Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Galanthus => Topic started by: Si_33 on February 12, 2014, 11:34:24 AM
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Hello all,
Just wanted to say hello having finally signed up here. Have been a 'silent' reader of this forum for a while - felt it was time to join. I have had an interest in Snowdrops for a long time, but only this year have I been bitten by the bug and decided to try and grow a few more rare varieties. I have used the search function on this site to great effect - thank you already for such a wealth of information.
I do have a few queries/observations to start with - I hope it is OK to group them here rather than start individual threads....
I sometimes see mention of plant disease - caused by over-crowding/too many varieties in close proximity. How many cultivars is too many?! I have an average sized garden and the snowdrops will be going in borders. I have a few unknown snowdrops currently in situ from a friend - as I start to build a collection is it sensible to keep a set gap between types?
I have very clay borders - I see various mentions of 'sand' and 'grit' to aid drainage - do people have actual brands they would recommend?
I have bookmarked snowdrop sellers of note from mentions on this forum and elsewhere.. Avon Bulbs etc. I sometimes see mention of North Green Snowdrops - with no web address I can find. Is this a case of contacting by 'old fashioned means'? (Which I quite enjoy - refreshing change from the internet!) If so, could someone please let me know how I can get a catalogue. And are there others sellers of note who only deal via post I should know about?
I don't intend to try and collect 100s of varieties - but would like to build up a collection of noteworthy specimens. I then look forward in a year or two to experimenting with chipping/twin-scaling. Now, I know it would be easy to say "Which varieties would you recommend" - but I have found several really useful lists on here via the search. However, I thought I'd try and spark some chat with you all via a similar route... I have booked to visit Colesbourne Park later this month and am tempted to place an order for collection - I will certainly pick up an S.Arnott, but what else would people go for from the list?! - http://www.colesbournegardens.org.uk/sales/snowdrop-sales-2014.html (http://www.colesbournegardens.org.uk/sales/snowdrop-sales-2014.html) - maximum three varieties - I can see my wallet might suffer with this hobby!
I look forward to future involvement and hope I can add some snowdrop know-how before too long :)
Simon
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Welcome Simon!
I'll start the (snow)ball rolling ( ;D ;) ) with a word about keeping plants healthy. Snowdrops when they are happy can clump up quite quickly - Ian Y. is writing today in his latest Bulb Log about splitting clumps : http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2014Feb121392205658BULB_LOG_0714.pdf (http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2014Feb121392205658BULB_LOG_0714.pdf)
Most problems arise when clumps get too congested - this can result in individual bulbs getting short of nutrients, can allow pests and diseases to thrive and be less obvious, being more hidden.
For instance, it's a lot easier for slugs and aphids to make free with a clump because it is more simple to check smaller plants and physically check foliage etc.
Stagnant air around big clumps can also cause problems with rot.
So, for the most part, keeping good healthy plants is a matter of fairly routine hygiene. There are nasties like narcissus fly and infections like Staganospora around, which can be tricky to spot and cope with but basic care to keep plants clean can do wonders. It will be an idea to keep some distance between plants, of course, just to make it easier for you to know which is which!!
Bulb Logs, main page = http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=bulb (http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/index.php?log=bulb)
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A link to Matt Bishops snowdrop page , some great advice to be had http://www.mattbishopsnowdrops.co.uk/?p=111 (http://www.mattbishopsnowdrops.co.uk/?p=111)
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Hi Simon,
I'm on heavy clay also and do use potting/planting mixes for some varieties, although it's not always necessary if the borders have been well tended/dug for years. John Innes No 3, plus sharp sand and sifted well rotted leaf mould works for me, I also have others sunk in lattice pots with the same mix, and a few sat on pea shingle, some have to be moved several times before they settle.
Don't think there is such a thing as too many snowdrops ;) but it is worth keeping them spaced apart (not by much) and most important keeping a planting plan, many look similar and do move then can get muddled. Growing varieties/species together can throw up some interesting hybrids so proximity can be good.
To get started buy the cheap ones and use them as a trial in various parts of the borders, S. Arnott is a must have, Lady Beatrix Stanley, Viridapice are both distinctive and good doers.
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Just my two-penneth but whilst you can have clumps that are overcrowded I think you can also have snowdrops that are too divided. A pest or disease can entirely destroy a solitary snowdrop but with a clump there is a reasonable chance that some bulbs will survive attack by a pest (because it gets full before it eats everything). Whilst a disease could spread rapidly through a clump, it might well be easier to spot the contrast between healthy and diseased bulbs in a clump and so take preventative action in time to save the remaining healthy ones.
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And my two pennoth as well.
I think its worth growing Atkinsii for early season, Magnet for middle season and S Arnott for late season. All are cheap, very vigorous and never seem to show pest or disease problems. ( S Arnott is my very favorite as it is very white and beautifully scented )
I have heavy, acid clay and for these varieties I don't bother improving the soil with grit etc, though I do mulch for appearance.
More expensive varieties get a dollop of sand ontop of the bulb at planting time mostly to mark position. I leave the worms to do the work.
Cheap doubles such as Ophelia and Dionysus are great for giving a' full 'effect for a long period and also Hippolyta, which is later and extends flowering period.
Have fun :D
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I've twice lost Magnet in my pest-ridden garden, but Atkinsii (or the form now known as 'James Backhouse') is very strong and even managed to withstand some maltreatment on my part. One of my first ever snowdrop purchases was S. Arnott and that did not last long either. I planted it at the base of a small tree but possibly too close so it was too dry in summer But woronowii now grows happily only a little bit further out from the base.
And there's a thought. A good example of the species Galanthus woronowii should be easy enough to find, easy enough to grow and inexpensive. The leaves contrast well with most other snowdrops - just don't buy one from a garden centre with small flowers as they won't get any bigger in future years; try to start with a good-looking one in the first place.
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And there's a thought. A good example of the species Galanthus woronowii should be easy enough to find, easy enough to grow and inexpensive. The leaves contrast well with most other snowdrops - just don't buy one from a garden centre with small flowers as they won't get any bigger in future years
Like this one, perhaps. I think it has rather small flowers. I bought it 5 years ago as dry bulbs in the autumn from garden center, and it took several years before it got growing well. This picture is from last spring (May 4th) and it finally seems it has started to grow, but the flowers seem pretty small. Leaves are pretty, though, and any snowdrop which grows well is a good snowdrop. :)
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I forgot the picture.
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It's really a question of degree. Woronowii tend to have rather small flowers; I would say yours are averaged-sized for the species, Leena.
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Alan, you probably don't have heavy clay do you. Here is a mix of S Arnott and Magnet three days ago and the clay is completely waterlogged. The willows love it too but I'm beginning to think grass and Devon don't mix though.
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My advice would be to wait and see, don't put in an order before you go. Look at the snowdrops at Colesbourne and decide which ones you really want from seeing them in the flesh, ask the gardeners which ones they would recommend for your soil and see what they say. Pictures of snowdrops are lovely, but nothing beats seeing them in a clump, growing in the ground to pick out that 'Je ne sais quoi' which attracts your eye to that particular variety.
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Alan, you probably don't have heavy clay do you.
No, I have the diametric opposite, light free-draining soil over chalk. I can still walk all round my garden without any squelching under foot. But the point is well-made. Best to start with cheap snowdrops and find a spot in the garden where they seem happy. Then you can diversify into some expensive ones which you should plant nearby. Or try out a new area of the garden by planting some cheap snowdrops there first to see if they thrive.
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Wow - thank you for all the advise in such a short space of time..... I assumed Galanthophiles would be too busy to post on forums in February!! I can see this is a great Forum - I look forward to making (hopefully) more learned observations before long!
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Hi Simon
It would be so nice to have an idea of your location so important to put your comments in context. if you add as a sig perhaps? Thanks.
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Hi Simon
It would be so nice to have an idea of your location so important to put your comments in context. if you add as a sig perhaps? Thanks.
I will put a sig together asap :-) I am in Wiltshire - it is currently blowing a gale!
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Hi Simon, and welcome.
I am also a relative newcomer to this obsession and my garden is clay (over chalk). I think you have the right idea, start off with some well known and established varieties and use these to find out what works for you. Dont be put off if you loose some in the first few years, I certainly did - even some of the tougher ones. You will soon learn where in your garden they will thrive and where they wont. (If they dont seem happy dont be affraid to move them - for me that is always when they are dormant, it is too easy to break the roots when digging them up in the growing season).
A couple of more specific points, in my garden the places they do best are the ones that get good levels of winter sun. I also plant everything in lattice pots sunk into the soil at first. These lattice pots are filled with a mix of soil, leaf mould, and grit/sand in a roughly 1:1:1 ratio, and I also add some bonemeal. Once they have bulked up, to say 6 or 8 bulbs, and are doing well they get planted out into the garden, again improving the planting area with some leaf mould, grit/sand and adding more bonemeal.
Finally keep a list of what varieties you have and where they are planted and make sure you label each variety.
Good luck.
Chris
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Also a bit of a newbie, Simon .. I think r.e. the more obscure suppliers both of bulbs and of information, you have to accept it's a bit like an ancient craft or an esoteric religion .. you have to serve your time as a novice (alias aconyte, catechumen, etc.) and very gradually the mystical words are given to you. There seem to be several important nurseries which can only be reached by boat, and only then in certain phases of the moon.
I'd add Brenda Troyle, Ginn's Imperati, and one or two plicatus varieties .. I've enjoyed them, failed to kill any, and have felt able to try them in different spots to see how they do. Woottens have a couple of good plicatus, not with registered names .. I've found their 'Woottens Selection' to be very sturdy and it also sets seed more consistently than most other things. There are also a couple of strong varieties I've got on ebay which I've found invaluable for trying in different locations.
ebay is good for getting a lot of variations of G. nivalis from private gardeners selling their own surplus .. we started adding odd clumps bought off ebay and it was noticing the variation among them that really piqued my interest and made me learn to look closely. The going rate on ebay for 'ordinary' nivalis seems to be around £10 per hundred .. and often people sell in 15s, 50s etc, so it's worth a punt, both for tock to try in different places, and for the interest in comparing form. There's almost a conservation angle, too .. for preserving a wide genetic pool, and preserving varieties that would otherwise be lost (there's a lot of 'I'm clearing space for a patio') I think collecting unnamed garden varieties is as worthwhile and rewarding as buying specials.