Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Galanthus => Topic started by: Rick Goodenough on April 29, 2014, 02:10:40 AM
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I have a friend in Vermont, US who has discovered a bold yellow drop that appears to be elwesii v. elwesii. They always have a lot of snow and this year was no exception, so the worry is that this discovery may not be anything more than a cow pie (is that the scientific term? ;) ) effect. My question is how long after bringing such a drop into normal light conditions does it typically take for some green to begin to appear?
Here is his photo of the drop in question.
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We generally say "cowpat" here in the UK. A cow pie is something different, a Scottish delicacy I believe:
:[attachimg=1]
The suspicious feature of your yellow snowdrop is that the spathe and the pedicel are yellow as well as the flower. That's a pity because it would be a lovely yellow snowdrop if repeatable. As the story goes, you may have to wait until next year to find out one way or the other.
(See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desperate_Dan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desperate_Dan) for more information about the image).
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There is a touch of green at the base of the pedicel where it is in the spathe so I would keep an eye on it. If it does stay yellow it is rather nice ;)
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Thank you Alan and Brian. We will hope for this one for 11 months and will likely know then. I understand that now after a week in the sun, there is no more green showing than in this shot...I thought this might be good news, but that is why I posed the question. Patience is the watchword. ;)
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And Alan, the graphic of a Scottish cow-pie will help me remember to write cowpat! Fun...is the dish a tasty one?
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I understand that now after a week in the sun, there is no more green showing than in this shot...
Sounds very promising :D
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...is the dish a tasty one?
I've never tried it myself because:
- The horns and the tail sticking out always put me off.
- I don't think 'Desperate Dan' is keen on sharing and he's not the sort of man you want to annoy.
However here's a recipe that does not require the whole cow http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/granny_tammys_cow_pie_05632 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/granny_tammys_cow_pie_05632)
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Thanks again Brian and Alan. I agree not to tango with 'Desperate Dan', but will make a point to try to cook a cow pie and will report in if I actually pull it off.
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I've never tried it myself because:
- The horns and the tail sticking out always put me off.
- I don't think 'Desperate Dan' is keen on sharing and he's not the sort of man you want to annoy.
Yes, the horns and tail are not the most appealing parts of the beast - and it's the devil of a job getting an oven which is big enough to fit them in....... ::)
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;D ;D ;D
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- I don't think 'Desperate Dan' is keen on sharing and he's not the sort of man you want to annoy.
He's from Dundee.
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He's from Dundee.
Tells you everything, really! ;D ;)
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Must be a regional appreciation, Dundee. I have a cousin who is doing genealogical work and has discovered a Scottish connection to Robert Bruce, wonder if he helped get Dundee's reputation going? This has moved down a bit of a rabbit trail from yellow snowdrops. ;D
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Rabbit trails are all part of a garden's rich tapestry, I reckon ;)
Besides - we need to fill the time somehow until next season when we will see what that nice yellow 'drop does next year! ;D
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Yes, thank you Maggie. ;D
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Rick
It was a desperately long winter here with some snow cover most of the time late December through early March. The first snowdrops didn't appear until 15 March and it took more than a week for the widespread yellowing to dissapate. Below is a shot of nivalis 'Lowick' on the 22 March (one of the later appearances) and still with erratic yellowing. Even elwesii 'Rosemary Burnham' flowered with all green markings in yellow. A week later they were all normal and just in the nick of time as another snowfall ocurred at the month's end and lasted a few days.
Now to your friend's spectacular yellow elwesii should we still be trembling with anticipation?
johnw - +13c, fog, gloom, showers.
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Thanks John ...totally agree that we should not be too giddy with anticipation. I checked in with my buddy who had found this and he said that the color persisted and did not green up on the flower before it was spent. Still could easily be cow-pie. I hope none of us have a winter like the last one this side of the Atlantic. Cheers! Rick