2010 Catalogues

[Brian Ellis]

Mine arrived on Wednesday too.

[Hagen Engelmann]

Snowdrop Company catalogue arrived Friday here in east germany.

[David Quinton]

I had two copies arrive on Wednesday morning 

[Maggi Young]

I had two copies arrive on Wednesday morning 

You don't think your interest is becoming an obsession with these excesses, do you , David?? 

[jamouatt]

Monksilver catalogue arrived this morning, it includes E A Bowles for those with a spare £150.

John (M)

[mark smyth]

It's a great list with good old standards and new bulbs with Eranthis and Narcissus

[Brian Ellis]

Monksilver catalogue arrived this morning, it includes E A Bowles for those with a spare £150.

John (M)

Well I was going to buy three but I see that's all there are spare

[johnw]

Monksilver catalogue arrived this morning, it includes E A Bowles for those with a spare £150.

John (M)

E A Bowles for £1000 as an auction item for Haitian victims - no problem with that.  For what possible reason so few at £150?  Priming the market?  The savvy nurseryman would hold on to those precious few available, twin-scale them and bulk them up.  In a few years time there would be so many more to sell at £40 and most everyone would be happy.  That would be real service to a dedicated clientele and the genus Galanthus.  

I remember asking a nurseryman out west if the plants he would ship would be as good as the ones he showed me. He said "you know, I have to eat next year too". His plants were always exceptional.

Let's stay calm and not give in to highway robbery.    

johnw

[KentGardener]

....The savvy nurseryman would hold on to those precious few available, twin-scale them and bulk them up.  In a few years time there would be so many more to sell at £40 and most everyone would be happy.

Hi John

I do remember a sad experience in the 80's when the first Aztekium ritteri cristate form appeared in a nursery - the owner was not willing to share any until he had built up the stock into larger numbers so that he could be the main supplier.  A few years later the entire stock died.  It was not until years later that another crested form of A. r. occurred elsewhere that was then made available to collectors of the weird, like me  .

I must agree that £150 is way beyond my price range.    

[johnw]

Hi John

I do remember a sad experience in the 80's when the first Aztekium ritteri cristate form appeared in a nursery - the owner was not willing to share any until he had built up the stock into larger numbers so that he could be the main supplier.  A few years later the entire stock died.  It was not until years later that another crested form of A. r. occurred elsewhere that was then made available to collectors of the weird, like me  .

I must agree that £150 is way beyond my price range.    

John - Good grief, in the 80's I would have been ecstatic just to find straight Aztekium!

I have no problem with the fellow trying to be the sole supplier especially if he had to feed himself by selling cristate Aztekiums.   His loss is another reinforcement that we should always give a back-up (s) to a friend (s).

johnw

[johnw]

re: the Aztekium nurseryman

This and Alan's story about his halved Wendy's Gold remind me a story Gordon Bentham in Victoria once told me. Two ladies out west found a stunning witch's broom on Abies lasiocarpa in the mountains. They took it to a nurseryman to be rooted with the proviso that absolutely no cuttings be taken.  He eventually rooted it and they arrived one day to pick up the little plant.  When they got home they had a fight over who would keep it.  Unbelievably they decided to chop it in half. Needless to say both halves promptly died.

Fortunately the nurseryman had snitched a cutting, that's how it was saved. It was one of the slowest growing truly dwarf confers - Abies lasiocarpa 'Duflon'. Gordon could never find one for me but when I visited Al Smith (Snocus fame) in Victoria he said I could buy one in a 4" pot. Al was always generous and his rarities never exorbitant but he said would have to charge me $15. Of course I snapped it up.

After 25 years Duflon was 6" across and maybe 4" high, the perfect bun.  Strangely 3 years ago half of my plant died, the other half followed suit the next year.  Plants don't forget.

johnw

[mark smyth]

much like what happened over here
person 1 always envied person 2's double flowered plant. Person 2 always resisted dividing it to give person 1 a piece. One day person one called at the house only to find person 2 not at home. s/he divided the plant, left a note in the letter box and went home. Person 2 was so angry. Both plants died. person 2 is still very angry

[mark smyth]

£150 is only 5 good snowdrops costing £30 which I'm sure many will buy next month so it's nothing really if you have the money

[johnw]

£150 is only 5 good snowdrops costing £30 which I'm sure many will buy next month so it's nothing really if you have the money

At £150 it is only about making money, not about serving your dedicated clientele equitably.

johnw

[Alan_b]

On the topic of what's in the catalogues, I was intrigued by the description of 'Narwhal' as a whiter version of 'Walrus' that "continues on reliably into April".  Can anybody vouch for this snowdrop as worth having?