What Is the NAPS Southern Section?

The NAPS Southern Section is the Southern regional branch of the National Auricula and Primula Society (NAPS), a specialist horticultural society founded in 1876. It is not a separate organisation: it carries the national society's name and florist standards while running its own programme of meetings and shows for growers in southern England. If you are trying to place a show date, decide whether to attend, or work out whether this is the society for you, the practical details below are what matter.

What the Southern Section is

The section describes itself as part of a tradition its members have followed for more than four hundred years, and it shares the national society's focus on three plant groups:

• Auriculas — the show auriculas associated with florist standards
• Gold-laced Polyanthus — polyanthus bred to the formal gold-laced pattern
• Other Primulas — the wider primula family grown by members

The society's own framing is that it exists to share "that same fascination" for these plants that led to its creation in 1876. In practice, the Southern Section is where that interest is organised locally: it sets the meeting calendar, runs the shows, and provides the point of contact for growers in its area.

Events: what actually happens and when

The section's published programme combines business meetings with two judged shows. The dates currently listed are:

Two things stand out for anyone planning to visit. First, the shows are afternoon events for the public — doors open at 2:00pm, so there is no need to arrive in the morning. Second, the show numbering is a useful signal of scale and continuity: the 2027 Auricula Show is the 140th, and the Primula Show is the 57th. These are long-running, established events rather than one-off displays.

The AGM and autumn meetings are held in the smaller Waterfield Room, while the shows use Old Barn Hall — both on Church Road in Great Bookham. The published listings do not state whether the AGM is open to non-members, so if that matters to you, ask the section directly rather than assuming.

How to decide whether to go

The choice depends on what you want from the visit:

• If you want to see the flowers and judge the standard for yourself, the two April shows are the obvious entry point. They are explicitly open to the public from 2:00pm, and seeing bench-ready auriculas and gold-laced polyanthus is the quickest way to understand what "florist standards" means in practice.
• If you are considering joining, the shows are also the natural place to meet members and ask about the section's activities; the society's own invitation is to "perhaps even encourage you to join us."
• If you are interested in the society's governance or want to raise something with the committee, the October AGM is the relevant date — but confirm attendance arrangements first, since public access is not stated.
• If you are travelling, note that all listed events are at the same Church Road site in Great Bookham, Surrey, which makes planning across dates straightforward.

One limitation worth being clear about: the published material gives dates, times and venues, but not ticket prices, membership fees or booking requirements. Those details are not stated, so they should be confirmed with the section rather than inferred.

Getting more information or joining

The society's website is the starting point: it presents the section's purpose, its plant interests and the events calendar, and invites interested growers to make contact and join. The site also references further pages on varieties and on the venue location, which are useful if you want to know what is grown or how to find the halls.

A sensible sequence if you are new to the society: check the events page for the next show, attend as a member of the public at 2:00pm, and use that visit to ask members about joining and about the section's meetings. That gives you a first-hand view of the plants and the people before committing to membership.