Black Mountain Auriculas Nursery - digression from another thread!

[Alan_b]

...My interest also extends to Rhodohpyoxis,
Pleiones and Galanthus and am slowly increasing my varieties of these.

Since this thread got lost, wandered into the Galanthus section of the forum and now can't find its way out again, would you care to elaborate on what Galanthus you stock?

[Maggi Young]

Oops, I hadn't spotted that the primula question had been posted in the galanthus section - I've moved it to Primulas now.

http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=10284.0

[Richard Williams]

Alan B
Not sure how my sieboldii request landed up at Galanthus central. I've only been seriously collecting galanthus this year and have purchased some very good varieties from the likes of Dryad, Harvey's plants and Gerard Oud. I also had an outstanding day at Margaret Owen's open day at Shrewsbury and bought some superb varieties including Margaret and Godfrey Owen. The fact the whole day was for charity made it an extraordinary event and I met some very interesting people. I have bought plants from e-bay, trying most of the time to keep to within a strict budget, coming from 4 generations of west Wales farming stock it was not too difficult (well it was but would not like to admit it)

[Alan_b]

Looks like you have accumulated some excellent stock plants.  Will you allow them to bulk-up by natural division or chip/twin-scale them as most of the specialist snowdrop nurseries seem to do?

[Richard Williams]

Alan
I'm planning to try and bulk them up naturally for a couple of years and perhaps try my hand at twin scaling the odd few to see how it goes. The thought of chopping up a £40 bulb into bits and the whole lot rotting fills me full of dread. Most of my bulbs have been potted into deep pots and plunged into a raised bed I have in a polytunnel that was planned for veg, but the veg have had the heave ho and the snowdrops have taken over.

[Alan_b]

The thought of chopping up a £40 bulb into bits and the whole lot rotting fills me full of dread.

I know exactly what you mean but for a commercial venture you'll risk finding that your £40 bulbs have dropped in price to become £4 bulbs if you wait until you have built-up a good stock by natural division.  Also, to combat rot you'll most likely have access to life-threateningly powerful fungicides that amateur gardeners are not allowed to handle.  Maybe this is the year to start practising on some ordinary cheap snowdrop bulbs? 

[Richard Williams]

 Practicing on some cheap bulbs is definitely the way to go. Mind you with e-bay fuelling the trade, how long is it going to take for some bulbs to come down in price? The fantastic Green Tear is still romping along at £200+ after what must have been 20 + sold through e-bay so far this year. I've been told that chipping can reduce the vigour of some varieties and that some of the markings can get lost, such as in the Trym tribe. Have you come across this? The only plants enjoying this miserable cold are the Galanthus, I've some very dejected auriculas in the polytunnel and the Rhodohypoxis have gone into a coma.