Snowdrop prices 2010

[angie]

Well I don't think I will feel so bad now, I thought those South African Bulbs were reaching amazing prices on EBay but £97 for a snow drop even a rare one is amazing. I have loads in the woods at the back of my house ,I thinkthey were thrown in when someone lived here over fifty years ago. I wonder if any could be rare
Angie

[mark smyth]

It's very annoying when most are labelled as "rare". Maybe I'll list the rare form of Galanthus nivalis ssp hibernicus

[art600]

Mark

How would you define rare?

[mark smyth]

If it cant be obtained from the Gala, event with suppliers present, catalogue or list I would assume its rare. From those listed on Ebay I would say Clovis, Ecusson and maybe Greenfinch are the rarest

These aren't rare - Alison Hilary, Castlegar, Blewbury Tart, Bill Bishop, Walrus. If they are it's about time I had mine lifted and listed

[Sinchets]

Godetia and Tagetes are rare here and sell very well in summer  

[mark smyth]

Here's a few Castlegar that might be available at rare prices

[steve owen]

Mark

Plenty of varieties have never appeared on Ebay (including Castlegar, at least over the past two years), and hundreds of varieties that have been listed in the Snowdrops book which has after all been out for quite some years now don't appear in growers catalogues or anywhere else.  Some recent finds probably truly qualify for the "rare" description in the sense that not may plants have been grown yet; but many other varieties are not rare in the sense that plenty of plants exist. So (at the risk of boring by repetition) why are they not available to would-be growers?

Steve

[Paddy Tobin]

Steve,

It seems to be a case of certain snowdrops being unavailable for sale rather than being rare.

G. 'Castlegar' has been available previously. I have found it not the fastest to bulk up and, though I have had it in the garden for ten years, I feel I don't have enough to divide yet. Three bulbs bought at that time now number only nine, a very slow increase indeed.

Paddy

[loes]

bidding on Diggory has not been stopped yet... but I have
(Is it on the Foxgrove list???)

[David Quinton]

Unfortunately not, Loes.

[steve owen]

Hi Paddy

I was really just citing Castlegar as an example (partly because Mark had posted his pic) of this large group of galanthus cultivars that never surface (as chance would have it, Castlegar is in fact on Ebay at the moment).  But there are plenty of other examples. I do wonder whether certain varieties arrived in the Snowdrops book in haste and have since proved unsuccessful or unworthy in cultivation.  Only the owners/namers know!

Steve

[Alan_b]

.... So (at the risk of boring by repetition) why are they not available to would-be growers?

Steve

I don't know the answer, Steve, but I'm inclined to feel it is a good thing.  We see that snowdrops that are commercially available can fetch crazy prices.  I like the idea that some are only available by swapping or getting to know the owner and gently persuading them to donate one to you.  You might say this excludes the novice but many snowdrop growers actually have a generous streak and will give away a few of their spares to others with a genuine interest.  Once a snowdrop has a price attached to it then it becomes harder to give away because you become aware that it would fetch £xxx on eBay, or whatever.

[Gerard Oud]

Does someone have a picture of plicatus Ben Warrick?
I cant find a thing.

[mark smyth]

I havent heard of it? Have you seen it in a garden?

[steve owen]

I have Ben Warwick. Syn. E B Anderson no.3. I'll check tomorrow if it's in flower for a pic.