Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Galanthus => Topic started by: Hagen Engelmann on February 29, 2016, 11:21:00 PM
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Wish you fall in love with RÜSCH'L JÖ.
It is a fine starter for March 2016!
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Hoffnungslos in der Liebe!
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Yes, head over heels :D What I do love about this and 'Green Wasp' is how you see the inners through the claws, always a plus point with me 8)
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Five in flower here at moment.
1. Galanthus 'Big Eyes'
2. Galanthus 'Toy soldiers'
3. Galanthus 'Faint Heart'
4. Galanthus 'Seraph'
5. Galanthus 'Lazybones'
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Enjoying the March drops here, and Hagen, your G.'RÜSCH'L JÖ' is quite unique and appealing to my eye. Can you share any history on its origins?
Rick
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Wish you fall in love with RÜSCH'L JÖ.
It is a fine starter for March 2016!
Hagen, those are absolutely spectacular
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We visited two gardens over the weekend. The first was Carole Smith's garden near Peterborough. Last picture Carole is in centre.
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More from Carole's garden.
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From Peterborough we went to the garden of Cliff and Joan Curtis and Sharron White. Last picture Brian Ellis and Cliff Curtis.
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More from Cliff's garden.
1. Sharron White
3. Erythronium clifftonii
5. Galanthus 'Lady Putman'
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And finally.
1. Sharron White and Brian Ellis
2. Christine Mole (the lady of the nails), Sharron White and Brian Ellis
3. Sharron and Brian again
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Thank you for the garden views with snowdrops, it is so nice to see them when here everything is still covered by snow. :)
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A most unusual 'drop find by Ian Christie which will be watched very closely in future years , I do not doubt!
Ian Christie writes :
"My latest find this is - a hybrid G. nivalis x G. plicatus the main flower is single and the lower flower on the same stem is double Matt Bishop has seen this."
Matt Bishop comments : "Possibly the strangest snowdrop ever!!"
[attachimg=1]
N.B. Don't get overexcited - it is NOT for sale!
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Another shot of the confused snowdrop .... the two stems leaning together.
[attachimg=1]
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Dear Maggie many thanks for posting the pictures of the odd snowdrop was just about to do this we had a visitor so got delayed snowing heavy again here a pain really, cheers Ian the Christie kind.
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Wish you fall in love with RÜSCH'L JÖ.
What a name ;D ;D
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Cowhouse Green
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Nothing rare or unusual here
Two clumps of Galanthus 'Fred's Giant'
Three different Galanthus nivalis or hybrids
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Galanthus elwesii ( a gift from Fred Sutherland in 1992)
Galanthus 'Magnet'
Galanthus 'Dionysus'
Galanthus 'Sybil Roberta'
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Ian Christie writes :
"My latest find this is - a hybrid G. nivalis x G. plicatus the main flower is single and the lower flower on the same stem is double Matt Bishop has seen this."
Matt Bishop comments : "Possibly the strangest snowdrop ever!!"
There seem to be one or two like this, Avon sold one last year called 'Phantom', their description:
A large rounded giant hybrid poculiform which almost always shows two scapes, the second of which resembles G.plicatus ssp. byzantinus, so two different flowers from the same bulb!
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Thought you might be busy, Ian! Snowing here too - yuck !
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There seem to be one or two like this, Avon sold one last year called 'Phantom', ...
But this one is extraordinary because the two different flower forms are on the same scape! I have one in development which produces a good flower on top and a more aberrant one below on the same scape but that's not really a virtue. And you have 'Saraband' with two perfect (?) flowers on the same scape. But a double and a single together on the same scape is really something.
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I didn't say it wasn't extraordinary, I was merely pointing out that there is another where one bulb produces two different shaped flowers albeit on different scapes.
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We visited two gardens over the weekend. The first was Carole Smith's garden near Peterborough.
I too visited Carole Smith's garden last Sunday. I understand that Carole is considering moving house so this may have been the last time her garden was open. In order to persuade my wife to come along we then went on to somewhere she wanted to visit, the Welney Wetland Centre. There we were fortunate to see this fellow:
[attach=1]
My wife felt very sorry for him, so far from his home and native land (he has been ringed in Poland). But it turns out that he had not come so far, just from a 'rest home' near Diss where he had been recuperating. This was the Shorelands Wildlife Centre;
[attach=2]
And who is that photographed with an injured stork there? Only Ben Potterton who doubles as proprietor of Blacksmiths Cottage Nursery (next door) and well-known amongst galanthophiles. Small world!
I took the second image from the news article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-32504476 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-32504476)
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From this morning, just before the gale struck:
Hill Poe
Tubby Merlin - a superb snowdrop and increases nicely
Benton Magnet - another superb snowdrop and increases nicely
nivalis SG (Lowick f.) - the Lowick in this particular spot remains stubbornly solo
john
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We visited two gardens over the weekend. The first was Carole Smith's garden near Peterborough.
Thanks David - I thoroughly enjoyed the photos you posted of both gardens - just fabulous. Real plant collectors gardens. It amazes me seeing all the large clumps everywhere - obviously no swift moth there! That Erythronium is just beautiful - is it for sale anywhere do you know?
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... obviously no swift moth there!
It may not be obvious from David's pictures but look up and you would see that Carole's garden is mostly shaded by large trees (that would cause many a lesser gardener to despair and give up). A swift moth lays it's eggs on the wing in the summer and presumably instinctively seeks-out sites where the larvae will have good chance of finding something to eat. So it may look for somewhere that is more open with more summer vegetation. Alan Shipp, who grows his National Collection of Hyacinths on good fenland soil north of Cambridge http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/pictures/Cambridge-garden-home-world-s-largest-collection/pictures-26290272-detail/pictures.html (http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/pictures/Cambridge-garden-home-world-s-largest-collection/pictures-26290272-detail/pictures.html) in what is basically a field, has told me that swift moth larvae are a problem for him. He would be about 35 miles from Carole and fenland extends much closer. So if Carole does not suffer swift moth problems it seems to me that that is more likely down to the nature of her garden rather than their absence from the area.
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What a name ;D ;D
What does it mean?
Irm, nice 'Cowhouse Green' :)
and Roma, how lovely big clumps of snowdrops!
John, you don't have any snow anymore! I'm hoping to see the first snowdrops peaking next week, if the snow starts to melt, it is supposed to get above zero degrees soon. :)
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The first shots of a new drop that Andy Byfield asked me to garden trial, provisionally called 'Goatee Green Tip'.
Andy describes it as: '"The variety is a hybrid, probably of byzatinus x nivalis, and came from the colony where the likes of Fanny & Northern Lights came from". I can speak to the excellent heritage in regard to Northern lights!
It has a wonderful dark green inner marking which resembles a lobster tail with the slight indentations. The outer markings are delightfully green and distinct, a lighter green than Greenfinch and more finely drawn.
It appears to be a very good do'er which is always a key factor for me. It has to pass the 'Byfield aesthetically acceptable test' but I would certainly add this to my collection if encountered as an offering.
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N. B. - when the middle picture in Ingrid's post, above, is enlarged, the image is correctly aligned!
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N. B. - when the middle picture in Ingrid's post, above, is enlarged, the image is correctly aligned!
Not for me!
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N. B. - when the middle picture in Ingrid's post, above, is enlarged, the image is correctly aligned!
It certainly is for me Maggi, I checked it after posting.
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Shown below, galanthus Tomoko recently bought on a trip to Colesbourne. The second photo is of a 'volunteer' in my garden.
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Hooray for volunteers!!
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Some Elwesii seedlings in flower today
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And some more snowdrops that are flowering today
Niv seedling
Niv seedling
Bohemia Skirt
Unnamed Virescent
Poc selection white
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Unnamed Scharlockii Pocs, just some selections:
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A few in flower at the moment here:
Vertigo, Quatrefoil, Emerald Isle and Fieldgate Tiffany
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Quote from: Maggi Young on Today at 10:35:19 AM
N. B. - when the middle picture in Ingrid's post, above, is enlarged, the image is correctly aligned!
Not for me!
Try this ....
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Ta!
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A few in flower at the moment here:
Vertigo, Quatrefoil, Emerald Isle and Fieldgate Tiffany
Lovely pix, Diane!
Do you see 'Quatrefoil' and think of those drone filming-machines too?
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Here is the tiny Galanthus alpinus var. alpinus.
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Two really late and favourites snowdrops with us - G. 'Cicely Hall' and G. x allenii. So that's something like three or four months of snowdrops to look back on (phew - completely overwhelmed this winter by all the cultivars we haven't got and will have to think about for next season) and now the woodland garden really starts to begin and do its thing...
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Nice to see x allenii en masse, Tim. An oldie, but one of my favourites.
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An interesting plicatus seedling from Taavi Tuulik in Estonia, with very long flowers and a nice lime green colour.
A good regular semi-double, also from Taavi.
Another double - 'Shaggy'
Two of Hagen's greenies side by side for comparison, Green Crown left Greenkeeper right
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A very good year for getting some long standing yellow targets!
This mornings sunshine gives up Carolyn Elwes!
Utterly lovely! Yellow tips to the outers just visible in the second photo!
Thanks to Chris Horsfall and Emma T!
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Very nice Ingrid,do I speak nicely to them I might........................????????????????????????
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Truly stunning Ingrid. I have been watching mine open for the first time this week too and it has produced two flowers. Yesterday on the last of my many trips to see it I sat by the fire with a cup of tea when a loud buzzing came from my hair, I gave my hair a good flick and a groggy dreaded narcissus fly flew on to my arm. Talk about global warming.
a couple of shots of Ruby Baker which opened today and one of Carolyn Elwes.
John(M)
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A lovely trip to Valleyfield Snowdrop Trail in Fife. The remnants of the only Humphry Renton designed landscape in Scotland - and it's free!!!!!
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"Free"!! One of my favourite four-letter words!
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A very good year for getting some long standing yellow targets!
This mornings sunshine gives up Carolyn Elwes!
Utterly lovely! Yellow tips to the outers just visible in the second photo!
Thanks to Chris Horsfall and Emma T!
Happy to help
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"Free"!! One of my favourite four-letter words!
With us, in French, for the same price that is seven letters. :P ;D
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G. 'Green Brush' standing tall in today's dusting of new snow. Rick
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Can anyone comment on this mystery snowdrop I was given yesterday? The flower, a single bloom, was pretty much gone over when I got it, but the leaves have a look that is quite different to most of my other plants; very grey-green, with hints of gracilis, elwesii and plicatus, and with a distinct lengthways ribbing. The only other plant I can think of with this sort of ribbing is koeneniansus, which this certainly isn't. It has come to me with the name "Kelways" attached to it.
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Steve, see http://www.edrom-nurseries.co.uk/shop/pc/Galanthus-Kelways-p11765.htm (http://www.edrom-nurseries.co.uk/shop/pc/Galanthus-Kelways-p11765.htm)
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Galanthus ikariae
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Edrom's web site says it is not in stock yet whilst being bulked up. Kelway's is a Somerset nursery specialising in Irises and Peonies. Their web site shows a few more common Snodrops.
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Steve, see http://www.edrom-nurseries.co.uk/shop/pc/Galanthus-Kelways-p11765.htm (http://www.edrom-nurseries.co.uk/shop/pc/Galanthus-Kelways-p11765.htm)
Well spotted. I wonder why Edrom are attaching a Somerset name to a Scottish snowdrop?
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What makes you think it is a Scottish snowdrop, Steve?
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Can anyone comment on this mystery snowdrop I was given yesterday? The flower, a single bloom, was pretty much gone over when I got it, but the leaves have a look that is quite different to most of my other plants; very grey-green, with hints of gracilis, elwesii and plicatus, and with a distinct lengthways ribbing. The only other plant I can think of with this sort of ribbing is koeneniansus, which this certainly isn't. It has come to me with the name "Kelways" attached to it.
Take look here for some possible clue..... http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=4921.msg138459#msg138459 (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=4921.msg138459#msg138459)
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Galanthus 'Little Ben'
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Here is the tiny Galanthus alpinus var. alpinus.
A lovely snowdrop and like the way you print your labels with a border around them on green label with transparent tape - very nice.
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Thank you, Jennie. The labels, tape and machine came from Labels`n`things. They have a web shop.
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Maggie
Thanks for the link to the 2010 post, I'm following that up. Scottish because Edrom Nursery is in Scotland and their website says they are cultivating it. But maybe now it may have its origins in Zummerzet.
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Just had a few registrated today at the KAVB in Hillegom. They were most fascinated by the cream/yellow G.n. Springs Gold
https://www.facebook.com/groups/160399837333841/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/160399837333841/)
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Bucaneve Gold a real good yellow one and a good grower!
Edit by maggi : now renamed as 'Gold Fever'
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Just had a few registrated today at the KAVB in Hillegom. They were most fascinated by the cream/yellow G.n. Springs Gold
https://www.facebook.com/groups/160399837333841/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/160399837333841/)
Unfortunately unless you are a member of Facebook you can't look at your link.
Bucaneve Gold looks a real little treasure, good to see you on here again.
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There are a lot Scottish Rockers on Facebook Brian! I will try to post more, but time is the factor at the moment!
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After the naming and showing at the KAVB, i had to go to one of my favorite forrests again. Bit in a hurry and found only 5 new selections this time!
More pics later!
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It was also nice to see that one of our members entered the only right way to have youre new found snowdrops named and registered! Lets hope she can convince those who have to do the same! I do repeat it just one more time, if anyone needs help let me know. You dont have to send plants, however a fresh leaf and flower with stalk would help and a good photo.
For the rest its FREE for people outside the Netherlands, it costs me 121 euro each, but thats just bad luck because i was born here ;D
So whats keeping you from eternal fame? :o
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I registered my snowdrop 'The More the Merrier' with the KAVB late last year. The registration process is very easy and can be done by email, you just need some good photographs. A feature of this snowdrop is that the outer petals are irregular, sometimes notched and sometimes not.
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I registered my snowdrop 'The More the Merrier' with the KAVB late last year. The registration process is very easy and can be done by email, you just need some good photographs. A feature of this snowdrop is that the outer petals are irregular, sometimes notched and sometimes not.
I'm bemused. ::)
Why would anyone want to register a snowdrop with irregular, intermittent and sporadic features? Surely not desirable features?
This is a genuine question and not a snipe at galanthophiles.
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Sorry Allan, i forgot to mention you too! But maybe becuase it was just one ;D No just kidding Alan it was on the next page and overlooked!
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Chris, show us one of youre latest finds please! So we can give comments on these or perhaps just that one
;D
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Chris, show us one of youre latest finds please! So we can give comments on these or perhaps just that one
;D
;D ;D My latest find had irregular features, so I binned it. ;D
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Oh just one find and you binned it, you did not bin it, you killed it :-[ Try next time before you take anything out to be just a little more critical and leave it where its growing! ;D
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Gerard, You sound angry but I think you misunderstand - sometimes in a garden a seedling will be mis-shapen and mutated - many people prefer to destroy that rather than keep it - often for the very good reason that a disease may be present which might affect their other plants.
That is surely a valid choice for them to make. As it is also to mention surprise that a plant which is "described" as unstable might be worthy of registration and propagation - after all - if it is variable and unstable , how can you know exactly what it is? :-\
Can we not express these worries? Is it not part of valid discussion or must we just all "like" everything?
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Maggi i am not angry at all, and you know that. I was teasing a bit ;D There are always people that have comments on others things and never show theire own findings because they are afraid of comments ;D
Maybe better to ignore next time. Or just tell them that when they are searching in the wild, they should think and look twice before you lift anything! And finally throw it in the bin!
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Thank you, Gerard!
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Maggi i am not angry at all, and you know that. I was teasing a bit ;D There are always people that have comments on others things and never show theire own findings because they are afraid of comments ;D
Maybe better to ignore next time. Or just tell them that when they are searching in the wild, they should think and look twice before you lift anything! And finally throw it in the bin!
Gerard,
This has drifted a bit from my genuine enquiry as to why someone would want to register an irregular plant. Alan may have a very good reason for doing so, and I would like to know.
I got the impression you were goading me a bit which is why I put on my flippancy hat and gave you the 'binning' answer. ;D
I don't bin anything unless it is virused or diseased.
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If i could give a thumb up on this page i would Chris ;D
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I'm sure Maggi will be along to provide an artistic 'thumbs-up' from her archive of cartoons. ;)
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Just attached one Chris! From one of my favorite series Happy days! ;D
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Why would anyone want to register a snowdrop with irregular, intermittent and sporadic features? Surely not desirable features?
I thought this too at first but it's the detail that is irregular. Viewed as a group the eye averages-out the irregularities and what you see is small bell-shaped flowers, each with a green fringe. The effect is pleasing to my eye. The clue to my opinion is in the name 'The More the Merrier'. It's also such a vigorous snowdrop that if I threw it in the bin it would probably climb out again.
Edit: I should also mention that I found this as a single bulb in 2009 and had it under observation for six seasons before deciding it was worthy of name - so this was not a rushed judgement. Sometimes the qualities of a plant only become apparent after a long period of observation; undue haste in deciding a plant is of no value seems no better than undue haste in giving something a name.
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Thanks for the explanation, Alan. There had to be more to it. There was an entertaining interlude on the way. ;D
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Duh!
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Duh!
;D ;D
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Finally snow is starting to melt here! I have helped the snowdrops a little by removing the snow carefully with rake. ;D
'Mrs Macnamara', and the second photo 'Lapwing'. I didn't know it was also an early snowdrop. :)
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Leena, I just gave a talk tonight on snowdrops and hellebores and the first picture I showed was 'Mrs MacNamara' flowering on a sunny day in December! What a difference climate makes - and how very beautiful those young shoots look appearing through the snow :). You have a lot of excitement to come whilst we all learn to calm down here ;). (Just had 'Lapwing' for a year now and already it has become a firm favourite - I don't know how this happens with so many snowdrops to choose from ::), maybe Alan's 'The More the Merrier' has something to say about it!!). This is the wonderful 'Cicely Hall' again flowering with us now, and around this time last year, 'Marjorie Brown'.
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Tim, you have so lovely clumps of late snowdrops. :)
Leena, I just gave a talk tonight on snowdrops and hellebores and the first picture I showed was 'Mrs MacNamara' flowering on a sunny day in December! What a difference climate makes .
You have such a long snowdrop season! Here it is only from when the snow melts until beginning of May. I think now that snowdrops can adjust a little to the climate. 'Mrs Macnamara' was planted in summer 2013 (one bulb) and in 2014 it came up already in December and was showing white when the winter came around New Year. Then it stayed under snow and was further developed even under snow. In spring 2015 it was also early but not quite so early coming up, and last December I was even worried when I didn't see any sign of it before the winter came after Christmas, but it was ok, just coming up later. And it has increased from one bulb quite nicely because there are several flowers coming up this year. It is still earlier than many other snowdrops I have, but not so early as what it was when I got it.
I'm now expecting 'Lapwing' also to adjust to our climate and be a little later coming up in the next years.
When I started to collect snowdrops I thought that late snowdrops are better here, they don't come up too early and flower inside the snow, but now I'm not so sure anymore, as at least some early snowdrops seem to do well also here. I'm still learning. :)
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I would love some help identifying this snowdrop. I received it as 'Sutton Courtenay' from a fellow collector and nursery owner. It is olive colored and does show a folded leaf margin but the mark is wrong. The collector got it directly from Veronica Cross in 2006 so I thought it might be 'Sutton Court' but the mark is wrong again looking at Judy's Snowdrops.
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Saw a mysterious Galanthus in the garden today. No label nearby - so could that be Gal. ikariae?
Leaves are not as vivid green as woronowii. Next are leaves of elwesii. Could it be a Hybrid of elwesii X woronowii?
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The last plicatuses! Last ones have flowers that are up to 2 inch :-)
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Sunshine today to open the flowers better
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]
[attachimg=4]
[attachimg=5]
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[attachimg=1]
'Snoopy'
[attachimg=2]
The robust 'Lady Dalhousie' - see her size by the nearby Helleborus orientalis
[attachimg=3]
[attachimg=4]
Leucojum vernum
[attachimg=5]
white crocus
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Looking lovely - doesn't the sunshine help perk everyone and everything up?
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It really does, Susan. Sunshine and some warmth in the day and everyone looks and feels happier. Getting some pollinators on the wing too. 8)
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Great pics, Maggi,
will you be doing this week's Bulblog?
;D
cheers
fermi
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Galanthus nivalis 'Fifty Shades of Green'
[attachimg=2]
My most exquisite snowdrops in March is this deeply green nivalis,shaded in different tones:
Galanthus nivalis 'Fifty Shades of Green' It is big flowered, keeps its green tinges for a month...
will put a smile on your face, isn't it?[attachimg=1]
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Maggi I think your white Crocus is one of the white forms of Crocus tomm.
Anyone buy 'Polar Bear' from Avon this year? It is pristine white
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The season continues with Galanthus plicatus 'Baxendale's Late'
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Great pics, Maggi,
will you be doing this week's Bulblog?
;D
cheers
fermi
Nope! That's not my problem , fermi!
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Hi Maggi,
In your opinion.............How many different cultivars does one need to grow before one is diagnosed as a Galanthophile?
Tim DH
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Here's elwesii 'Polar Bear'. Camera exposure set at -2/3rds and its still over exposed
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Hi Maggi,
In your opinion.............How many different cultivars does one need to grow before one is diagnosed as a Galanthophile?
Tim DH
Interesting question, Tim. I think I should plead the fifth..... ::) :-X
However many one thinks makes the number, I think there may be an added element of thinking one can recognise them without labels and spending the rest of the year waiting for snowdrop season to arrive again :o ;D ;D
.... so that lets me out..... :)
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Tim, the number isn't important. To grow the right few ones, this is the important thing ;)
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Hi Maggi,
In your opinion.............How many different cultivars does one need to grow before one is diagnosed as a Galanthophile?
i wasn't asked but in my opinion if you buy snowdrop bulbs for more that £5 per bulb you should be diagnosed as a Galanthophile.
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Lovely photos Maggi. Snowdrops here are almost over, but a couple of weeks ago in a brief warm interlude I watched huge amounts of snowdrop pollen being brought into the beehives. Today it was mainly berberis, willow and dandelion.
Digressing further ::), what is that rhodo above the patch of Corydalis malkensis? Very nice foliage.
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i wasn't asked but in my opinion if you buy snowdrop bulbs for more that £5 per bulb you should be diagnosed as a Galanthophile.
That is hard Alan. If you want to buy a paeonia, you have to pay always(i think) more than £5 per plant.
So everyone is a paeonian freak who is buying a paeony? Hm, Hm, Hm ....
A Galanthophile is happy to get a fine new plant for money ... ;)
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Is a paeony freak a paeonophile I wonder? I agree there are other plants than snowdrops that don't come cheap, but in terms of cost per gram then snowdrops must surely be amongst the most expensive. At least with a paeony you get more weight for your money.
We're all happy to get a fine new plant as a gift or as a swap but only galanthophiles are crazy enough to pay large sums of money for snowdrops. Ian Young, by the way, maintained that most of the snowdrops in his garden have arrived as gifts from people wanting to convert him and Maggi into galanthophiles (I heard him give a talk earlier today). So it seems even if you maintain a public stance of indifference it doesn't stop the snowdrops coming.
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I'm a new paeonophile
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Galanthus nivalis 'Fifty Shades of Green'
(Attachment Link)
My most exquisite snowdrops in March is this deeply green nivalis,shaded in different tones:
Galanthus nivalis 'Fifty Shades of Green' It is big flowered, keeps its green tinges for a month...
will put a smile on your face, isn't it? (Attachment Link)
Definitely put a smile on my face Valentin ;D.Most definitely the best scharlockii I have seen this year ;).
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Just for you Mark! A bunch of my peonies from last year.
Tim DH
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wow
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Just for you Mark! A bunch of my peonies from last year.
Tim DH
big Paeonia in small hands :) :) :) very fine picture
a colorful world (not only white, green and a little bit yellow)
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So it seems even if you maintain a public stance of indifference it doesn't stop the snowdrops coming.
true words, Alan ;) :) ;D
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i wasn't asked but in my opinion if you buy snowdrop bulbs for more that £5 per bulb you should be diagnosed as a Galanthophile.
How about £20?
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Lovely photos Maggi. Snowdrops here are almost over, but a couple of weeks ago in a brief warm interlude I watched huge amounts of snowdrop pollen being brought into the beehives. Today it was mainly berberis, willow and dandelion.
Digressing further ::), what is that rhodo above the patch of Corydalis malkensis? Very nice foliage.
The honey from your bees must be delicious, Ashley, with such a nice variety of flowers contributing.
If this is the rhodo you mean in this pic.....
[attachimg=1]
it is Rhododendron orbiculare
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true words, Alan ;) :) ;D
In which case we would be expecting a large parcel from Germany? :o ;D ;D ;D
I have bought a few snowdrops over the years - trying to see if they will do well here - many don't and many are so unstable as to colour and marking as to be indistinguishable from any other. No wonder Ian never buys any!
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The honey from your bees must be delicious, Ashley, with such a nice variety of flowers contributing.
Thanks for the rhodo ID Maggi :-*
I'm not sure whether snowdrops contribute much nectar but find that they are a key source of pollen to support early colony expansion, provided weather conditions in February are occasionally warm enough for foraging.
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How about £20?
My limit started at £10, went up to £15, then £25 and in 2011 I paid £35 for a krasnovii that I killed fairly swiftly afterwards. I got up to £40 for 'Advent' in 2015 but I don't think I've hit the £50 mark yet. Nonetheless I must surely be stark staring bonkers to pay such sums for a single bulb that might not even survive till next year.
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............I must surely be stark staring bonkers to pay such sums for a single bulb that might not even survive till next year.
I'm inclined to agree ;D
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I paid £26.00 for a single bulb of Kildare, either last year or the year before, I can't remember. What I do remember was being in the doghouse for a week afterwards.
Alan I have some krasnowii seeds in a cold frame that I got from Vlastimil, you can have one if you want to try again, if I can get them to germinate that is.
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Thanks, John, but a kind gift from another forumist has given me another crack as krasnovii. However I'm very taken with Ian Young's idea that you can cause a plant to adapt to local conditions by natural selection from successive generations of seedlings. So with some of the snowdrop species that are new to cultivation we should be trying as hard as we can to grow from seed, keep trying to establish a seeding population in the garden in order to let natural selection breed those that are best-suited to our own conditions.
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However I'm very taken with Ian Young's idea that you can cause a plant to adapt to local conditions by natural selection from successive generations of seedlings. So with some of the snowdrop species that are new to cultivation we should be trying as hard as we can to grow from seed, keep trying to establish a seeding population in the garden in order to let natural selection breed those that are best-suited to our own conditions.
I'm trying this, too. Our conditions are so different from Middle Europe.
I have bought cultivars but in the long run I would like to have plants which are fertile and produce seeds (like my G.nivalis and G.plicatus), then on the other hand I would like to have snowdrops which are different in how they look. Otherwise it would be same to just grow masses of G.nivalis.
Last spring I planted some G.reginae-olgae, and 'Tilebarn Jamie' and 'Cambridge' started to flower in mid December. Then around Christmas came winter, and I covered the flowering plants with styrofoam fish box. In January it was below -20 for two weeks with only less than 10cm snow, then we got more snow, and the cold continued. Now the snow has started to melt and day temperatures are above zero (nights are still below zero), and I took the box off the snowdrops. In the first picture is the box still over them, and in the second how they looked when I took the box off.
'Tilebarn Jamie' is on the right and it has lost it's flower during winter, but 'Cambridge' on the left is still flowering. Not in it's prime but alive with a flower after almost three months of winter. :o Ground is solid frozen still. It is amazing how tough snowdrops are! Now I hope that they still hang on and start to grow their leaves when the weather gets warmer, but don't know yet what will happen.
In the third picture there is G.caucasicus, from Bondarenko, and planted early last autumn. It has drilled it's way through snow.
The fourth picture is 'Gerald Parker', I took some snow away above it and there it was already flower down.
Last picture is 'Atkinsii' which grows under a rose bush where the snow is first to melt.
All pictures are from yesterday.
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Otherwise it would be same to just grow masses of G.nivalis.
In some UK locales you see masses of nivalis that are sterile (or nearly so). The effect is very striking but the individual snowdrops are all much the same. Elsewhere you find seeding populations of nivalis which show great variety of size and form; tall or short, long pedicel or short pedicel, the odd poc. or ipoc. or yellow or more exotic variations. So if you could get your snowdrops to set seed and start with a diverse gene pool I assure you that there would be nothing 'samey' about your masses of G. nivalis.
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Yesterday I found a very strange Galanthus nivalis in my rockgarden.
It's a scharlockii with 3 instead of 2 ears AND has 2 additional ears on the ovary.
Not sure if it is stable, the plant must grow for several years in my garden, but I never realised it before...
Have you seen something like that before?
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Strange but interesting Thomas :D I quite like the spathe in three like that, like a fantail.
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Thomas, how interesting looking snowdrop!
In some UK locales you see masses of nivalis that are sterile (or nearly so). The effect is very striking but the individual snowdrops are all much the same. Elsewhere you find seeding populations of nivalis which show great variety of size and form; tall or short, long pedicel or short pedicel, the odd poc. or ipoc. or yellow or more exotic variations. So if you could get your snowdrops to set seed and start with a diverse gene pool I assure you that there would be nothing 'samey' about your masses of G. nivalis.
My G.nivalis does set seeds, and I have it from several sources, but they all look pretty much the same. The only difference is in how tall they are and in flower size, also some are more vigorous than others, and some are a little earlier than other. But no difference in colour or flower shape, at least not so far. :( I have also G.plicatus which sets seeds, so hopefully someday I will have spontaneous hybrids. :)
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Have you seen something like that before?
I have one that produces five or six ears from the scape and an extra petal or two from the ovary (receptacle).
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But no difference in colour or flower shape, at least not so far.
These variations occur with very low frequency although sometimes you find a 'hotspot' where abnormalities are more common. You just need a lot of snowdrops.
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A very nice find across the dutch border together with John Aipassa of a a better than Blonde Inge type. Right side Blonde Inge.
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You just need a lot of snowdrops.
:) :) :)
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Very nice, Gert, and hopefully more stable than Mother Goose?
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Some late ones here just now:
2 flyaway ipoc seedlings - first is ex South Hayes, second is Trymlet x south hayes
My first green seedling (shame it's like all the others!)
The amazing huge classic, Comet.
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Some interesting doubles:
Pom-pom deciding to be turn her inners through 90 degrees
Two more Estonian seedlings from Taavi Tuulik
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2 flyaway ipoc seedlings
I have noticed that those with a thin green line down the centre of the outer petals are particularly prone to reflex right upwards, as in your picture.
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Some late ones here just now:
2 flyaway ipoc seedlings
They're great
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They're great
"Frosties" for breakfast this morning, Mark?
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Hi Anne,
According to the ruler, the left hand petal on your Comet appears to be 55mm long.. Is that correct, or an optical illusion?
The longest petal on the BLHEG thread this year is 'only' 45mm!
Tim DH
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It's 47mm ;)
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Just a question from someone who loves all snowdrops but can only ID well regular G. nivalis and plicatus ::) sorry.
Could someone please give an idea if this snowdrop it’s an elwesii or a hybrid of it?
I have few G. nivalis which are just showing up so this little one is early for our region.
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Delightful trip to the West Country to visit my old boarding school, not having been for many years.
Naturally, had to visit some key Galanthus locations while there! Here are some shots of one of my visits:
A very unassuming sign for what lies inside!
Some geographical locations are uniquely significant, the source of the Nile, Runnymede and of course the very spot where Alan Street discovered the stunning beauty Galanthus Midas! Certainly top of my AT's acquisition list.
The crate beds with chips in various stages of development!
The Willow Wood, another fine hunting ground for future treasure!
A great shot of Maxine looking very relaxed by the very phone that glows red hot the day an Avon catalogue or resting bulb list is released.
A wonderful visit and stay in the guest house. Thanks to Chris, Caroline, Alan (fantastic guided tour) Micky and Maxine!
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Gallivanting again, Ingrid? To good effect , it seems!
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Gallivanting again, Ingrid? To good effect , it seems!
Moi? ;D
Had a wonderful trip and great to see the Avon crowd with whom I have dealt for over 30 years!
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Moi? ;D
Had a wonderful trip and great to see the Avon crowd with whom I have dealt for over 30 years!
But Maxine is only 25 years old, surely, so since well before her time in harness!
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My second West Country visit was to see Andy Byfield at his wonderful Flete garden restoration project. I took part in some garden restorations from the Empire period while in India and so this holds a special interest for me.
Having seen the beauties that are Lemongrass, Northern Lights, Twister and Goatee Green Tip, I also wanted to see what treasures were coming in the next few years. I was to see some wonderful new additions!
Andy, in Alexander the Great posture, looming over his domain, showing the enormous work carried out so far and the remaining challenge!
The newly planted nuttery (No comments please!) with a nod to Sissinghurst, under planted with snowdrops and Hellebores. This will be a prime place to visit and scrutinise in the years ahead.
Andy with another future beauty called 'Tall, Dark and Handsome' the fact that the two are together is purely coincidental ;D ;D ;D
Andy examining the huge array of developing varieties.
A delightful visit Andy and thanks again for the unexpected route march around the 'Estate' and for the gift of the Cyclamen.
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One of the I Pocs John Aipassa and I found on our last trip.
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How dainty is that? Quite exquisite.
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Thanks Anne,
I am amazed and perplexed by that!
Various suppliers suggest that 'this or that' is the largest snowdrop. (Usually one of their expensive ones!!) Comet, by comparison, is a well known cultivar, but I've never seen it named as a contender.
Do you think yours is a 'special' Comet? These things happen! (As mentioned before, I have a 'special' Sam Arnott, which I now call Sam Isnott….. and I've read about your 'Kite not'!)
Your Comet is comfortably bigger than any of the fancy drops on the BLEGH thread from the last two years.
Is anyone else’s Comet this big?
Tim DH
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But Maxine is only 25 years old, surely, so since well before her time in harness!
Hah I wish Maggie!!! You are so kind!!!
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Thanks Anne,
I am amazed and perplexed by that!
Various suppliers suggest that 'this or that' is the largest snowdrop. (Usually one of their expensive ones!!) Comet, by comparison, is a well known cultivar, but I've never seen it named as a contender.
Do you think yours is a 'special' Comet? These things happen! (As mentioned before, I have a 'special' Sam Arnott, which I now call Sam Isnott….. and I've read about your 'Kite not'!)
Your Comet is comfortably bigger than any of the fancy drops on the BLEGH thread from the last two years.
Is anyone else’s Comet this big?
Tim DH
I don't think it's special, is it? I haven't seen anybody else's! Mine came from Mark Smyth, so maybe he knows? It is quite spectacular, but maybe this season it is just huger than normal.
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Worth checking out the Avon Bulbs website for end of season deals .... click HERE (https://www.avonbulbs.co.uk/spring-planted-bulbs-and-snowdrops/galanthus-snowdrops?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=March+2016+-+Avon+Bulbs&utm_source=YMLP&utm_term=link+to+website) - and other goodies!
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Just a question from someone who loves all snowdrops but can only ID well regular G. nivalis and plicatus ::) sorry.
Could someone please give an idea if this snowdrop it’s an elwesii or a hybrid of it?
I have few G. nivalis which are just showing up so this little one is early for our region.
To me it looks like G.elwesii, the difference to others is in how the leaves are. :) I don't know how to tell if it is a hybrid or not.
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G.nivalis and G.plicatus on this cold day.
'John Long' in the second picture
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Nice to see more snowmelt for you Leena. What is your long-term weather forecast like? Do you expect more snow?
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Nice to see more snowmelt for you Leena. What is your long-term weather forecast like? Do you expect more snow?
Actually we got about 2 cm snow yesterday after I had taken those pictures, but after this week it is going to get warmer :). Forecast says next week is going to warmer than average and after that the next two weeks average and no rain, so I think spring is starting to progress in the Easter. Some late snowdrops are still under snow or only peaking but I can see many flowers already now and that they have multiplied from last year, which is so nice.
Snowdrops bring spring even when it is not really spring weather, I can walk around and find new ones peaking from the snow or from frozen ground almost every day. :) My Eranthis has not yet come up but some early crocuses show.
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Something unusual?
Yesterday I found this double Galanthus seedling in a Botanic Garden.
Are the outer petals longer than normal or is the plant an ordinary
double nivalis?
Gerd
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Just some work in the nursery, felt good lifting my own "wild"plicatus and replanting them in the forrest at the nursery ;D
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Ooh! My old back feels all that planting! Good job you are a young man, Gerard!
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This was a small lot of 25 M2 , did a over a 300 last week in one day ;D Not fifty yet ;D
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;D
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Are the outer petals longer than normal or is the plant an ordinary
double nivalis?
There is a lot of variability in double nivalis, not least from one year to the next. Is it possible to keep it under observation?
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Here's a late one: Galanthus plicatus 'Warham Rectory', clumping up nicely.
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There is a lot of variability in double nivalis, not least from one year to the next. Is it possible to keep it under observation?
Thank you Alan!
- it grows a little bit astray between officinal plants. If it will not be removed I can try to have a look in 2017.
Gerd
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Here's a late one: Galanthus plicatus 'Warham Rectory', clumping up nicely.
Hi John, I've seen this name in the odd place and assumed it was a synonym of G. plicatus 'Warham'. Do you have a picture that clearly shows the marking on the inner segments and the source of your material. Many thanks
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Harvey's sell 'Warham Rectory'. There is a picture on their web site https://www.harveysgardenplants.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=987 (https://www.harveysgardenplants.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=987) . In the past I decided that 'Warham Rectory' must be a synonym for 'Warham' but I don't remember what lead me to this conclusion.
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I'll try and get a decent picture. I've had it for a while and as my record keeping is abysmal, I'm not sure where it came from - could have been Harveys. It could be 'Washfield Warham'.
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'Washfield Warham' is one of those me-too cultivars that date back to the days when there weren't many snowdrop cultivars around but people still couldn't manage to come up with many novel ones. Instead they found and named plants that were similar to an existing cultivar but originating somewhere else. These day we wouldn't bother - I hope.
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Hi John, I've seen this name in the odd place and assumed it was a synonym of G. plicatus 'Warham'. Do you have a picture that clearly shows the marking on the inner segments and the source of your material. Many thanks
Will these do?
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I see two faint marks on the edges of the inner petals near the base. Are they really there or is it just a trick of the light?
It does not look much like the Harvey's picture, does it?
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No, nothing like it. But look at the description of Washfield Warham in the North Green catalogue as see what you think.
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I don't know anything about 'Warham Rectory', 'Warham' or 'Washfield Warham' but on the naming principle I highlighted in a previous post, 'Washfield Warham' must be similar to 'Warham' or it would not have been so-named. If so, it may be difficult to tell the two apart on the basis of a written description.
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My G. plicatus 'Warham Rectory' came from Anglesey Abbey in 2009, amazingly the wording on the label is word for word what Harvey's have on their site so perhaps that is where they got their originals too in which case it may easily have got to Anglesey as a swap originally. Unfortunately no flowers this year (probably needs repotting) so can't take a picture.
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Galanthus nivalis 'Greenish'. Semi-virescent, very late to emerge and flower, easy to grow, underrated.
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Harvey's sell 'Warham Rectory'. There is a picture on their web site https://www.harveysgardenplants.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=987 (https://www.harveysgardenplants.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=987) . In the past I decided that 'Warham Rectory' must be a synonym for 'Warham' but I don't remember what lead me to this conclusion.
Thanks Alan!
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Will these do?
...and thanks Ralph!
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one of my plicatus that thinks it's a relative of Mrs Thompson; photos from 11 March but still going now albeit in the petals extended last few days stage
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I don't think it's special, is it? I haven't seen anybody else's! Mine came from Mark Smyth, so maybe he knows? It is quite spectacular, but maybe this season it is just huger than normal.
Hi Anne,
apologies for my long silence on this... I was rather hoping Mark might chip in! He posted measurements for Friar Tuck last year, which would seem a strange thing to do if he had a bigger flower on another plant!!
I'll add your measurement to the BLHEG thread.
Tim DH
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Can anyone identify this Galanthus. A passing squirrel tipped over my pots while the 'drops were dormant and the label has been lost. Any help would be appreciated.
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One of my (very) long pedicel plicatus byzantinus. Second photo is from today after heavy rain; first shot is from 22 March. Outers measured at 43mm on 24th, which gives an idea of the length of the pedicel (not measured as keep forgetting but will confirm; one from this group had a pedicel of 45mm last year and this may be that or more). This one has the most outward projecting pedicel; other clones have more arched pedicels of a similar length (can't recall if this one hung in a similar fashion last year or not but believe so).
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A very elegant and impressing selection, Josh!
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Yesterday I noticed this Galanthus 'Magnet' with two flowers on one scape. It was too windy to photograph yesterday and not much better today hence the blurry picture and the withered flowers.
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A number of years ago I received 'Trym' from Colesbourne, when it flowered it was not 'Trym' but nick-named Tramp here. It could very well be a named snowdrop, some thought 'Trymlet', 'Trumps' or 'Queen of Hearts'. Nevertheless we grew seedlings of open-pollinated (in retrospect & given the uniform results it was most likely selfed) Tramps and a number, all very simlar, are still in flower here. Here are seven of them.
johnw
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And the last three Tramp op.
john
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John, is the split mark (in the second photo) always split like that?
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Alan - This is where precise documentation & numbered seedlings accompanied by photos would be helpful. :-[ I'm certainly hoping that split mark will be stable!
john
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Just one miserable flower on Galanthus platyphyllus this year. Leaves appeared on most of the bulbs in January. The leaf tips were frosted frosted and the flowers aborted. This one did not appear till March which is usual.
Last flowers on Galanthus plicatus 'Warham Group'. I got this from Broadleigh many years ago and it is a prolific seeder. The flowers are unremarkable but I do like the broad leaves with their silver stripe.
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I found a strange Galanthus nivalis in my garden today
Poul
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Hello, this is my first post.I was reading an old thread recently about hybridization and growing from seed, and am wondering given how old the thread is, what happened with the endeavours,they were discussing. There was a suggestion as to how long a wait it was for flowers, and that species took quite a long time to do so . This is not very exciting but it is the first thing I have grown from seed and it flowered in three years,it is different from its parent, which is just some kind of nivalis, bought from a time when you purchased simple snowdrops, there wasn't much else to be had, and probably little galanthomania. Apologies if its too big and not a good picture, still learning.
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I found a strange Galanthus nivalis in my garden today
Quite a few snowdrops sometimes throw extra petals from behind the receptacle (ovary) but are not usually consistent from one year to the next. As you probably know, the snowdrop formerly known as 'Atkinsii' but now split-off to become 'James Backhouse' does this quite frequently, as well as tending to produce extra outer petals in their normal location. You need to keep your one under observation for a few years.
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As you probably know, the snowdrop formerly known as 'Atkinsii' but now split-off to become 'James Backhouse'
This is new to me, so is 'Atkinsii' now 'James Backhouse'?
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Atkinsii was an historic well-established snowdrop renowned for its vigour, stature and a tendency to throw extra petals, sometimes from behind the receptacle. But, apparently, it was possible to isolate a form that was regular and did not produce the extra petals. In their wisdom, the powers that be assigned the name 'Atkinsii' to the regular form and gave the name 'James Backhouse' to the irregular form with which most of us are more familiar. In my opinion continuity would have been better-served by assigning the name 'Atkinsii' to the aberrant form that most of us knew. But it didn't happen that way.
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Thank you Alan. :)
I have 'Atkinsii' from four different sources, and at least one of them has a flower with four petals when I looked yesterday.
One bulbs which I got as 'Atkinsii' are not so good at multiplying and also they seem to flower a little later, their origin is from Estonia.
This clump has regular flowers, and multiplies well, so 'Atkinsii'. I will have to keep an eye on them in the next years to see if they are stable.
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Some other snowdrops from yesterday.
G.lagodechianus has multiplied also well.
The second picture is 'Rosemary Burnham', planted last summer
In the third picture there is 'Lady Elphinstone' which last spring has yellow markings, and now green!
In the last picture on the right there are 'Jaquenetta' and the clump on the left is 'Cordelia'. I find it very difficult to tell them apart from the markings, I only know that J comes up earlier and is taller, and C comes up later and remains shorter.
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Quite a few snowdrops sometimes throw extra petals from behind the receptacle (ovary) but are not usually consistent from one year to the next. As you probably know, the snowdrop formerly known as 'Atkinsii' but now split-off to become 'James Backhouse' does this quite frequently, as well as tending to produce extra outer petals in their normal location. You need to keep your one under observation for a few years.
Allan, thank you for the explanation. I will keep an eye on it for the next years.
Poul