s won a load of awards in America, and Halls of Heddon are the only distributor at the moment. The trial picture doesn’t do it justice the flower had only just started to open with three rows of petals down, which hadn’t filled up with colour. Compared to the photograph from Hall’s catalogue. It isn't any wonder why it’s won so many awards in America, the only way to see if it likes our climate, is to grow it. Because if a variety does do well in America, it doesn’t necessarily mean, it will do well here, and visa versa



Weston Sun Up:Miniature Semi-Cactus or was it an Unknown: Medium Semi-Cactus Fimbrated.

(I know the name and flower don’t fit, can anyone help)



 This is one I saw on Ivor’s site, I think it was raised by David Hill of Abacas Nursery. I liked the colour, and there’s certainly no worry with the stems, and as these flowers are only half open I think it could go places. According to the Welsh Trial report on Ivor Mace’s site there been a mix up with this variety and Camano Derek, because I know Camano Derek is correct on my site as it’s a small decorative, and I can only assume that this is Weston Sun Up, because it isn’t a small decorative. Why they can’t name the dahlias in the Welsh trials is a mystery. Then the photographers would know what variety they were taking, I know they number them, but even then you have to make sure the number of the photograph matches the number on the plant, very tricky. The one I feel sorry for is the Web Master Sian Mace. Any way what ever this variety is called it is a nice flower, I expect someone is bound to tell me to adjust this page.


That ends my report, it might not seem all that professional, but it is the first, of what I hope is many, unless I’m drummed off the Internet. I hope I haven’t caused any disagreeable discussions; I’m just giving my opinion on what I’ve heard, seen and gleaned, with the limited means at my disposal. Some may say why bother?


 `Cos I love `em.


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