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It once struggled to a halt, but Scotgrow is back and showing promising regrowth, writes Gavin McEwan
Organisers are hoping this year's Scotgrow will mark a return to the show's early 1990s heyday.
The first Scotgrow took place in Edinburgh in 1987. and though initially successful, it fell off in the mid-1990s and was eventually dropped altogether.
Show organiser Bill Romanis has since revived the show at its new Pentland site - initially with only around a dozen exhibitors. "This year, we're giving it a right good go." he said - and the number showing is up to 40.
As well as an extended site, catering has been expanded and parking is available m an adjacent field.
HTA field officer Frances Pringle said: "It's very healthy for the industry to get together, and it's the one time in the year when you can catch up with everyone's gossip."
Pringle approves of the show's current format. "It's moving back towards what Scotgrow was originally, which is a growers' show," she said.
"Back in the 1990s it had become more retail-orientated, but in these days of cheap travel, it's easy to jump on a plane from Inverness down to Glee in Birmingham."
In fact, the show's name can be misleading. It has increasingly UKwide aspirations, according to show chairman Donald Wemyss of GP Plantscape. He said: "It's...