Forrest Medal Reports

The 'George Forrest Memorial' Medal is named after George Forrest, one of Scotland's foremost plant explorers collectors.

A bronze medal was instituted in the very early days of the club with the agreement of George Forrest's widow.  

A single silver medal was struck and gifted to Mrs Forrest to commemorate the institution of the award. 

The picture on the right shows a magnificent pan of Pleione  'Tongariro' which was awarded the Forrest medal at the 2019 Perth Show. The proud growers of this plant, Francis and Margaret Higgins from Berridale are also shown holding their Award card.

A Medal and Award Card are given to those producing an "outstanding exhibit" at each show.

The fact that a plant has to be outstanding is emphasised by the fact that an award need not be made at every show if no exhibit is outstanding enough to merit such an award.

The Medal is usually bronze, but an exhibitor is awarded a Silver Forrest Medal on the occasion of their 10th award. By the end of the 2022 show season nine awards of Silver medals have been made. Living recipients include Cyril Lafong (61), Sandy Leven (14), and David Millward (10) who, in 2022, is the latest to achieve this award. Now departed recipients include: Harold Esselmont (43), Jack Crossland (30), Fred Hunt (26), Jack Drake (14), Christina Boyd-Harvey (11) and Eric Watson (10).

In 2019 Cyril Lafong gained the magnificent achievement of winning 50 Forrest Medals, and in honour of this the Club struck a Gold Medal, which was awarded to Cyril at the 2019 Early Bulb Show held in Dunblane.  

You can read a report here of the award to Cyril which includes the award of a Dr Patrick Neill Medal for outstanding services to horticulture by the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society.

Some shows are run jointly by the Alpine Garden Society and the SRGC, and these are run under the rules of each society in alternate years. It has been agreed that the Alpine Garden Society equivalent medal (a Farrer Medal) is awarded rather than a Forrest Medal in the years when the AGS rules apply. These shows are marked with a "#" in the table below.

We are pleased that we have reports available which highlight the plants which have won the Forrest Medals for most of the Shows in recent years. These have been prepared in the main by Sandy Leven.  The club is most grateful for this permanent record of some wonderful plants.

A list of all Forrest medals awarded to plants and their exhibitors at our shows is available for download HERE. This list also includes Farrer medals awarded at our joint shows with the AGS. The list is up to date at the close of the 2023 show season.
Click on a bold date in the table below to open a pdf file of the relevant Medal Report:

2024202320222021202020192018201720162015201420132012201120102009
Kendal/Blackpool (joint AGS)16 Mar #18 Mar19 Mar #Canc14 Mar #16 Mar17 Mar #18 Mar12 Mar #14 Mar15 Mar #16 Mar17 Mar #12 Mar13 Mar #14 Mar
Stirling (at various locations)   Professional MedalNo ShowNo Show14 MayCancCanc23 Mar24 Mar25 Mar
25 Mar
19 Mar21 Mar22 Mar23 Mar24 Mar19 Mar20 Mar21 Mar
Hexham/Newcastle (joint AGS)13 Apr1 Apr #26 MarCancCanc30 Mar #1 Apr #2 Apr28 Mar #29 Mar13 Apr #31 Mar26 Mar27 Mar28 Mar
Edinburgh & the Lothians6 Apr15 Apr9 AprCancCanc13 Apr7 Apr8 Apr9 Apr @11 Apr12 Apr6 Apr14 Apr2 Apr10 Apr4 Apr
Perth20 Apr22 Apr16 AprCancCanc20 Apr21 Apr15 Apr16 Apr18 Apr19 Apr20 Apr21 Apr9 Apr17 Apr18 Apr
Highland (Nairn)No ShowNo ShowNo ShowCancCancNo Report28 Apr29 Apr30 Apr25 Apr26 Apr27 Apr28 AprNo ShowNo ShowNo Show
Glasgow4 May29 Apr6 MayCancCanc4 May5 May6 May7 May2 May3 May4 May5 May7 May1 May2 May
Aberdeen11 May13 May21 MayCancCanc18 May19 May20 May14 May16 MayNo ShowNo Show19 May21 May15 May16 May
Hexham (Autumn)5 Oct #.8 Oct #CancCanc5 Oct6 Oct #7 Oct8 Oct #10 Oct11 Oct #12 Oct13 Oct8 Oct9 Oct10 Oct
Discussion w/end (various locations)28 Sep.1 OctCancCanc13 Oct14 Oct15 Oct16 Oct3 Oct4 Oct5 Oct29 Sep23 Sep1 Oct3 Oct

Notes:
@ denotes a show where the plant did not gain a Forrest Medal because the rules state that a plant can only win once per year.  This plant thus gained a "Best in Show" instead.
# denotes an AGS Farrer Medal awarded at alternate joint shows, rather than an SRGC Forrest Medal.
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