Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Galanthus => Topic started by: Alan_b on January 10, 2016, 10:08:52 AM
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I thought I might try to compile a list of those snowdrops that frequently produce 3 or more flowers from each bulb. I think this is an admirable quality that deserves more attention than it seems to get. I am going to need help on this topic, however, as I can only bring one to mind so far.
Galanthus 'Miss Willmott' hybrid, producing 2, 3 or 4 scapes per bulb.
Galnthus plicatus 'Trinity'. From Avon Bulbs who describe it thus "Trinity - A stunning new G.plicatus which always produces two or three scapes from large bulbs. Standing bolt upright, the flowers have a wonderful green inner plus outers marked with what resembles a pale green scallop shell."
Other suggestions welcome.
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Alan
Miss Willmott has produced 5 flowers - Dean has one this year
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To know how many flowers are coming from one bulb, am I right in thinking you'd need to be aware how many leaves the type was expected to have and to be sure there was only one bulb you were counting from?
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This is interesting!
How is 'Melanie Broughton' growing for others?
I planted one big bulb August 2014, it seemed then like one bulb and I didn't see outside that it would be dividing itself, but in the spring 2015 the shoots came out like this. Is this because it had divided or is this typical for it? It hadn't come up yet this year before the cold and snow came so I don't know yet how it is this year.
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Maggi, I think that most of the time it isn't too hard to tell the difference between multiple scapes emerging from the same bulb and two noses in close proximity. But you'll only be completely sure when you lift the bulb.
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One from Avon named 'Trinity ' , 3 flowers per bulb and green tipped outers to boot
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not sure where to post this but - I am looking for between 1,000 and 3,000 normal snowdrop bulbs to plant in a new area we are creating. Can anyone suggest the best place to obtain them from in the green?
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Hi Alan,
I would agree that collecting a list of floriferous cultivars would be a good thing to do. However I'm not convinced that recording 'flowers per bulb' is the way to go. Partly because I don't count all my bulbs every year (!) And partly because if I had a bulb which produced 3 flowers this year I would be unimpressed if it was still a single bulb producing 3 flowers in a couple of seasons time.
As the pictures from John Grimshaw show (posted by Maggi 8th Jan on the Chipping Topic): First year flowering is almost completely out of the new owners control (Well,.... you could kill it!)
So, I'd be interested to hear about cultivars which out perform the following series:
1 flower year one
3 flowers year two
9 flowers year three
and… I wouldn't be bothered about how many bulbs they chose to do it from.
Tim DH
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I usually take a photo of the bulbs I buy. Here are some drops of which single bulbs were planted and more than 2 scapes were produced in the first season (or which proved very floriferous in the second). It is possible, that these bulbs were divided - beneath their tunic and thus unseen by me.
- G. 'Fieldgate Fugue' (3 flowers first season)
- G. 'Ivy Cottage Corporal' (1 flower first season, 6 flowers second season)
- G. 'Sutton Courtenay' (7 flowers first season!)
- G. plicatus E.A. Bowles (2 flowers first season, 5 flowers second season)
- G. 'Percy Picton' (4 flowers first season)
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Thanks, Emma, I'll add that one to what I can now call a list (as there is more than one entry).
Tim, I take your point but a snowdrop that might be a good doer for one person may perform poorly for someone else. Many of my snowdrops seem to progress by fits and starts and will have years when they bulk-up very rapidly and other years when they make little progress. 'Green Light', a snowdrop I have studied since its inception, certainly does this. But a snowdrop that manages to produce more than two scapes even a proportion of the time is exceptional. A few snowdrops are renowned for this but I'm not aware that anybody has taken the trouble to list them collectively. That's what I would like to do here.
Bolinopsis, I'll read-up on the ones in your list.
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Safest is to choose those varieties producing 3 or more stalks from one pair or set of leaves. Yesterday I saw ´Wolfgang´s Gold´ with three buds emerging between two leaves.
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Indeed, Mariette, that would probably be the best way of doing it. It would eliminate those fat bulbs that have already devided inside (probably all those I listed above ;)).
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Safest is to choose those varieties producing 3 or more stalks from one pair or set of leaves.
I agree completely. Leena's 'Melanie Broughton' must surely have divided internally because there are five distinct 'shoots' all spaced apart. It is relatively common (yet tremendously gratifying) when a snowdrop bulb does that. I occasionally observe a later stage of development with multiple bulbs still attached at the basal plate.
Yesterday I saw ´Wolfgang´s Gold´ with three buds emerging between two leaves.
That is what I'm after - but it needs to happen regularly, not just once in a blue moon. I know nothing whatsoever about 'Wolfgang's Gold' so I won't add it to my list until someone can vouch for its regularity in producing three scapes.
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Leena's 'Melanie Broughton' must surely have divided internally because there are five distinct 'shoots' all spaced apart. It is relatively common (yet tremendously gratifying) when a snowdrop bulb does that.
Yes, you must be right Alan. :)
I'll try to look for bulbs which behave like Mariette suggested.
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Yes, you must be right Alan. :)
Let's say that I am probably right. You would only know for sure by lifting the bulb to see what is going on under the ground. I have certainly never ever lifted a snowdrop bulb that has multiple shoots (as in Leena's picture) to find that they have all emerged from a single nose on a single bulb.
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I know nothing whatsoever about 'Wolfgang's Gold' so I won't add it to my list until someone can vouch for its regularity in producing three scapes.
My experience with that variety is very limited, but the bigger the bulbs grow, the more stalks they seem to produce. Perhaps there is someone growing ´Wolfgang´s Gold´ for some more years and able to tell whether big bulbs regularly show three stalks or even more.
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not sure where to post this but - I am looking for between 1,000 and 3,000 normal snowdrop bulbs to plant in a new area we are creating. Can anyone suggest the best place to obtain them from in the green?
I've ordered quite large quantities from Eurobulbs in Wisbech in the past and have always been pleased with what was sent and value for money.
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Alan
Miss Willmott has produced 5 flowers - Dean has one this year
Yes, my 'Miss Willmott' purchased at Myddelton 2015 has produced 5 scapes from the mother bulb with another 1 each side from what I hope will be daughter bulbs. Truly concentrated flower power lasting over a good period of time. :)
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Picked up Greenpeace from Glen Chantry yesterday with three scapes on the main bulb (and two each on the two daughters - not bad for a tenner!); will post photo later
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I've been surprised by the lack of candidates in this category. I don't know if it doesn't happen much or people just don't bother to count.
E.A. Bowles had a reginae-olgae snowdrop called 'Rachelae' that would have qualified but that one has been lost to cultivation - unless it is lurking somewhere.
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J'ai acheté 1 bulbe de Galanthus 'Big Boy' en octobre 2015 et planté aussi tôt.
Je ne sais pas s'il va faire 3 fleurs mais en tous cas il en fera 2 et je compte 5 pousses hors du bulbe. Cela veut dire 5 bulbes l'an prochain ?
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I bought one bulb of Galanthus 'Big Boy' in October 2015 and planted it early.
I do not know if he will make 3 flowers but in any case he will make two and I have 5 shoots out of the bulb. This means 5 bulbs next year?
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I have been reading about a snowdrop called 'Green Epaulet' which has outers with a green mark at the base but otherwise white. This one supposedly produces three scapes quite regularly.
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I have been reading about a snowdrop called 'Green Epaulet' which has outers with a green mark at the base but otherwise white. This one supposedly produces three scapes quite regularly.
yes - I saw the picture too Alan - did show three scapes (or at least flower bud on the third) arising from a Green Epaulet bulb; sounded like this is regular and therefore a good candidate for your list
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I have been reading about a snowdrop called 'Green Epaulet' which has outers with a green mark at the base but otherwise white. This one supposedly produces three scapes quite regularly.
´Green Epaulet´was one of the most tempting snowdrops shown by Valentin Wijnen on his talk last year in Kalmthout. Where did You get the information about the three scapes, Alan?
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´Green Epaulet´was one of the most tempting snowdrops shown by Valentin Wijnen on his talk last year in Kalmthout. Where did You get the information about the three scapes, Alan?
Agree about Green Epaulette Mariette - saw it featured in a talk he did at Harveys Garden Plants here in the UK recently. The reference to three scapes was on this Facebook post (on the Snowdrops and Galanthophiles group), though I think Valentin mentioned it as well: https://www.facebook.com/groups/160399837333841/permalink/1119430521430763/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/160399837333841/permalink/1119430521430763/)
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Thank You so much for Your swift answer, Josh! Unfortunately I´m not on Facebook - no wonder I didn´t notice.
Anyway, it´s always nice to learn there´s someone sharing the same taste!