The 30 Best Snowdrops

[Alan_b]

JOINT ROCK GARDEN PLANT COMMITTEE (JRGPC) AND BULB COMMITTEE
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY – ALPINE GARDEN SOCIETY – SCOTTISH ROCK GARDEN CLUB
SNOWDROP GROUP
This group has been set up under the auspices of the Royal Horticultural Society to access snowdrops for the Award of Garden Merit (AGM) with the prime intention of producing a list of the very best for gardens in Britain and abroad. The working party consists of Dick Bathe, Christopher Grey-Wilson (Chairman), Rod Leeds, Jan Pennings*, Mary Ridley and Alan Street* but with a remit to seek advice widely from galanthophiles at home and abroad. * Representing the RHS Bulb Committee.
This is an important survey with the intention of producing a publication at the conclusion of the survey. We would ask as many of you to help as possible ….. the more the better and the more meaningful the final result. The remit is to list those snowdrops (species and cultivars) which you consider are the very best as garden plants, those that perform and multiply well in the garden to make a good display. The rare and expensive should be excluded however delightful they are as plants. What we would like is a list of 30 snowdrops that you personally have found do well in your garden or vicinity, including autumn, winter and spring flowering ones. There is no need to list 30 if you feel only 15 or 20 deserve acclamation. Thanks in advance.

This is a quote from a form distributed at the AGS Snowdrop Day last weekend.  Despite what it says, I have had to take the initiative to post it here and the deadline for submissions is 25th February.  Maybe collectively we can assemble a list of 30 snowdrops?  But I have attached a copy of the form if you want to make an individual reply.   

[Alan_b]

My first three nominees would be:

• Lady Beatrix Stanley - very good doer and distinctive
• Blewbury Tart - Likewise and defeats expectations about what a snowdrop should look like
• Peter Gatehouse - Unexpectedly early, nicely marked flower and attractive glaucous foliage thereafter

[Diane Whitehead]

G. elwesii  - naturalizes here in this winter/wet summer/dry climate. There are thousands, in old gardens, churchyards, along country roads - all big, strong and healthy.

[johnstephen29]

Hi Alan before I give you my list, is it only for plants that will grow outside? The reason I'm asking is that Cilicicus does very well with me, but I can only grow it inside as it's not very hardy here. Anyway here is my list.
1. Kildare, my first Irish snowdrop, I have it in a pot at the moment and it's bulking up quite nicely.
2. Gracilis I find this species does very well with me, it's flowers early in the year, I.e. now and it's starting to bulk up.
3. Reginae olgae, another good snowdrop in my garden, starting to spread and making a great display in the autumn, also get a decent amount of seed from these plants which I don't seem to get from others I grow.

[Maggi Young]

This is a quote from a form distributed at the AGS Snowdrop Day last weekend.  Despite what it says, I have had to take the initiative to post it here and the deadline for submissions is 25th February.  Maybe collectively we can assemble a list of 30 snowdrops?  But I have attached a copy of the form if you want to make an individual reply.   

The SRGC members of the JRGPC Committee that I have  contacted do not have any knowledge of this project at all. Perhaps the news will filter through to them  eventually - not that that will do much good if there is a deadline of 25th February.   

[Maggi Young]

 John, if the idea is to assess snowdrops to put forward for an Award of Garden Merit, then they must be  suitable for cultivation in the  open garden. The award is meant to be given to plants which will be pretty much good do-er in any garden - which is a lot to ask for any plant for gardens throughout the UK!

[Josh Nelson]

good job posting this Alan - I had heard nothing on this - not read latest RHS mag but don't recall seeing previously. Have you put it on the Facebook page as well as maybe several on there that don't use the forum?

[johnstephen29]

Cheers Maggi

[Josh Nelson]

Presume this is like other RHS AGM trials whereby a shortlist is drawn up (for which this request via Alan is part of a call from the snowdrop community/experts for potential species and cultivars), followed by a selection of species/ cultivars for trial, and then a period (two or three years I think is standard) of trial in typical garden conditions.  After consideration of which, the awards are given according to judging criteria on garden worthiness.

As well as standard accepted varieties (e.g. S Arnott, Magnet, maybe Brenda Troyle - if considered sufficiently distinct from Arnott), I would hope that a cross-selection of recognised varieties are chosen to include good doers from yellow/ virescent/ poculiform/ ipoc types etc, as well as including green tips and a selection of snowdrops varieties with variously marked inners.

Other thoughts spring to mind too, e.g. are they going to trial in borders, woodland garden leaf mould rich conditions and/or also in grass or just in order/trial beds?  Also, a longer trial period would generally be suitable as bulking ability and marking stability/ persistence are better judged over a number of growing seasons.

[Brian Ellis]

John, if the idea is to assess snowdrops to put forward for an Award of Garden Merit, then they must be  suitable for cultivation in the  open garden. The award is meant to be given to plants which will be pretty much good do-er in any garden - which is a lot to ask for any plant for gardens throughout the UK!

Yes that is what Kit said this afternoon and the time restraint is one put on by the RHS.

[Maggi Young]

Yes that is what Kit said this afternoon and the time restraint is one put on by the RHS.

You'd have thought they might have informed all the Committee members in advance, wouldn't you, so that they could canvass suggestions ? 

[Matt T]

Pffft! Minor technical detail, Maggi! 

[johnw]

Pffft! Minor technical detail, Maggi! 

Quite ridiculous isn't it?  And only 12 days to go.  Someone needs a sharp letter.

johnw

[Maggi Young]

I suspect that may be in the pipeline, John. 

One can only hope that things are better organised for any galanthus  trial than they've been for the erythronium trial.    The first year  many plants were lost.

[Tim Ingram]

Seems a little like putting a stopper in Aladdin's Lamp! The easiest way to judge may simply be by finding those 30 snowdrops that sell for less than £5 each but the aim is probably a good one if it actually does encourage wider interest in growing snowdrops in the garden. I'm not sure that the present prices do this even if they are beneficial to those of us as individual growers. I would nominate 'Armine' and 'Augustus' as two of the best doers in our garden. (John Good suggested doing something like this a year or two ago but it is difficult to see how realistic it could be on the basis of trials - much better would be to collate lists from as many growers as possible and simply measure the top 30 and these would probably correlate quite closely with so many of the long term familiar cultivars already very widely grown. More interesting would be to gauge which newer cultivars look to be really standing the test of time and then the numbers would probably begin to grow rather uncontrollably!!).