Our very first Spring Show was in 1997. We had been talking about the possibility of running a Spring show for some time; the Summer Show being a very long established event on our horticultural calendar. At that time we had a well respected member of our committee, Violet Rolfe, who had for some time been urging us to consider establishing this second show to take place at the beginning of April. She had a great love of Spring flowers and with her enthusiastic support we went ahead with the plan. Violet gave us our first trophy which was awarded to the exhibitor gaining most points in the daffodil classes. It is ‘The Violet Rolfe Daffodil Shield’ and is still awarded to this day.
For the first few years the show was quite small and it took place in the Anthony Hall. As its reputation grew as a fine daffodil show it attracted a few skilled exhibitors from far and wide. In the meantime we ran workshops to help our members to develop their skills when growing and staging their daffodils and our local talent increased. Soon it had to be moved to the Aston Clinton School as exhibitors increased in number and it became a popular event for the families in the villages to attend.
As always, the weather leading up to the event plays a big part in the success of the Spring Show. With very cold weather, it is a real challenge to bring the daffodil flowers to exhibition quality, and when the weather is mild it is difficult to hold them back!! Thank goodness there are other really enjoyable aspects of the Show such as the popular plant sale, refreshments and of course the domestic, handicraft, floral art and children’s sections to enjoy.
Do come along to our annual Spring Show on 6th April and why not enter? There are lots of classes for you budding photographers, cooks, handcrafters, floral art specialists and Spring flower enthusiasts; not forgetting the children’s sections for all children up to the age of 14. There are other enjoyable aspects to the show including our popular plant sales, refreshments, raffle and other stalls. By the time you read this our schedule should be available on our website. As a taster, the photography themes include “Local Landscape”, “British Weather” and specifically for mobile phone photographers “Spring Spectacular”. For the daffodil section we have added specific classes for novices and the casual grower, so there is no excuse for not having a go and entering; there is plenty of expert advice on hand to help you stage your favourite blooms.
Below is the show schedule and entry form -
A guide on daffodil classifications and growing and showing tips can be found below -
Daffodil Classification & Growing Tips