Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Galanthus => Topic started by: hadacekf on March 01, 2007, 06:00:16 PM
-
Here are a few pictures of presently flowering Galanthus in my garden
-
Franz those re the best yellows I have ever seen. The green marked one looks great too.
-
thanks Franz
once again you have shown us some stunning photographs. I hope that one day I get the chance to see your meadow in real life.
with my best wishes
John
-
Those are stunning Franz. Perhaps you can solve this mystery? You sent me Galanthus nivalis 'Hololeucus', but one of the bulbs produced this flower.
-
Lovely Franz, such clear strong yellows.
-
Thanks everybody, for the kind words about my plant. By the way, I hope I have also next year so strong colours with yellow Galanthus. I think, the soil, climate and temperature affect the colour.
-
Anthony,
I am sorry, that an error happened. All my Galanthus are grown in the open garden. This mystery Galanthus is a self seedling that between G. nivalis 'Hololeucus' bulbs grew. It did not flower before.
-
No need to be sorry Franz as I get two varieties instead of one. I was just curious as I haven't any nivalis like it, so it is a welcome addition. :)
-
Do you ever give a plant away and it ends up looking better than your own? I was green with envy when I saw this group of Galanthus 'Mark's Tall'
-
Galanthus krasnovii has now stretched up to be what may be it's full height. Thanks for the input last month. I thing I will put it in a north facing trough.
I have a small non flowering bulb which I would swap for G. platyphyllus.
-
How anyone can confuse krasnovii with any other snowdrop beats me. It is so elegant. The leaves must be about the widest in the genus?
-
someone argued with me today that they were woronowii because of the leaf
-
it`s a pity I don`t have G.platyphyllus! :'(
what a beautiful snowdrop is krasnovii. :D
-
someone argued with me today that they were woronowii because of the leaf
Tell them not to worry about the leaf & focus on the flower, which is quite distinctive
-
Mark ,
You wrote re G. krasnovii :
I have a small non flowering bulb which I would swap for G. platyphyllus.
As you said ealier :
They are rarer than hen's teeth!
And much more complicatet in culture
Hans
-
But just how difficult IS it, to cultivate hens' teeth? (Sorry Hans :))
-
Lesley ,
I have not any problems - I'm a dental technican
Hans
-
Mark, as you can no doubt see, krasnovii leaves are not like woronowii at all*. I suggest the someone has probably never heard of krasnovii far less seen one! It's a bit like Red Kite spotting. "Is it, isn' it?" "No it's a buzzard." Then you see one and there's no mistaking it.
*[Woronowii leaves are up to 3 cm broad whereas krasnovii can be 4 to 6 cm broad and folded over at the edges.]
-
Hans, you have the last word there with Lesley! She would not be expecting that reply! :D
If the light is halfway good tomorrow I'll get a photo of a yellow snowdrop for ID.
-
Maggi your options are nivalis Sandersii Group, plicatus 'Wendy's Gold', plicatus 'Bill Clarke' or the very similar 'Primrose Surprise'. The latter a combination of two as they are identical.
For those really into 'drops a yellow woronowii has been found, time will tell if it is stable, and a group of yellow ikariae. The latter if stable will be named 'Marilyn Monroe'.
-
Mark, you've been in photoshop again, haven't you?
My yellow is a double. Skinny ovary ( of course) that is green but the inner colours are yellow, three larger inner bits then multiple sets of yellow marked bits! Can you tell what it is yet, as Mr Rolf Harris, used to say?
-
I forgot about nivalis 'Lady Elphinstone'
-
Maggi your options are nivalis Sandersii Group, plicatus 'Wendy's Gold', plicatus 'Bill Clarke' or the very similar 'Primrose Surprise (Primrose Warburg?)'. The latter a combination of two as they are identical.
..... and 'Carolyn Elwes' & 'Wolfgang's Gold' & 'Blonde Inge' & 'Wandlebury Ring' & 'Norfolk Blonde' & 'Ray Cobb' & 'Savill Gold' & 'Spindlestone Surprise' & 'Spetchley Yellow' & 'Sarah Dumont' & 'Madelaine' ....
-
Crikey! Wish I'd never mentioned it! It is very pale, but I think perhaps Lady Elphinstone. I am likely to have wanted that because of the Aberdeen connections with Bishop Elphinstone, one of the founders of the unversity here. Not that there IS any real connection that I know of, purely word association on my part! Will only manage a flash shot tonight which will not be any use.
-
Hans, you have the last word there with Lesley! She would not be expecting that reply! :D
Maggi ,
I have found your secret -this job in SRGC is not your only !
Do you remember in your time in Germany a product called "MAGGI" ?
Here is a litte help :http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggi-W%C3%BCrze
here it is in english :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggi
Many greetings
Hans
-
yes but that list includes those not seen and very likely to be seen by ordinary folk
-
yes but that list includes those not seen and very likely to be seen by ordinary folk
Our Maggi 'ordinary folk' :o :o :o
-
Mention of Primrose Warburg should draw the croconuts into this thread. Her garden at South Hayes was a remarkable sight in spring with massed crocus and snowdrops naturalised. Last week I was given a bulb of Galanthus Primrose Warburg (in exchange for a Narcissus!) and this has prompted me to post 2 pics of snowdrops I received when the garden was 'cleared' prior to sale.
Galanthus Trym
Galanthus Sandhill Gate
Both are slow to increase - perhaps I should pop them in the chip pan ;)
I'll plant my Primrose close by I think.
-
Hans, you have the last word there with Lesley! She would not be expecting that reply! :D
You are right there Maggi.
One up to you Hans!
-
For those really into 'drops a yellow woronowii has been found, time will tell if it is stable, and a group of yellow ikariae. The latter if stable will be named 'Marilyn Monroe'.
That's a most un-natural yellow shade Mark. I have to agree with Maggi about Photoshop, and no matter how stable it turns out to be, I seriously doubt the stable it comes from. `Marilyn Monroe' is an excellent choice of name for it, that lady (greatly under-rated as an actress, in my opinion) certainly having found her hair colour in a bottle.
-
yes I was playing with Photo Shop but couldnt find the right shade of yellow.
-
Mark - the result was truly horrible.
-
A real pest in Belgian populations of snowdrops: wild Boar.
As I tell people they do not believe me as all think Galanthus are poisonous.
Some pictures taken to proof it.
They will eat each day, and strip the place from practically every bulb.
I have heard they are once again around in certain area's of Britain,...
Digging started
-
Started eating
-
Some left behind for the next day
-
The snowdrop carpet has been removed
-
very interesting. Catherine Erskine uses pigs to clear ivy in her woods. They dont eat it but uproot it and it dies. By doing this they spread the snowdrop bulbs. Hers dont eat the snowdrops. Could it be people stealing the bulbs?
I challenge anyone to do a better yellow ikariae
-
Mark,
This time no people stealing, but this also happens over here : last year large scale on a certain site with large flowered nivalis, lots of holes left behind. I think they took the largest flowered in the largest clumps.
I should have pictured the tracks and prints as well, all the soil gets ploughed by them, and very thoroughly.
We saw the same last year in woodanemone forests that ance were covered in white and pink, but there they left some small bits behind. Curiously, they didn't seem to eat the Orchis mascula that grew there abundantly.
-
??? A farmer ploughed his snowdropfield for a some Mais sowing
-
Dear me, Johan, it is a hard life being a snowdrop in Belgium, isn't it? Or a wood anemone , it seems. :-\
It is true that there are some wild boar living in the wild now in the UK, most have escaped from farms; I don't think they have been released on purpose, but I am not sure about that.
Hans J. yes, this is my secret, I was Maggie until I found in Berlin that there were these stock cubes and soups with "my" name: I was so pleased that I was getting recognition that I changed my name at once to Maggi ! The chicken noodle soup was my favourite!! ;D ;D
Mark; I think they only use the pigs to clear the woods of ivy BEFORE planting new snowdrop areas, at Cambo. Or perhaps domesticated piggies do not have the same appetites as their wild cousins?
Perhaps we should warn Gerben T. in Sweden that his bulbs are in danger from little Astrid?
-
Galanthus Trym
Galanthus Sandhill Gate
Now, Tony, I know we're always teasing the galanthophiles, though, heaven knows, it is cruel to mock the afflicted ;), but these two pix you have posted as the two above really ARE the same!!
-
I don't agree with Tony G. that 'Trym' is slow to increase. Mine increase like any other plicatus, with bulbs doubling each year.
-
Anthony - whereabouts in the garden to you grow your 'Trym' - I have seen no increase at all in 2 years (and no flowers this year), so I must have them in the wrong place and/or they need a good feed. I had already decided to move them to a sunnier spot (they get only dappled sunshine at the moment) - any more information most welcome.
-
Hans J. yes, this is my secret, I was Maggie until I found in Berlin that there were these stock cubes and soups with "my" name: I was so pleased that I was getting recognition that I changed my name at once to Maggi ! The chicken noodle soup was my favourite!! ;D ;D
Maggi ,
I think is the reason that give us always the rigth spice with your comments to all the mails here in this forum .
Greetings
Hans J.
-
Hans, you are very kind. I thank you :-*
-
Chris, you have to remember the whole of Scotland is in the shade. My 'Trym' grow near the top of the north slope of a rockery in very thick soil. They probably don't receive much direct sun, certainly less than my clumps of Trillium grandiflorum.
-
Now, Anthony, I know the Scottish Tourist Board refused to give you work, but there is no need to do down the climate of this wonderful country. I remember enjoying wonderful sunny days as a child....admittedly we were living in Libya at the time [attach=1]
-
Here is the photo of my yellow snowdrop. I said to Ian, who was taking photos, as usual, please may I have a shot of my yellow snowie for the forum? Which one, he said, Lady Elphinstone? So it was only a mystery to me! Ah, well, that's not the first time!
So, we think this IS G. 'Lady Elphinstone' :
[attachthumb=1]
-
Looks like Lady El to me? Here is Galanthus nivalis 'Greenish'.
-
Anthony - maybe my problem with 'Trym' is lack of nutrient - it is certainly the case that 'Trymlet', which is just a foot away, seems to be thriving.
-
Here is the photo of my yellow snowdrop. I said to Ian, who was taking photos, as usual, please may I have a shot of my yellow snowie for the forum? Which one, he said, Lady Elphinstone? So it was only a mystery to me! Ah, well, that's not the first time!
So, we think this IS G. 'Lady Elphinstone' :
I want that one!
-
Don't we all David?
-
I have ammended last nights post (the one with 2 pics the same - sorry guys and gals :-[) and I repost G Sandhill Gate here to save you going to look for the change.
Anthony D you have very different conditions to mine!!! Here in the mediterranean SE of England on a dry sandy soil Trym will probably always be slow ... I am very glad to hear that it does better for other people, this was the kind of reply I had hoped for ;)
-
Worth waiting for 'Sandhill Gate', Tony, it's very elegant.
By the way,
Gerard has made a new topic here: http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=318.msg7130#msg7130
of a strange spikey snowdrop.
-
David usually less than £10 except on Ebay. I think someone bought it for £30 last weekend
-
Altamont Gardens in Co. Carlow, Ireland, is gaining a very good reputation for the snowdrops grown there. This is largely due to the enthusiasm of the head gardener, Paul Cutler, who has a great interest in the smaller bulbs in general and in snowdrops in particular. Over the past number of years he has built up the selection of bulbs grown in the garden and has opened the gardens for a 'Snowdrop Week' each February for the past number of years when he give guided tours of the snowdrops each afternoon. This event is very well attended. The snowdrops are all planted so as to be easily viewed and are clearly labelled which viewing much more pleasant and informative.
Here are some snowdrops photographed there about a fortnight ago.
Galanthus 'Benton Magnet'
G. 'Bertram Anderson'
G. elwesii 'Comet'
G. 'Lerinda'
G. 'Little John'
G. 'Marjorie Brown'
G. 'Melvillei'
G. 'Robin Hood'
G. 'Victor'
G. 'Wisley Magnet'
Paddy
-
A few from my own garden at the moment.
G. 'Blewberry Tart'
G. 'Cool Ballintaggart'
G. 'Curly'
G. 'David Shackleton'
G. 'Emerald Isle'
G. 'Pusey Greentips'
G. 'Sharlockii'
G. 'Tiny Tim'
Paddy
-
Lovely pictures Paddy - thanks for posting them
-
Paddy, Pusey Green Tips and Blewbury Tart are the wrong way round
-
Duly noted, Mary.
Paddy
-
Having a look at some snowies in the garden today, we noticed that one had a different marking on each of its inner petals. Two were quite similar and one quite other! How erratic is that?
-
Can you explain a bit more? A photo or two would be good too
-
Mark, I wanted to take the flower apart to photograph the three pieces together. BD wouldn't let me and getting the shots in situ would be tricky. I will try tomorrow if weather okay. Good day here, apart from hail shower in afternoon when we were out with the dog! Strangely mild tonight but very starry sky.
-
sometimes a few flowers in a group can be slightly different eg 'Atkinsii' where an inner petal can become deformed. Others may have a slight hiccup during flower forming and then be normal the following year
-
Here's a few thant opened in yesterday's sunshine: Galanthus plicatus 'Trym'; G. nivalis 'Brian Spence' a dwarf form originally nicknamed "Jill Stott"; G. krasnovii close up; G. lagodechianus and pollinator and G. ikariae of that ilk.
-
Anthony ,
It is nice to see my writing !
Hans
-
Anthony,
You should buff that bug immediately!
Love the photographs of G. krasnovii and G. lagodechianus. I particularly like the long claws to the petals, gives a lovely shape to the flowers.
Also, deduct that Han's handwriting is on the G. ikariae, have heard of his interest in this species.
Paddy
-
Here are the three inner "bits" of my snowie, see post March 07, 2007, 08:49:31pm
You will see that two are similar, not exactly the same, and the third is different.These flowers really do not know what they are doing, they are worse than me!
[attachthumb=1]
-
Maggi, that sort of slight variation in marking is not uncommon between the inner segments of some (many) Gal. elwesii flowers (I assume it's an elwesii). It tends to be more pronounced when bulbs have been recently disturbed, dried out, potted up, planted out, etc. The markings tend to become more uniform when bulbs are settled - or sometimes not! You lot north of the border seem to be getting your snowdrops a lot later than us sasenachs. The season is virtually over for me down in tropical Gloucestershire.
-
Great photos Anthony
I too am impressed by G. krasnovii, I shall seek it out! I'm looking forward to my G.lagodechianus bulking up a bit too. :)
-
that fly has really been busy.
Have you read in The Plantsman about why snowdrops have green bits on the inners? Have you seen the Leucojum double yellow? I want it bad!!
-
Hat's off to those scientists. As you say Leucojum 'Gertrude Wister' is a stunner, I also like L.vernum var.carpathicum and will have to seek them out when the wallet has recovered from the galanthus shock! ;D
-
I'll see if I can beg the photos for posting here
-
looking at my few surviving Galanthus chips this morning they were heavy with green flies and under stress. Where the um-um did they come from!?
-
Anthony , the photo of your Galanthus ikariae is one of the best i have ever seen , with the great looking leaves..... your lagodechianus and krasnovii are very nice too.
Wim.....
-
Wim,
Stop. Heaping praise on a Scotsman can have dangerous consequences. He wouldn't be used to that and it could run to his head. The Scots are very like the Irish in this regard - the best compliment is to slag him off a bit, You know, say that the photos are OK, not bad considering who was holding the camera, and the likes. Have to be careful how you treat these chaps.
I liked them myself though.
Paddy
-
Hi All
can anyone hazard a guess as to what the name of this may be? It has always flowered in my mums garden during March and is now repeating this form in my garden. Unfortunately she can't remember where it came from originally!
Galanthus Close Up
[attachthumb = 1]
Galanthus leaves
[attachthumb = 2]
thanks for any help
regards
John
-
no idea
what do you call a blind deer?
-
no eye deer?
What do you call a blind deer with no legs?
-
Ahem.. anyway here is my Virescens. My sister bought this for my birthday last year so I am thrilled to see it has 3 beautiful flowers. I love it!
-
These are very nice Ann, with the green further up the petals than usual.
-
still no idea?
-
thanks for the pictures Anne. It is a plant I have often thought of growing but have been told it is really fussy - so it is encouraging to see it increasing for you. It is nice looking so I am sure one day I shall give it a go.
Is it flowering now? That will make me more likely to try one as it could help to extend the snowdrop season in my little garden.
regards
John
-
Yes John these pictures were taken this morning. Lots of my other snowdrops are going over now but I'd read this was one of the latest to flower. When I was given it last March I just planted it straight out in the garden in a south facing border and left it alone. I've cossetted others and lost them. Go figure!
-
No Mark, so tell us.
-
Could it be "Comet" ?
-
Hi Hans
comet, for me, flowered a long time ago - it also had a little green on the tips. The plant I have pictured is realiably the last (and largest) to flower in my mothers garden. Always puts on a good show but I guess it may remain the 'nameless' one.
with my best wishes
John
-
Hi Anthony
I am afraid that this is an old school joke and the answers have already been given:
a deer with no eyes = 'no idea' (no eye deer)
a deer with no eyes and no legs = 'still no idea' (a no eye deer who is still) ;)
John
-
Get away..... ;D Good job it's not elepahants and minis. ;)
-
Hi Hans
comet, for me, flowered a long time ago - it also had a little green on the tips. The plant I have pictured is realiably the last (and largest) to flower in my mothers garden. Always puts on a good show but I guess it may remain the 'nameless' one.
with my best wishes
John
Hi John ,
It was only a idea -for me flowering "Comet" also for a long time .
Forget it .
Many greetings
Hans
-
Hi Hans
many thanks to you for the suggestion.
with kind regards
John
-
Anthony when my children were very young we had a book about a little boy who woke up on his 6th birthday to find a rabbit beside his bed. On the next day there were two rabbits. On the next, 4 rabbits and so on. The mind boggles at how many there were on the 365th day. But the punchline's on the last page. On his 7th birthday, he woke up to find an elephant beside his bed. :o
-
Yes John these pictures were taken this morning. Lots of my other snowdrops are going over now but I'd read this was one of the latest to flower. When I was given it last March I just planted it straight out in the garden in a south facing border and left it alone. I've cossetted others and lost them. Go figure!
I grow mine in a shady spot and the flower buds have only just emerged - it will be a week or two before they actually flower - they usually last well into April.
-
Ahem.. anyway here is my Virescens. My sister bought this for my birthday last year so I am thrilled to see it has 3 beautiful flowers. I love it!
Ann - a lovely flower & always one of the last to look forward to.
-
Ann, presuming your sister just gave you a single bulb for your last birthday, I would think you are feeling pleased to have three flowers this year :) Hope they increase as well in future, you may have found just the perfect spot for them!
-
I'm still trying to fit four elephants into a mini :P
-
Yes my sister gave me one bulb so as you can imagine I was thrilled to have 3 flowers in its first year :)
-
Last man standing
-
That's a beauty!
-
what the %&*£ is going on with snowdrops on Ebay and who are the cheque book gardeners. They are ruining the whole thing for everyone. Word is now out to suppliers who will hike prices next year. Someone called Chris forced the the price of the gorgeous 'Flocon de Neige' to £55 and Walrus £32 AAHHHHHH. Maybe I'm jealous of him/her
-
Wot's 'Flocon de Neige' like? Never heard of it.
-
This is 'Flocon de Neige' which means snowflake as in snow and not Leucojum
-
That's nice. Does it always have six petals (like a real snowflake)?
-
yes but as I have never seen one once moved it may be untidy for a while
This was labelled as a possible seedling growing beside a group of Flocon
-
Wow! That's a BIG flower! Different, too ! ;) ;D :D :P ::)
I do like that, I must be weakening!
-
well Maggi, it does rather resemble an hepatica doesn't it, so you can be excused for finding it attractive. The analogy isn't quite appropriate but if you think of instant coffee not as COFFEE but as something altogether different, it almost becomes drinkable.
-
thanks for the pictures Mark - both very nice flowers - gives me some ideas what to look out for in future years. Does that seedling look like Godfrey Owen?
I know what you mean about ebay - lots of really silly prices this year - I bid what I considered a generous amount for a snowdrop (a couple of pounds above the catalogue prices) and it went for double what I bid. I hope the buyers know what they are doing and don't end up killing off some nice bulbs.
regards
John
-
I havent seen Gofrey Owen. The seedling was in a different garden rather Margaret Owens
-
about Ebay...I bid a few times on a bulb but not that silly prices.So I didn`t win.
But a little while later you get a second chance.Sellers offer a drop that you bid on for the bid you did.So you can buy for say the half or less than the winnig bid!
-
What a lovely Floccon seedling Mark. I bid on ebay for the Floccon de Neige, but like others was soundly beaten. Again I have had one or two second chances which has been very pleasing after the disappointment of a sound drubbing! I have thought to myself how any winner would have felt cheated that someone down the line got the same bulb for a third of his price - if they only knew.
What struck me most about the F.de Neige bids was that if the top six bidders each got a bulb at their top bid price the seller would have made £265.94 - not that I want to get you started on numbers again, but it would be interesting to know the going rate for one of these bulbs from a normal seller!
-
I think the seedling is nicer.
-
I think the seedling is nicer.
Anthony - I'm with you - it is a cracker!
-
it would be interesting to know the going rate for one of these bulbs from a normal seller!
Brian - I do not know any of the 'normal sellers' who have this/have had this on their List and I guess that is the problem when it comes up for sale in auction - given its rarity, it is worth whatever amount people are prepared to pay for a 'must have' snowdrop.
If North Green Snowdrops/Snowdrop Company were to offer it, I cannot see it being for less than the new £40 threshhold that they have both just established.
-
Then I guess that whoever was selling it received a 'fair' - but very high price. Hopefully this £40 threshold will be for only the very rarest of snowdrops as I can't see that many people paying so much (but then perhaps I'm quite out of touch :-\)
-
Chris you and I know it wont cost £40. NG will put it up for auction like they have done for the last two years with other snowdrops. No rumours yet about this years auction. SC will add a hefty price or flood the market with twinned bulbs
-
Then I guess that whoever was selling it received a 'fair' - but very high price. Hopefully this £40 threshold will be for only the very rarest of snowdrops as I can't see that many people paying so much (but then perhaps I'm quite out of touch :-\)
Brian - both NG & SC had 'Godfrey Owen' in their catalogue this year for £40 - I leave you to judge whether this meets your definition of the very rarest snowdrops.
-
Mark - you are probably right
-
I know what you mean about ebay - lots of really silly prices this year
John - whilst I am not surprised at the selling price for 'Flocon de Neige', I agree with you that far too many snowdrops are being bought on Ebay for silly prices.
I just looked at Ebay for an example and was amazed to see that a single bulb of g. nivalis sandersii group is currently standing at £28.56 (and that is still with one day to go in the auction) - goodness only knows what it will finally go for!
Mark and I have previously given other examples where quite ordinary snowdrops, like this one, are going for 2 or 3 times what it would cost to buy them from a commercial grower/at a snowdrop gala.
-
Yes those sellers must be raking it in. So easy to get carried away in an auction. I always know my limit and think that when the price reaches what it would cost me from a mail order company then it's time to bow out. Beautiful double seedlings there Mark! Thanks for posting.
-
when the price reaches what it would cost me from a mail order company then it's time to bow out
Sound advice, Ann, but when I am acting as the auctioneer for an SRGC fund-raisng auction, that is the last advice I want the buyers to be taking! ;D It breaks my heart when I only get a bid up to the "catalogue" price... I want lots more! :-* Good cause and all that!! ::)
-
Yes Maggi, I see your point and it's fair enough if its to raise funds :)
-
quite ordinary snowdrops, like this one, are going for 2 or 3 times what it would cost to buy them from a commercial grower/at a snowdrop gala.
I quite agree about the ridiculous sums these snowdrops are going for, personally I don't go above the price you can get them from elsewhere, but, I suppose really Chris it comes down to the modern impatience, availability from a commercial grower and ability to get to a gala and fight through the scrum :)
Having said that it is definitely buyer beware when you are buying unseen on eBay.
-
I suppose really Chris it comes down to the modern impatience, availability from a commercial grower and ability to get to a gala and fight through the scrum
Brian, I just checked that Ebay Auction for a single bulb of g. nivalis sandersii group - incredibly, there were 3 people willing to pay between £28 & £32 for a bulb that should cost no more than about £10 a bulb (I bought some at this price recently, over the telephone).
Maybe there is a business opportunity here ;) ;) ;)
-
Chris eBay has been a constant source of amusement this spring. I have 'watched' lots of the auctions so that I could see what ridiculous prices things were being sold for. Someone has very deep pockets! ::) As for the business opportunity, I'm afraid I would never make a businessman :( I'd much rather give a friend a plant they admired ;D
I know that Maurice Mason (a much missed Norfolk plantsman) was proud to say that he had never paid for a plant in his garden, they had all been exchanged with friends. The story is told that a visit to his garden involved a guided tour with himself and his gardener, as you went round if you admired a plant he would place a counter by it and his gardener would make sure that by the time you got back to your car a specimen of the plants you had really admired was sitting waiting for you. In this way he shared his plants very generously around the world. I believe that many of his orchids made their way to Kew and form a large part of their collection (I hope that is correct). Sadly all that is left is his arboretum and the memory of a very generous gardener.
-
Brian that's a lovely story and really what gardening is all about.
-
For anyone who has not been watching ebay - below are a few sales that have happened recently:
| Name | Ebay Price | Catalogue Price |
| Primrose Warburg | £39.00 | £25.00 (Judys) |
| Virescens | £38.00 | ?? |
| Lady Elphinstone | £37.12 | £6.00 (Longacre) |
| Nivalis Sandersii | £37.09 | £8.00 (Monksilver) |
| Nivalis Walrus | £35.09 | £4.80 (Wisley) |
| Nivalis Sandersii | £31.59 | £8.00 (Monksilver) |
| Nivalis Poculiformis | £29.29 | £5.95 (Wisley) |
| Nivalis Poculiformis | £23.00 | £5.95 (Wisley) |
| Blonde Inge | £22.98 | £12.00 (Ivycroft) |
I shall stick to the known nurseries and swapping with friends.
John
-
Delightful to hear Brian tell of Maurice Mason, what a pity when a wonderful garden like that has to be broken up, even if the plants do go to good homes, on the death of their owner.
-
Good Lord, John,
When you spell it out like that with actual examples of the prices it is shocking, amazing. I could understand someone spending such money on a very elusive and rare cultivar but when they are available elsewhere it seem ludicrous. Maybe I should dig up a few and make my fortune.
Maggi,
Brian's story is what we might all like our gardening to be like and indeed we come across many who are like this. Personally, I have been the beneficiary of great kindness in gardening and have some treasured plants in my garden which came from very kind and dear people. These are treasured far more than the very expensive plants which I have bought over the years. For example, I have a variegated smilacima which Bob Gordon, in Portglenone, Ballymena, gave to me. To have a plant from Bob is treasure enough for me but he in turn had received it from Dr. Molly Sanderson. So what a treasure that is, with connections to two great gardeners. Of course, I could go and buy one; they are not expensive but the purchased plant would never have the treasured associations of the generous gift.
No doubt many forum members will also have experienced the opposite. A 'lady' (I use the term loosely) came to my garden several years ago and asked if she could take some cuttings. I couldn't refuse, I thought. She proceeded to take out a collection of plastic bags and her secateurs and helped herself to a multitude of cuttings. Bad enough, you might think, but she told me a year or so later how much money she had made from the sale of the plants she had propagated. I could have strangled the bit..
Paddy
-
I see someone on Ebay is offering 'Sophie North'.....but is it?
-
Mark ,
You write on 08.March :
"Have you read in The Plantsman about why snowdrops have green bits on the inners ?"
Could you please tell me in which issue was this article ?
Who has written it ?
Thank you for this informations
Greetings
Hans
-
I only wish that we had the Galanthus selection here in the States as is available in Europe. We usually have only 2 choices...single and double.
Jim
-
Hans it is the issue that came out last week.
Jim you arent stuck with only two. Hitch Lyman sells Galanthus. He is based in NY state. $3 gets you his list. Write to
Hitch Lyman
'The Temple Nursery'
PO BOX 591
Trumansburg
NY 14886
USA
-
I believe the Sohie North on Ebay is wrong. The mark is too skinny. The seller doesnt even know herself
-
Surely it can only be 'Sophie North' if it is traceable back to the original clone?
-
Jim - just developing what Mark said about Hitch Lyman - in his 2006 Catalogue, Hitch lists 33 different forms, ranging in price from $7 to $35.
-
Re John's most telling comparison of prices, what's that old saying about "a fool and his money are soon parted?" It has to apply. On the other hand, if one has more money than is good for one (you see my Scottish upbringing here), why not spend it on a snowdrop or anything else one wishes. Yes, it disadvantages those without more money than is good for them, but auctions can be as addictive, so I believe - I've never been to one - as smoking, alcohol or gambling and at least at the end of the day one still HAS the snowdrop (given reasonable care of course) while with the others you have a filthy breath, a hangover or an empty bank account -or maybe much worse, in each case.
But then, I'm not in a position where I can be tempted by the ebay site, at least so far as plants are concerned, and I really like to see what I'm buying before I part with my money, or at least know a seller's reputation, in the case of mail order nurseries.
-
Thank you Mark and Chris!
Jim
-
Surely it can only be 'Sophie North' if it is traceable back to the original clone?
.....therefore it can't be.
-
Lily and I walked round to visit a fellow SRGC member, Isobel and her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Hal, this afternoon. Hal comes to stay here sometimes and is one of the canine world's sweetest gentlemen, keeping off the flowers and taking an interest in weeding! However, I digress. Isobel has a lovely young bush of Daphne 'Jacqueline Postil' in her front garden which smells divine, Oh, I digress again.... Isobel also has a liking for snowdrops, thought she gets as annoyed as many of you here with Lady Elpinstones which won't stay yellow etc! Some are passing now, but I still saw Hippolyta, Dionysus, Merlin, Little Ben, Robin Hood, Brenda Troyle, Pusey(?) Green Tips , Hill Poë, Ginn's imperati and quite a few others, with and without names, looking good in the cold sunshine.
-
Maggi, your snowdrop season really is much later than mine down here in the Cotswolds. It occurs to me that if I win the national lottery (which I won't) I could buy a holiday home in the Highlands (which I wouldn't on principle) and plant the garden with half of my snowdrop collection, so I could have an early Jan-Feb snowdrop season down here then spend March up there enjoying a second snowdrop season in the same year, seeing the same snowdrops all over again a month or so later. Hmmm. Must be the late hour and the advancing years (and reducing years to look forward to in the future) talking!
-
Nearly all gone now in my garden too except for three 'Washfield Warham', 'Cicely Hall' and 'The Whopper' and two still in tight bud - 'Danube Star' and 'Green Ibis'
-
I still have 'Baxendale's Late' to open. (Baxendale, your late is late).
-
The very last ones in flower over here.
A late white poculiform giving an extra.
-
Your green "semipoc" is striking, Johan. It has a very long pedicle, doesn't it?
-
Yes Maggi.
What do you think of the next one, out of flower now.
-
Even stronger green markings on this one. I haven't seen one so green .
-
I saw two super hybrids still in flower today.
Colin Mason's Fieldgate Forte and Fieldgate Superb.
-
very nice. Can I add Colin's snowdrops to my web site?
-
Mark, You want them full sized I suppose.
I'll mail them to you.
-
Yes Maggi.
What do you think of the next one, out of flower now.
Wow. Now that is one I would like.
-
Only very few bulbs so far Anthony, hope this will change.
-
thanks for the photographs Johan - it is always nice to see pictures of snowdrops that I have not seen before. They all look very nice.
with kind regards
John
-
I know at least one person hates stats but I'm going to share some. The interest in my snowdrop web site is getting bigger
Jan '06 had 39,500 hits
Jan '07 had 53,000
Feb '06 had 41,000 hits
Feb '07 had 50,000
-
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Guess who!
-
Martin,
perhaps you could also (but you won't) buy a place in NZ or Oz and then you can have 2 snowdrop seasons 6 months apart! Our peak for snowdrops is August.
cheers
fermi
-
Martin,
perhaps you could also (but you won't) buy a place in NZ or Oz and then you can have 2 snowdrop seasons 6 months apart! Our peak for snowdrops is August.
cheers
fermi
Fermi, my brother and his family live at the top of North Island, NZ, so in theory I could have some of each of my snowdrop varieties out there and zip out once a year for a month or two, to get a snowdrop season every six months. ;D But from what Lesley has said in the past, I'm not sure I'd get the 'drops past the NZ Min. of Ag. goons. Plus my carbon footprint from the flights would probably be enough to melt an entire Artctic ice-shelf. I think I'll just carry on trying to breed some new, bigger autumn-flowering snowdrops. By the time they get to flowering size, I've selected the best, chipped them and got enough for some decent clumps, they can be planted on my grave! ;D
-
Thanks John,
two more pictures of different Galanthus.
-
Is the last photo of Walrus?
-
Gonnae stop posting these mouthwatering snowdrops Johan ;). I thought I was happy with the ones I had and then you produce some wonderful new ones :o.
-
The last picture is not Walrus, no double inners, just doing all those strange things in one clone.
Seems to be stable in being unstable.
Anthony, I'll listen to you and won't send the next level of marking...yet.
-
It's OK Johan; I sat down in a darkened room and I think my heart and breathing rates are back to normal. :)
-
Mmmmmm... one more to seduce you, I'll get your heart beating again I think. ;)
Maybe Maggi likes this one also.
-
Johan, extraordinary coloured. I like the last one.
-
Aaaaahh oooooh :o :o :o
-
Maybe Maggi likes this one also.
Yes, she does. :D I need help.... it is just a snowdrop!! ???
-
Just a snowdrop!!!! ::) Some of us would walk barefoot over hot coals for a snowdrop like that. :P
-
thanks Johan - wonderful flowers. Are they named? In circulation? Available?
with kind regards
John
-
Johan, can you please post a photo of "Belles Etoiles"?
Seems like mine will not open this year!
-
Not `Walrus' Ann, but a walrus!
-
You are right Lesley.
Thomas a picture below.
They are currently still unnamed and should be propagated.
Let's hope they'll do well and find their way around in time.
I suppose they may be useful as well for some handpollination with the modern snowdrophybrids to produce a whole range of 'just snowdrops ;) '.
-
Thanks Johan!
-
I'm feeling faint!
-
Hi Johan
thank you once again for another stunning flower picture. I can't decide which is my favourite between this last one (multi petal with green tips) or the one with the mostly green petals you showed previously.
Are these bulbs in your collection or in collections that you have visited? Do please keep us informed as to their progress over the coming years.
Once again - many thanks for taking the time to share these new finds with us.
kind regards
John
-
Johan,
I have been visiting and admiring your postings of snowdrops over the past few days and must thank you for the wonderful photographs. Such an interesting selection and all seemingly very healthy and thriving with you.
Unlike Anthony Darby I wouldn't walk on hot coals but I would take a piggy back from Anthony and would arrive at the same destination - excellent snowdrops.
Paddy
-
I'm in training Paddy and have bought a Voodoo Lily tuber (Amorphophallous bulbifer) so I can draw strength from the spirit world, or perhaps a half bottle of whisky might have the same effect? I know we shouldn't covet thy neighbour's ass (no offence Johan, but I don't think your ass - should you have one - would be something I would covet), but snowdrops, yes? :o I think Paddy and I will be at the head of a very long queue for the results of any chipping of these delightful plants.
-
Paddy, Adarby as long as the coal are warm enought it is no problem walking. The problem is if there are colder and or wood amongst the coal.
I too see the interest in these very different snowdrops even if they might have less of a classic drop shape with 3 outer petals.
I wonder what the dogmatic ladies think.
In Sweden we are later even if this pictures are 2 weeks old they have not come more than into bloom now. That is in Southern Sweden up north they are still waiting.
I can show what I do to take pics of snowdrops. I enter "boar land" as shown in the picture. The snowies are close to bushes so there were clear and present danger as they say.
The doubles are from our garden.
Even if these plants are a bit common compare with the exclusive plants we have seen earlier they still manage to make me happy.
Kind regards
Joakim
-
I wonder what the dogmatic ladies think.
This one is saying nothing, on the grounds she might incriminate herself! ;)
-
Johan what a super snowdrop Belle Etoiles is, is it possible to have a photograph of the inside please. Cheers
-
And this dogmatic lady now realizes that she can't beat `em so she may have to join `em, but not yet!
-
Johan,
Somehow I think I detect some genuine interest among forumists for what you're showing here ;D (is this an understatement).
Beware, or you'll make Belgium for Snowdrops what Holland is for tulips ;D
-
Thank you all for your enthousiast reactions ! As I was not at home I couldn't reply earlier.
Brian, I didn't take a picture of the inside of 'Belles Etoiles' yet and it has finished flowering.
It is rather small flowering, but in a clump they look like lots of little stars and it is stable and vigourous!
Everyone seeing it was attracted !
Anthony, Paddy, John, ... the coal are very hot now and a queue is forming but isn't large yet as these are the first pictures of the snowdrops, so... you are ahead in the queue. The first will be used for swapping snowdrops.
Attached some pictures which may interest you all, taken at Colesbourne in Mid-February.
Some are new snowdrops as well at least for me.
-
Forteviot Poculiform
-
A Trym seedling and South Hayes
-
Deer Slot and a group of Lord Lieutenant
-
Rosemary Burnham and a group of Mandarin
-
Johan - many thanks for posting the photo's of these Colesbourne snowdrops, which include some lovely new forms :)
Snowdrops are a little thin on the ground in my garden now - 'Beth Chatto' is hanging on whilst, amongst the nivalis, 'Viriscens' is at its best, and 'Cockatoo', 'Mrs Tiggywinkle' & 'Octopussy' have now been flowering for about 3 or 4 weeks. Sadly a blackbird(?) has just chopped off the flower on 'Green Ibis' :(, but the less well known Czech nivalis 'Praha' & 'Grunspitz' more than make up for this loss, with the lovely green markings on their outers ;D
A snowdrop which I acquired as g. platyphyllus, poked its head above ground about 3 weeks ago, but has not grown on since, so the jury is still out on whether or not it is the real thing!
Looking on the bright side, less than 6 months to go before the first of the g. reginae-olgae emerge and start flowering ;) ;) ;)
-
Johan,
Another great show. Lovely snowdrops. Enjoyed them very much. Many thanks. Paddy
-
how nice to see all those different snowdrops.sure know what to look for the next couple of years.a long whish list!
-
As March is about to bow out to April Galanthus nivalis 'Green Ibis' is finally out and open. One more to come after this. I found a lost pot with recently with 'Danube Star'. 'Green Ibis' was a gift so I cant knock it but Johans green pocs are stunning
-
Lovely pics of lovely snowdrops guys. That's a nicely marked form Colesbourne has of 'South Hayes' Johan.
-
Talk about saving the best till last!
-
This looks like it is going to be funny snowdrops of this. Is it even a Galanthus or is it a narcissus?
The picture looks like nivalis but they called them ikare.
Anyone that knows?
I guess we will know in a few days but I am curious
Joakim
-
not a Galanthus
-
Thanks Mark with this flowers it surely did not look like it.
I will sue the company (a big supermarket chain) that sold them to me for trillions and spend all of it on japanese hepaticas.
I only paid 2€ but the emotional damage is huge :'(
It will be intersting to see what it is though 8)
Joakim
-
Looking on the bright side, less than 6 months to go before the first of the g. reginae-olgae emerge and start flowering ;) ;) ;)
Chris,
Only a couple of weeks until they appear here. Usually by the 14th of April most years. G. peshmenii is often up before the reginae-olgae ones. I SO look forward to it every year!! <grin>
-
Joakim
your plant appears to be some sort of Tazetta Narcissus, probably the kind they sell for flowering indoors during the winter.
cheers
fermi
-
I've been weeding and taking photos today and discovered my group of elwesii 'Mandarin' have produced a flower.
-
I've also found a couple of snowdrops flowering. Both seedlings from crosses I made years ago, so hopefully will be long-term late flowering clones rather than just late flowers on early snowdrops. Will post a couple of pics later.
-
Here are pics of the two snowdrop seedlings I found flowering in the garden today. Both from deliberate crosses made some years ago. Very small first-time flowers; they should get bigger with time.
-
A pretty pair, Martin. Do you think that this late-season flowering is a quirk of youth, or might it persist?
They would be especially valuable if they were to remain "Baxendales Unbelievably Tardy", wouldn't they? ;D
-
yes very nice and time will tell. Six months to first snowdrops of 2007/8
-
All other seedlings I've flowered have bloomed within the 'normal' season at first flowering, so I'm hopeful these two may be naturally very late flowering. I've pollinated them (both plicatus types) with saved pollen from the late-flowering G. nivalis virescens (quite fertile as a pollen parent, but not as a seed parent) as I tend to do with all late plicatus types, hoping to extend the season. Fingers crossed. Eventually I'd like to achieve Gal. 'Baxendale's Where The Hell Have You Been We Thought You'd Never Get Here It's Nearly Bloody Autumn'. :)
-
Gal. 'Baxendale's Where The Hell Have You Been We Thought You'd Never Get Here It's Nearly Bloody Autumn'.
I'd better start saving now so I can afford ink and a big enough label to write the name with when I've paid 150 quid for the bulb at a galanthus auction!!
-
Do galanthus peshmenii need special care?or is it happy in the garden in a dry and sunny place?
(can buy peshmenii september surprise)
-
Galanthus peshmenii I treat the same as G. reginae-olgae. I find they seem to like a bit more sun (but I am not sure whether they "require" it or not) and don't mind it being drier and warmer than most of the more traditional winter/spring Galanthus. The autumn species and G. gracilis are the ones I find really do like it a bit warmer and drier (G. gracilis in particular.... I find it rots easily if treated like other Galanthus and kept cool and moist here).
Good luck growing it. The autumn Galanthus are such a treat. Incidentally I have a pot of G. peshmenii currently with 6 buds or flowers on it. Those are my first potted Galanthus for this season, and there are 3 buds on a small clump of G. reginae-olgae in one part of the garden (no signs of buds in other parts)
-
I find they seem to like a bit more sun (but I am not sure whether they "require" it or not)
Interesting point, Paul and one which is echoed with other plants in this and other contexts, such as lime in the soil... does the plant "require" sun, lime, whatever, or does it merely "tolerate" it?
Not the easiest question to answer, is it? But in recognising that the question exists, you show yourself to be a good ( that is observant and caring) gardener!
Doing my best, as Spring appears to be REALLY with us here, to accept that your season is going the other way!
-
thanks for the answer Paul. :D
I`ll look for a dry place for my g.reginae olgae,g.gracilis and,soon,peshmenii.(or keep them in the greenhouse)
could you show a photo of your g.peshmenii as it flowers?love to see it.
good luck with your autumn in Canberra(I have a aunt living there but I don`t think she`s growing galanthus),I`m sure glad it is spring here!
-
Maggi,
If you think I'm "good" then oh boy do I have you fooled!! LOL .... oh, I see you meant observant and caring. ;)
Loes,
Glad to be of help. I wouldn't find a "dry" bit of the garden, but perhaps aim for "drier". Mine still don't dry out, but they definitely are warmer and drier in summer than any of the other Galanthus I have. I'll try to get a pic of the peshmenii tomorrow. They are a little finer than reginae-olgae, although that species is so extremely variable that I am sure there are similarly delicate populations of them as well.
-
Loes,
Here's are pics of my Galanthus peshmenii (freshly opened flower), Galanthus reginae-olgae (older flower) and a pic of the two species together (different peshmenii flower than the first pic). I have this morning taken pics of the peshmenii more fully open (i.e with petals outstretched like the reginae-olgae) if you are wanting me to post one? The pics I've posted show the markings for you anyway. This year I must admit that the peshmenii is nowhere near as dainty as previously, being much more robust and of a similar size to r-o. Maybe this was just a good year for them?
Anyway, I hope this is what you were after.
-
mine are just dying down and yours are popping up
-
Mark,
Yep. I had a chuckle about that myself too. The Galanthus season never ends eh?
-
Paul, nice to see that 'the little white flower with the green smudges fever' is alive and well in Oz.
-
David,
Well and truly, and most definitely not just me. I may have 50 or so different varieties, but that I realise is just a fraction of what there really are. So many of the named ones never get to Aus, and because of the use of chemicals in quarantining bulbs there is limited chance of new ones surviving being brought in now. Until they find an alternative for Methyl Bromide the problems will continue. I am still hoping to one day get seed from 'Trym' from someone and then miraculously get a seedling to bloom true. I do know of one bulb of 'Trym' in Aus, but it is struggling on apparently. Often it appears that they live through the Methyl Bromide and then slowly get the dwindles until they die out. <sigh> Here's hoping that they find an alternative soon that isn't so toxic to the 'little white flower with the green smudges" brethren. ;D
-
Hi Paul,
Thanks for the photo`s! :D
it`s nice to see what I am waiting for.
Hope my reginae-olgae and pesmenii will flower for me this autumn.
What`s your next drop to flower?
-
Paul,
Did you buy 'Winterwood' this summer? It seems to me that that is the way to go, rather than going the Methyl Bromide route.
-
Here is the answer about what was the flowerbuds going to be that I had earlier. http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=300.msg9359#msg9359
The aswers is a very spectacular looking galanthus with multiple flowers.
I have not seen any one like that and it is not galanthus ikari that it was bought as.
It is galathus narcicus tazettus I may have made my fortune. 2€ will become millions on ebay. ::)
Unfortunally it does not have much scent and the flowers are only 1cm across. They did not last as long as the narcissus.
Joakim
PS Fermides was spot on in his guess/reply
-
Loes,
It actually varies a bit from year to year to be honest. There are a couple of them that tend to vie for the honour, but I'll go back and check at least for last winter and let you know. I usually get 4 to 6 weeks out of the autumn ones, then there is a brief rest of a week or two until the first of the elwesii types appear. The very first one out is usually an elwesii that I don't have a name for. It has produced a nice little clump and always is in flower early in June. Sometimes others beat it but not often. It just looks like a "usual" elwesii monostrictus type. It may or may not be an Australian seedling of some type.
Rob,
Yeah, I bought that too. Do you mean that we should just be breeding our own? To be honest (although it has only flowered for me the once so no idea what it will settle down to) I couldn't see any difference to the normal 'Atkinsii'. It is apparently 'Winterwood Atkinsii' I think... a "superior" seedling selected from 'Atkinsii'. In it's first flowering here it could have been the same as the original, although it has yet to settle down.
I would really like to get 'Rabbit Ears' but I do not know of it ever being shared from the original garden it was found in. Sounded quite interesting. Such a shame if something is found and named, then never gets out into collections to keep it alive in the event of something happening in the original garden (not wishing anything ON that original garden either I might add).
-
Paul,
"Do you mean that we should just be breeding our own?"
Exactly so.
-
Rabbit's Ears? There are quite split spathe that available. I dont think another should be named to satisfy an eager isolated market unless it stands out as very different.
-
Mark,
'Rabbit Ears' apparently consistently only has two outer petals. Nothing to do with split spathes, so wouldn't be doubling up on anything. I am aware of the 'Sharlockii' group (or I am assuming it is a group, as it does appear in seedlings apparently) with the split spathe etc. I had one of them appear in some nivalis which I bought a number of years back. I have developed quite a good clump of it now, with the green tips to the flowers and the prominent split spathe. I am betting it was just a random seedling in the mix. Definitely well worth keeping it separate though!! LOL
Rob,
I am slowly getting seedlings around other varieties, but I haven't actually done any specific hybridising. I will be potting up seedligns from around 'Sibbertoft Manor' shortly if I can find them. That particular variety is one of my favourites, and I will be most interested to see what the seedlings may end up like. Maybe this year I can try doing a bit of hybridisation amongst the various named varieties. I find that the monostrictus types do tend to set seed fairly easily (which may be why Norm Collins used them so readily for his namings? Then again, a number of those which I got from him are I think the same thing, and I am attributing that to mistakes in packaging, rather than the more sinister alternative.).
I have never had seed set on nivalis or anything like that as far as I can tell, but I have had just a couple of seeds set on Galanthus gracilis which I have sown or sent overseas to people who don't have that species. I have a single clone so it rarely sets seed. I am hoping to rectify that fairly soon with my few seedlings hopefully maturing in a year or two if I am lucky. I would be interested to try crossing it with other species to see what results, but attempts at that in the past have failed. Definitely worthwhile thinking about hybridising this year. Still not likely to get anything like 'Trym' though without having it somewhere in the parentage.... which is why I hope to get seed from it one day to at least try to get something similar here that hasn't been through Methyl B.
-
poor Galanthus are suffering badly in the garden. Most are now turning brown.
Anthony I hope you are in on Friday. Your package is ready to go in the post tomorrow
-
They're back! Narcissus flies are out 4 weeks early. They are usually hatching at the end of May.
-
Mark, I swatted my first narcissus fly of the season this afternoon. Nice forehand with my trusty old tennis racket as the little b***er was settling on a colchicum leaf. All my snowdrops leaves are shrivelling in the heat too. Seed starting to ripen about a month early too. Quite wierd to see the leaves dying back first while the seed pods and old flower stems are still green. Hopefully the bulbs made enough growth during the mild winter not to mind going dormant early. Some bulbs I just lifted for chipping seem nice and hard.
-
by coincidence my ex Narcissus flies have been hit while sitting on Colchicum leaves. So they have use after all
-
Does anyone have a picture of a Narcissus Fly?? I wouldn't want to miss hitting one by not recognising it!
-
very easy. They look like a cross between a bumble bee and a blow fly. They come in three colour forms - black, black and cream/yellow, fawn. They are the size of a blow fly but move differently flying close to the ground like a queen bee would. They frequently sun bathe on rocks or large leaves
-
just dont hit the friendly hover flies
-
Thanks, I now know what to aim at.
-
David, see this page on old forum for info, also other pages will come up in the old forum search.
http://www.srgc.org.uk/discus/messages/283/19423.html
Here are Mark's pix from that page:
Narcissus fly
[attachthumb= 1]
Grub in Bulb
[attachthumb=2]
Holes left in bulbs
[attachthumb= 3]
Narcissus fly grubs
[attachthumb= 4]
-
No! I'm frightened now!!!! :'(
-
David, narcissus flies also make a very distinctive high-pitched whining sound as they fly, quite unlike the drone of a bee or the buzz of a fly. You often hear them before you see them. It's a sort of high-pitched eeeeeeeeee sound. The narcissus flies also land on leaves a lot in the sun, and take a lot of interest in bulb foliage, rather than flowers like the bees. You'll often see them trying to mate with bees and being rebuffed. When they find another narcissus fly to mate with, the two of them make an even louder whining noise, which helps with locating and whacking them.
-
Thanks all for the timely warning. I shall be whacking like a good 'un in between chasing rabbits, pheasants, moles and squashing the dreaded lily beetles. After all that I hope to do some gardening. ;D
-
I had a chat with Don Schofield from Mt Tomah, whose garden is `Winterwood.' He sent bulbs of G. n. `Atkinsii' to Marcus Harvey who selected and named `Winterwood' but Don himself thinks it is neither different from nor better than straight `Atkinsii.' At best, very marginally taller. He also says that the `Rabbit Ears' (from Michael Carle) referred to a split spathe and is, in fact just G. n. `Scharlockii.' When it produced just 2 petals at one stage, the `Rabbit Ears' name was applied but since then it has produced 3 petals, as normal. Storm in a teacup.
-
Lesley,
Since you've recently seen Marcus, did you have the opportunity to ask him why he thought 'Winterwood' was worth naming?
-
No I didn't ask specifically, but Don's impression was that it was another name for the bulb list. I bought 3 bulbs last year from Marcus and didn't feel they were much different, but I'll have another look this year. Mine are still in a pot though and should be planted out before assessing them.
It's worth noting though, that Don is very modest regarding his own achievments.
-
Hello,
there's not only the threat of Narcissus-flies for bulbs.
I have annual visit in spring from scarlet lily beetle (Lilioceris lilii). Looks very beautiful and lovely but can become a pest if left unwatched. It favourably eats the stems, leaves, buds and flowers of lilies, fritillaries and other plants in the Liliaceae family. Typically they do not fly off when trying to pick one up. Their escape tactics instead is to suddenly let themselves fall down. Quite often then they can hide quickly on the ground. The next day you can find them sitting on the leaves again.
The picture is from 2005 but this year I have already eliminated ~30 beetles on just two stems of Lilium martagon! Fortunately before they layed eggs under the leaves and major damage happened.
-
Glad to hear your "hunting" is going well, Armin. I hope you catch many more!
-
I feel good! They are flying so late this year
-
Attaboy!
-
hopefully they are/were the last. None flying today
-
Here's what I found tonight. Galanthus 'Diggory' and Narcissus 'Gipsy Queen'. Only one word can describe them
-
Yuk?
-
the top bulb was cleaned and the maggot replaced after it got a wash too
-
Mark, I'd clean up that Diggory bulb and cut off the rotten bits, then chop it into (not too small) chips lengthways, put into a bag of moist vermiculite and treat as bulb chips.
Don't throw it away just because the basal plate has gone (looks like it has). I've had snowdrop chips make bulbs from the sides of the chips, not from the basal plate, just as with lily scales, where the basal plate isn't essential for new bulbil production.
And don't worry about the lateness of the season. I tried chipping snowdrops in October once, as an experiment, and they produced bulblets not much later than those chipped in early Summer, and they caught up later.
-
OK I still have it. Have you ever tried just chipping a bulb and planting it again?
-
I've just noticed my own note about G. `Winterwood' and that Don Schofield didn't think it much different from straight `Atkinsii' though Marcus Harvey thought it was larger. Well, mine have flowered a second time, (still in a pot) and compared with my garden `Atkinsii,' it was very large indeed. I didn't get a pic, silly me but the white parts were 3.5cms long compared with little more than 2 for `Atkinsii.' I think when it's planted out and growing well, it will be spectacular. Well worth the name, and it couldn't be named for a lovlier garden, or a nicer man.
-
I would be reluctant to name a snowdrop that shows just the normal single mark. Naming here is out of hand for these types and leads to so much confusion in the future
-
No Mark. I've replanted very badly rotted remnants of bulbs after cleaning up and soaking in fungicide but not actual chips. But if you don't have any vermiculite or haven't the time to fuss with all that, there's no reason you couldn't put the chips in a safe corner of a raised bed for example. They won't be as safe or develop as fast as in the more sterile, warm conditions of a properly prepared and stored chipping bag, but there's a fair chance they might still make some bulblets eventually. You'll just have to watch out for the small leaves if it does work, and put down some slug pellets. Better than binning the bits of bulbs.
-
Lesley, can you post a pic of Gal. 'Winterwood'? Ideally alongisde your 'Atkinsii' for comparison.
-
Lesley,
2cm petals sounds awfully small for 'Atkinsii'. Unless I have something other than 'Atkinsii' under that name. At this stage I can't see much difference between 'Atkinsii' and 'Winterwood', at least not in the 2 seasons I have had them. Obviously they aren't in flower now, and the 'Winterwood' is in a pot not in the ground. At the moment my clump of 'Atkinsii' has a lovely radial pattern of flower stems and seedpods radiating from it in all directions. Obviously this was a good year for seed set from it. I wonder whether there will be much difference in the seedlings? I might just leave them as they are all laid out well away from the clump so shouldn't infiltrate it with imposters. :)
-
Paul, just so you don't get your hopes up and end up disappointed - 'Atkinsii' sets very little seed. You'll often see lots of seed pods forming but the vast majority usually abort later or swell up promisingly but have no seeds in them.
That's not to say you won't get the odd seed or two over the years, but don't expect loads. Some years I've gathered hundreds of pods from 'Atkinsii' and only found a few seeds. The problem isn't that it's a sterile triploid, but a hybrid with very low fertility.
The seedlings I've had from it also tend to be rather disappointing compared to the original.
I don't want to be a party pooper, but it can be very disappointing when you look in the pods at the end of the season, and even more so if after years of growing seedlings on you end up with nothing very interesting. Then again, you never know. You might get a good one.
-
Not party-pooping, Martin, just injecting healthy note of realism for anyone unfamiliar with such things... anyway, we are all eternal optimists here and will grow even the most umpromising stuff... just in case.... there's always the odd chance of something new.... :o
It is wise not to have TOO strongly rose-tinted glasses, though ;)
-
Re new flower breaks , this may be of interest to your Galanthophiles, this is my latest development in snowie breeding... i beleive it is the best thing to happen for years, queue up for the release of bulbs in due course..
[attach=1]
Will you be reporting this to the Great White Mothership, Martin? ::)
-
ps. forgot to mention, it is a bi-generic hybrid, of course, between galanthus and fritillaria.... it wasn't easy to achieve this, I can tell you. :-X
-
... we are all eternal optimists here and will grow even the most umpromising stuff... just in case.... there's always the odd chance of something new.... :o
Absolutely, Maggi. Some of the most exciting things in life come at us from highly unlikely and unexpected directions! (or am I thinking of spiders?)
P.S. Re. your growing interest in galanthophilia, details of the secret Snowdrop Handshake will follow in an encrypyed email. Please read and then eat it.
-
Martin are you planning to attend any snowdrop events next year?
Maggi I'll take the first spare bulb please. I'm not biased towards colour breaks!
-
will follow in an encrypted email.Please read and then eat it
Couldn't you just send it in a cake?
I'm not biased towards colour breaks!
That'll get you drummed out of the Brownies White feverists!
-
I'm hoping to, Mark - when I know where and when they are. I'm fed up with always missing them 'cos of work commitments. Although, having just written a long article for the next RHS Daffodils, Snowdrops and Tulips Yearbook about my snowdrop breeding activities, I'll no doubt be letting myself in for a lot of first-hand criticism and put-downs for the many howlers, inaccuracies and idiocies that will inevitably populate the article (although I had a lot of excellent editing advice from Peter Brandham at Kew, so hopefully he's weeded out my worst clangers).
-
Will do, Maggi. How about a nice raspberry pavlova? Seriously though, I'll have to dial down the talk about great whiteness. This is starting to sound like some kind of gun-totting white supremacist thread!
-
I would say "God Forbid" but that would get us into more trouble..... hard life, ain't it?
-
Is the message in here?
[attachthumb=1]
-
Yes, Maggi. But it self-destructs in 30 seconds so eat it quick!
-
[attach=1]
... and you thought I wasn't built for speed!
-
Here's a pic of my Dad, Bob, and I with the only supreme white beings worshipped in our house.... the West Highland White Terrier goddesses, Lily and our occasional Lodger, Molly 8)
[attachthumb=1]
It's my Dad's birthday tomorrow, he'll be 94.... having terrible trouble getting insurance cover for cake candles!
-
Happy Birthday, Maggi's Dad! :D
-
Certainly a happy birthday, with cake :P
Martin, I'm sorry I didn't get a pic of `Winterwood.' I had left my camera in the market's site office and for 2 weeks forgot to grab it and bring it home when I was there each weekend, so I missed on the best flowering of several things. Hopefully I'll do better next year.
Mark you dont need to worry about confusion in this case as `Winterwood' being a SH selection won't be in the NH yet and we can make sure it never gets there if it would bother you :-\
Paul, over all, the flower was twice as long as `Atkinsii' when closed and twice as wide with its "wings" spread.
-
Lesley,
I really am wondering whether what I have as 'Atkinsii' is what you have as 'Atkinsii'? Mine has fairly large flowers, so doubling their size would be an absoutely phenomenal flower to put it mildly!!??
Martin,
You are assigning a little too much organisation to me...... I never get around to collecting Galanthus seed except on very rare occasions. I am getting seedlings near a few varieties now and if they're too close then I lift and move them (like this year I lifted seedligns from amongst the 'Sibbertoft Manor's into a pot to grow on. I don't want SM diluted by seedlings, plus I'll be intrigued to see what the seedlings look like in a few years when they flower. My 'Atkinsii' is nowhere near anything else, so it's seedlings will be fairly obvious if they sprout where they fall.
-
Paul, I'm afraid I don't have a pic of my `Atkinsii.' I'll rectify that next year, but it is quite distinctive, with a long flower in the typical pear-drop shape of the kind of pearl you might see on a pendant necklace. Of course it opens wide to your typical 3-winged helicopter and has a smallish, heart-shaped green spot. It is very elegant and I find it the best doer among all my snowdrops. And it is quite large compared with most. So `Winterwood' was huge.
I'm sure there will be a portrait on Mark's website.
-
Galanthus 'Atkinsii'
-
The one on yout snowdropinfo site shows the "drop" shape more clearly Mark.
-
here it is