Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Galanthus => Topic started by: Des Doyle on February 08, 2011, 08:51:04 PM
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Hi All,
A while since my first post so I thought I'd stick these up- they are snowdrops I discovered in the old garden trhat I am currently restoring. There are about 5 distinct kinds I can see with my very un-expert eye! I'll put up these two and see if anyone can name them. They might be nothing or something old - the snowdrops in the garden are here for at least 50 years and most are well clumped up. Apologies in advance for pictures - a bit blurry - taken on the hoof!
Images 3 + 4: A single, very tall, very early snowdrop - came into flower around new years eve and still going strong! Clumps are not too big but are increasing slowly. Leaves are quite blue - not bright green at all.
Images 1 + 2: A double flower - just out over the last week - low growth and a double flower with gold flecks inside, there is also a single 'petal' in the middle of the double part which is consistent in most flowers - it is very visible.
Also attached some images of the woodland area I am recently clearing and of some of the snowdrop clumps I have had to move due to tree fellers moving in to clear scrub.
Des
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Hi Des,
Good to see you here again and that you are getting to grips with the snowdrops.
I would venture that your single snowdrops are Galanthus nivalis and the double G. nivalis flore pleno, the double variation of the common snowdrop.
Paddy
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Aw Paddy, you mean they're not something obscure and rare that can make me wildly wealthy!? :(
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I don't think so, Des, but good snowdrops nonetheless.
By the way, Altamont Gardens, near Ballon, Co. Carlow have a Snowdrop Week starting on Sunday next with guided tour each afternoon at 2p.m.
Worth a visit.
Paddy
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I know I've been there last week for a walk around and left with six pots of snowdrops.... the bug....has bitten.
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I know I've been there last week for a walk around and left with six pots of snowdrops.... the bug....has bitten.
;D ;D ;D
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I know I've been there last week for a walk around and left with six pots of snowdrops.... the bug....has bitten.
And it only gets worse ;D ;D ;D
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I know I've been there last week for a walk around and left with six pots of snowdrops.... the bug....has bitten.
And it only gets worse ;D ;D ;D
Yes, much worse ::)
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Complete newbie to this site so forgive my naivety.
My father passed away 13 months ago and he had a large collection of snowdrops. These were collected over a 30 year period from the leading snowdrop suppliers ( the Snowdrop co., Avon, John Morley, Cinderdene and others ). Father detailed his purchases with regards to the supplier, date and cost.
As a result sister and I dug up the 60 + clumps and you can guess - there were about 15 + clumps where the label had disappeared.
I have the Snowdrop Monograph by Matt Bishop, Aaron Davies and John Grimshaw, which has helped a bit but I'm still left with several unanswered queries.
In my search for another picture of 'Duckie' I came across this site and, having seen the quality of the posts/replies, thought I might have found the expertise that could help me in my quest for clarification/identification...
As an aside I have grown snowdrops for nearly 20 years and, having exchanged Dad's excess bulbs with Chris Ireland, I am building up a pretty good collection.
If I post some pictures will you be able to help me please???
Regards
Mark
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Certainly Mark. Post some pics and we'll be happy to give our opinions. Though it's often difficult to positively identify snowdrops from photos, the fact that you know they're likely to be named cultivars makes it more likely that we can help.
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Welcome to the Forum, Mark . My condolences on the loss of your Father.
I do hope the 'drop fiends (or snowdrop enthusiasts, as I think they prefer to be called ;)) will be able to help ID your pix. Please make the pictures about 760 pixels wide for best viewing on the forum.
You'll find this page has useful info for posting pictures if you are in any doubt:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2.msg360#msg360
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Thanks for your responses...
I'll start loading up some pics on Sunday all being well - need to sort Mum out.
Regards
Mark
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In your own time, Mark, no hurry.
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Hi all, can you confirm this is Gracilis.?
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Jim,
I would normally look to the foliage for an identification of G. gracilis. The foliage is narrow and has a distinctive twist.
Paddy
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Hi all, can you confirm this is Gracilis.?
Viewed at that angle and without a shot of the foliage, nobody will be able to confirm that is gracilis. I'm not a botanist but isn't it a general rule that plants show much more variability in their foliage than in their flowers? Therefore one should be paying more attention to what the leaves look like than the appearance of the flower.
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Welcome Mark
I am looking forward to seeing pictures of some of the snowdrops your father proudly grew for three decades. As Martin says we probably won't be able to give definitive answers to the names but we can certainly try for an educated guess on a few. Also, if your dad was anything like me he will have been growing a few too that haven't got names - chance seedlings that he had found in his own or other peoples gardens and expressed an interest in.
Which area of the country are your family based in (I am guessing the country is UK as I don't think there were that many people interested in the different named snowdrops in other countries back in 1980).
Kind regards.
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Hello Jim, your flower has some characteristics of an usual G. gracilis.
There is a big basal mark (long) and only a thin apical mark (often dots only).
The lower edge of the i.t. goes lightly to the outside.
The flower is a little bit globular.
All these show the way to Galanthus gracilis.
Now we need the pics of leaves and the whole group.
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I was out inspecting the snowdrops this afternoon and noticed that one clump of Wendy's Gold ( x 20 bulbs ) have been completely eradicated by a mouse. I have subsequently caught it - humanely of course then hung, drawn and quartered the blighter. Expensive appetite since a similar size of 'Lutescens' lies nearby.
I did take several pics most too out of focused to post here so need a training session on how to take decent pics with an Olympus..
But one I'll call 'Quasimodo' for starters - a rather strange beast/permutation...
And will such a permutation exist in its offspring?
Also a small ( 3 inches ) one that has distinctive outer green markings.
I hope the pics are reasonably focussed.
Regards
Mark
P.S. I should add can anyone identify these for me please...
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Hi KentGardener,
My father lived in Blackburn, Lancs - so you are right.
He had some dealings with John Morley with some specials but I do not know of the outcome.
As my nickname, as googled, means there are plenty of opportunities of 'sports'. Also there were some fine snowdrops produced at that time that maybe difficult to obtain nowadays. I will endeavour to scan his 'known' collection in so that it might give an opportunity for some to obtain say an N1 Mighty Atom...
Regards
Mark
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"Quasimodo" is displaying the characteristics of a snowdrop that used to be called 'Atkinsii' but is now correctly called 'James Backhouse'. That's not to say that it is 'James Backhouse', as other snowdrops can behave similarly.
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Alan,
Thanks for your response, I'll mark it and see what happens next year.
Regards
Mark
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Galanthus by Primrose Warburg is Trym or one of the lookalikes. There is also a seedling to the left
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I got excited when I saw the green tipped flower thinking it was a snowdrop. It's a Leucojum
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Behind the Leucojum is Gal 'Primrose Warburg' - I'll take some pics if you are interested...
Regards
Mark
P.S. Page 274 in the Monograph of Cultivated Galanthus
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Has anyone been to East Lambrook Manor this year?
I took photos at the display and forgot to photograph the labels ::) Answers on a postcard to 43 Birch .....
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Many years ago I got some Galanthus from a Czech friend, she told me that they were
collected in Caucasus, Nr. 1 is rather shy flowering.
Would be grateful if a kind swowdrop expert could identify them.
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Maybe G.lagodechianus? -I am not an expert...
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Not easy without a pic ;D
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Hi Hagen,
there are five pics! ;D ;D ;D ;D :o
I meant the caucasus snowdrop of ruweiss! What do you think about it?
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Hello Olaf, thank you for the identification of G.lagodechianus. Some days ago expert Vojtech Holubec
was here and came to the same result. He was not sure about Nr.2 but I don't mind so much about it.