Galanthus January 2011

[mark smyth]

Paddy it's like my Armine. Never more than two bulbs

[steve owen]

Paddy
My Beth Chatto has ceased to be. I have no shoots, no flowers and no hope.
I will bestir myself to post a pic of the inner mark of Enid B as soon as daylight does what Beth Chatto refuses to do.
Steve

[Paddy Tobin]

Mark,

Likewise, I have found 'Armine' slow enough to bulk up but it is coming on reasonably good.

Re 'Beth Chatto': it seems I now have three bulbs and each bulb has two flowers.

Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

That's a pity, Steve. I like to have it for its association with the lady.

Paddy

[kentish_lass]

An odd happening in snowdrop life here.

In 2005 I bought one bulb of G. 'Beth Chatto' (£12.50)from Beth Chatto's. When it arrived it had one mature bulb and one side bulb. Each year since 2005 it has produced one flower, something which disappointed me as I had hoped it would bulk up a little faster.

Paddy - I am glad you brought up the topic of G plicatus Beth Chatto.  I have been a regular customer at Beth Chattos for over 15 years and try to get to her gardens at least every other year.  I went to a snowdrop walk there last year and David Ward her head gardener talked about the Galanthus 'Beth Chatto'.  He said they are not currently selling it as it has got totally confused with seedlings and he needs to sort through them to find the originals.  I ordered G Beth Chatto this year (not from Beths) and am worried whether I will get the real thing or a rogue seedling.  I am wondering whether to cancel the order.

Here is a link to a photo of Beth Chatto on Judys Snowdrops and it looks totally different to yours.  I would like to know what the REAL Beth should look like but as you bought yours from BC I should hope it is correct?      Jennie
http://www.judyssnowdrops.co.uk/Plant_Profiles/plicatus/beth_chatto/beth_chatto.htm

[Paddy Tobin]

Jennie,

Certainly two completely different snowdrops. As I said, my snowdrop came from Beth Chatto's and I expect and hope that it is true to name.

Paddy

[Martin Baxendale]

I bought Beth Chatto from them a few years ago and got a bunch of mixed seedlings. Never bothered to complain. The photo on Janet's "Judy's Snowdrops" website doesn't match up with the description in the snowdrop book, and it also doesn't match yours too well either, Paddy. Beth Chatto is supposed to be a very rounded, "globular" flower. Yours seems to have quite long, narrow petals. There's a pic in the snowdrop book, of a rounded flower, but it doesn't show the inner mark. The description is "a basal triangle narrowly joined in the middle to an apical V with expanded rounded arm-ends". Yours seems to have two very widely separated marks.

[Brian Ellis]

Here is a picture of G.'Beth Chatto' taken at Rod Leeds in 2006, it was this clump that caught my attention.  I too had hoped to buy one, but was told by the people at Beth Chatto's that it had seeded and they would have to wait until it had flowered to select the correct ones...I still haven't got it, but it seems quite different to yours Paddy.

[Paddy Tobin]

Brian,

That's completely different to mine. It's a much fuller and more rounded flower. I think I may have received one of the seedlings. Such a pity and such a nuisance.

Paddy

[kentish_lass]

Sorry Paddy
I did not mean for you to be disenchanted with your snowdrop.  I just wanted to get to the bottom of how the flower should look.
Maybe I should email Beth Chatto nursery and ask if they have a picture of the real thing.
Jennie

[Gerard Oud]

Here's mine from last year and yes its a slow grower!

[Brian Ellis]

Paddy, I wonder whether you have got Galanthus elwesii ex Beth Chatto which I seem to remember was on ebay last year rather than Galanthus plicatus 'Beth Chatto'?

Sorry just looked back and saw that you bought it from Beth Chatto Gardens.  I would be inclined to have a word with them, they seem very good about such things.

[Martin Baxendale]

I think they were sending out various different seedlings as Beth Chatto for some time before they realized (presumably when someone complained). As I said earlier, I was sent mixed seedlings a few years ago (maybe 3 years ago). I didn't bother complaining as I was very busy and didn't realise this was a common occurrence with their stock - thought I'd just been unlucky. Janet's photo on 'Judy's Snowdrops' looks right for flower shape but you can't see the mark properly - it looks too thick in the middle but might look more right  with the flower wider open. In the best photo I've seen of the true thing I recall the flower looked like a light-bulb when closed up - very globular.

[johnw]

Brian/Jennie - Thanks for pointing out the discrepancies as it seems that mine is an elwesii. The plicatus Beth Chatto at Rod's is a beauty at that stage.

Yet another huge snow storm barreling toward us.

johnw

[Brian Ellis]

Brian - Thanks for pointing out the discrepancies as it seems that mine is an elwesii.

I think we owe thanks to Jennie for alerting us