Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Galanthus => Topic started by: Gerdk on September 03, 2011, 06:20:06 AM
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Here is a follow-up of my ( a little poor ) pic from August.
Flowers look much better when open with some more warmth.
The crocus between the snowdrops is kotschyanus.
-also thanks for kind remarks (from August)
Gerd
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Gerd - Do I detect greentips on the reginae-olgae on the right in the middle picture?
I'm just planting some 'Cambridge' outside.
johnw
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Gerd - Do I detect greentips on the reginae-olgae on the right in the middle picture?
johnw
John, you are right - there is a hint of green - barely visible in the flesh.
In fact my camera detected it before I did.
Gerd
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The first autumn-flowering snowdrop here
Galanthus reginae-olgae ssp reginae-olgae with green spots
is in flower here
Roland
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Roland, they look very fine. When these snowdrops got the first autumn rain?
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We have the whole summer wet this year
but they are in the poly-tunnel
I start watering when they start growing
just now and then a little water during the summer
for not getting the potting-mixture bone dry
Roland
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The most time of the year Galanthophile have to wait. So we are very insistent.
But the autumn season of 2011 is open here finally too.
Here is a first Galanthus peshmenii. It starts with bud and leaves together!!!
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Here are some pics from a very early elwesii not in my garden but 3 kms from my house. The owner used to work for a large bulbwholesale company and these have been imported over 20 years ago and he still have some left in his garden! The first ones were flowering 2 weeks ago!
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Gerard, very interesting!
Were the same plants so early in former years also or is this a singular occurence ?
Gerd
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Galanthus peshmenii in flower yesterday, G. reginae-olgae in bud too so the season really has started in Surrey.
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For over 20 years Gerd! I will try to buy/swap some!
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For over 20 years Gerd! I will try to buy/swap some!
That's not bad - they are in need of a special name - a new cultivar?
Gerd
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The first Galanthus reginae-olgae selection from seed that I made 19 years ago (a young persons hobby?) G.r-o 9236 is now in flower. One plant which has just opened, so flower not fully developed, has four petals. I will put this plant on one side but do not expect it to be a consistent feature because like green tips this type of thing appears from time to time.
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Here are some pics from a very early elwesii not in my garden but 3 kms from my house. The owner used to work for a large bulbwholesale company and these have been imported over 20 years ago and he still have some left in his garden! The first ones were flowering 2 weeks ago!
Very interesting, Gerard! it should be G. elwesii ssp. monostictus as I see a single mark not characteristic to G. elwesii var. elwesii, and blooming period.....
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First snowdrop noses showing in open ground - G Autumn Beauty, always the first. Did a little jig.
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Here just a few pictures of G. reginae-olgae ssp. reginae-olgae to refute the false opinion that the distinction between G. reginae-olgae and G. peshmenii can be seen on the shooting leaves ! (Hagen ;))
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Wish I had a bigger garden to plant these big and fabulous snowdrop groups/clumps too :D!
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Here just a few pictures of G. reginae-olgae ssp. reginae-olgae to refute the false opinion that the distinction between G. reginae-olgae and G. peshmenii can be seen on the shooting leaves ! (Hagen ;))
WOW! Fred! So magic showy pics - such impressive snowdrops!!! do GRO grow outside in Belgium or in green-house?? :P
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дубрава ? ;)
All the snowdrops are outdours in the open garden all year round. Winters in Belgium can be very severe especially in the region where we live (soil is very sandy) with temperatures below freezing for a few weeks normally each year. The temperature can drop to -10°C or sometimes even lower. This usually happens without snow. For most of the snowdrops there is no problem. Only for the snowdrops from the warmer regions is this a problem (cold and rain/wet together) and must be grown inside (cold frame are something). Some pictures to show how they grow in the garden:
1. Young galanthusborder
2. Older galanthusborder
3. Snowdrops with Cyclamen and Crocus
4. Snowdrops with Hamamelis and Helleborus
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Freddy - Great looking new beds and some spectacular cyclamen there. Can you tell us which Galanthus require coldframe treatment in Belgium?
johnw
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G. peshmenii, G. fosteri and G. cilicicus (most frequently grown in pots under glass) have the name to be more or less tender. This is due their natural distribution in warmer regions: Greece, S.Turkey and Middle East. From the three, who stand outside all year round without protection in our garden, we have always problems with G. peshmenii (autumn flowering). G. fosteri and G. cilicicus (in a more or less sheltered position in the garden) stays alive outdours but their growth is less than the other (less tender) snowdrops. They produce, until now (!) no attractive clumps.
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Thanks Freddy that's good to know. I suspected peshmenii from what others have said yet saw one on John Lonsdale's web page growing nicely around rocks. G. fosteri I grew along time ago from AGCBC seed, in my ignorance I put it outdoors amongst the roots of a greedy scotch elm. It surprisingly survived for a time then gradually dwindled to zero.
johnw
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G. peshmenii, G. fosteri and G. cilicicus (most frequently grown in pots under glass) have the name to be more or less tender. This is due their natural distribution in warmer regions: Greece, S.Turkey and Middle East. From the three, who stand outside all year round without protection in our garden, we have always problems with G. peshmenii (autumn flowering). G. fosteri and G. cilicicus (in a more or less sheltered position in the garden) stays alive outdoors but their growth is less than the other (less tender) snowdrops. They produce, until now (!) no attractive clumps.
Thanks, Freddy! Showy garden views and very interesting info on tender species snowdrops overwintering outside in your Belgian climate... apparently, you're growing GRO outside with any problem in winter as I made a note....
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Indeed, we grow all the species and cultivars from G. reginae-olgae normally without problems in the open garden. As said we have a very sandy soil which we mix with a lot of 'older' leaf mould from especially beech and oak
wood(what's in a name ;)) and 'older' compost (from garden- and kitchen waste) for the Galanthusborders. Each year in autumn the Galanthusborders get a new toplayer of the same 'older' leaf mould. Until now it works very well !
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I grow all of my Galanthus reginae-olgae under glass and they all get similar treatment re potting mix watering etc. so strange that a bulb left on pure sand among cyclamen 3-4 years ago seems to thrive on neglect. Others of the same selection in pots are nowhere near as advanced.
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Galanthus peshmenii with a nice inverted heart inner mark.
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Happy plants in your glass house, Melvyn.
Here is a very airy G peshmenii.
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Thanks, Freddy!! Interesting drops' culture tips en Belgique!! 8)
Melvyn! So nice fat and neglected GRO shoots!!! niam-niam! :o
Hagen - very elegant peshmenii clone, really. Love it! ::)
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so strange that a bulb left on pure sand among cyclamen 3-4 years ago seems to thrive on neglect. Others of the same selection in pots are nowhere near as advanced.
Melvyn - Are these reginae-olgaes getting any fertilizer leached out from nearby pots? I've wonder if stagy bulbs could be treated and then isolated and grown in pure sand for a few years to observe recovery. Is the sand as fine as masonary sand deeper down or gritty + sand ?
johnw - +26c here yesterday and very steamy, 22c at 11pm, 24c today predicted.
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Hello John, yes the G.r-o's are almost certainly benefiting from the seaweed based liquid manure that I use to feed the plants in pots, I checked the length of the scape today on the mature flower and it is 20cms.
The sand is builders sand which we know as 'sharp sand'and I think it would be interesting to use as a growing medium when isolating a sick bulb.
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Melvyn - Just wondering about the formulation of liquid seaweed manure in the UK.
Here we have access to 25kg bags of ground dried sea plants flakes (including kelp) with 8% fibre, 2% K, 6% NaCl, .08% I and 7% Sulphate. Have used a bit of this in my regualar mix but I'm a tad rather wary of the salt at 6% so I went on the easy side when add ing it my mix.
Also Liquid Seaweed concentrate 0-0-1 and fish/seaweed 2-3-1; both of these with - at least as the brochure says - vitamins, micros, macros, minerals, amino acids, trace elements and growth hormones. Bother in 1 quart concentrates up to 5 American gallons (3.78541178 litres x 5???).
Are any of these close to the one you use?
johnw - +26/27c here today, still 22c at 21:20, this is better than summer!
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John, no details are given on the bottle but there is further information on the Maxicrop website.
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Some Galanthus peshmenii in flower. Cannot compare them with my G. reginae olgae as the slugs have eaten all the flowers off those.
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John, no details are given on the bottle but there is further information on the Maxicrop website.
Melvyn, do you use the Maxicrop seaweed extract in the brown bottle with no added fertiliser? Or one of the ones (red or green bottle) with added fertiliser (for flowers or tomatoes)? I used the brown bottles last year but have just realised that the fertiliser content is minimal so think I'm going to try the Maxicrop seaweed extract tomato fertiliser next year for feeding the snowdrops in pots, especially the seedlings and bulbils from chipping. I had good growth last year with the pure seaweed extract and mostly healthy bulbs, probably because I use fresh compost each year, but suspect I may get faster development with Maxicrop tom feed or flower feed.
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Some Galanthus peschmenii in flower. Cannot compare them with my G. reginae olgae as the slugs have eaten all the flowers off those.
Fantastic Tony,i really like the sinus mark on the top pic.
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Melvyn, do you use the Maxicrop seaweed extract in the brown bottle with no added fertiliser? Or one of the ones (red or green bottle) with added fertiliser (for flowers or tomatoes)? I used the brown bottles last year but have just realised that the fertiliser content is minimal so think I'm going to try the Maxicrop seaweed extract tomato fertiliser next year for feeding the snowdrops in pots, especially the seedlings and bulbils from chipping. I had good growth last year with the pure seaweed extract and mostly healthy bulbs, probably because I use fresh compost each year, but suspect I may get faster development with Maxicrop tom feed or flower feed.
Hello Martin, I use the product in the brown bottle but thanks for bringing this to my attention because I am inclined to experiment next year to see if there is a discernable difference when using added fertiliser.
Like you I use fresh compost each year, a few usually get missed simply through lack of time, but the growth last season was not as good as usual because I reduced watering to protect the plants during the very cold period as most of my plants are G. reginae-olgae selections.
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Martin - Why switch fertilisers? Your bulbs are the best-looking ones I've seen, so plump and blemish-free.
johnw
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Some Galanthus peshmenii in flower. Cannot compare them with my G. reginae olgae as the slugs have eaten all the flowers off those.
Huge blotches in the first picture Tony.
johnw
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Huge blotches in the first picture Tony.
johnw
Mmm full marks for technical description John ;D ;D ;D
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I like much green also, Tony. It can be a very big and green apival mark, but also the whole flower. ;)
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Melvyn and John, I think I could just about get away with annual repotting in fresh good quality loam-based compost (John Innes 2 or 3 depending on bulb size, chosen for a good loam content, plus extra drainage material - pumice grit in my case) and Maxicrop non-fertiliser original (brown bottle) seaweed extract. But for fastest development of seedlings and chips to flowering I think some added fertiliser on top of what's in the compost would probably be beneficial. I think I'll stick to very regular doses of the non-fertiliser-boosted Maxicrop seaweed extract (at virtually every watering) and add a dose of a high-potash liquid feed (e.g. tomato fertiliser) every other watering or so. Some of my seedlings are taking a long time to reach flowering and anything I can do to speed that up has to be a good thing.
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Damn window cleaner stood on my peshmeniis. Only two up so far. I thought all had died.
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Mark,I have chased various window cleaners over the years for the same reason, they don't see plants,just windows.
I bought the necessary equipment and clean the windows myself now,not as often as they should be cleaned but usually when I can't see into the garden from the living room. :) One can't be wasting good gardening time cleaning windows ;D ;D
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Huge blotches in the first picture Tony.
johnw
Mmm full marks for technical description John ;D ;D ;D
Sorry about that folks, what was I thinking? My brain must have been in rhododendron mode as have been talking rhododendrons non-stop for 2 days. ;)
Still the larger markings make for a spectacular snowdrop.
johnw
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Mark,I have chased various window cleaners over the years for the same reason, they don't see plants,just windows.
I have been having windows repaired and the carpenters have to traverse two patches of Cyps to get to the ladders. It was worth the money to send them to ballet lessons beforehand. They are young and agile and have been remarkably careful.
johnw
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Just from today 1 elwesii and 3 reg olgae's! Keeps very special such a very early snowdrops!
I managed to buy some of the elwesii's from the owner. Anyone who's in for a swap next year let me know!
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Huge blotches in the first picture Tony.
johnw
Mmm full marks for technical description John ;D ;D ;D
Sorry about that folks, what was I thinking? My brain must have been in rhododendron mode as have been talking rhododendrons non-stop for 2 days. ;)
Still the larger markings make for a spectacular snowdrop.
johnw
Only joking John, all is forgiven
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Brian - At least I didn't mention indumentum on the leaves. ;)
My first attempt at twin-scaling should have been ready 12 October. However only 1 sliver of a very rare Canadian snowdrop remains. Though it is perfectly healthy I only see one extremely tiny bulbil the size of a pin prick, in fact it's better seen with a hand lanes. To what size should it develop before I pot it up? Or should I pot the whole sliver and stand back?
johnw
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Brian - At least I didn't mention indumentum on the leaves. ;)
johnw
Of course you didn't,John, the 'drops have nothing so exciting as that! ::) :-X
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Brian - At least I didn't mention indumentum on the leaves. ;)johnw
Of course you didn't,John, the 'drops have nothing so exciting as that! ::) :-X
Maggi - Now wouldn't that be exciting, silver indumentum! :o
johnw - 30mm of rain due today, 80mm tomorrow and more on Wednesday when Ophelia breezes through. At least we hope she breezes through. And no, not the snowdrop.
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Brian - At least I didn't mention indumentum on the leaves. ;)
My first attempt at twin-scaling should have been ready 12 October. However only 1 sliver of a very rare Canadian snowdrop remains. Though it is perfectly healthy I only see one extremely tiny bulbil the size of a pin prick, in fact it's better seen with a hand lanes. To what size should it develop before I pot it up? Or should I pot the whole sliver and stand back?
johnw
John, I would leave it in the bag a while longer. If it's a very thin sliver of scale then it might not make roots this coming growing season and the tiny bulbil may not make a leaf either. So the safest place for it is in the bag, provided it looks healthy. I'd wait and see if the bulbil gets any bigger before potting, keeping it in the bag until say November or maybe even December before thinking about potting it, always providing that it looks healthy and happy. It won't do anything more in a pot of compost than it will do in the bag if it doesn't make any roots, and in the ideal conditions of the bag bulbil development is likely to be faster than in a pot. However, at the first sign of any root development, carefully move it into a pot.
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Thanks Martin, I'll follow your advice. What is strange is that the sliver looks a lot better right now than it did when it went in the bag, I am amazed how white and shiny it is. The mother bulb came with stag, 2/3 of the bulb had to be discarded and then whilst slicing it up another bit was tossed as there was suspicious brown streaking. A month later another sliver was rotten, so we are down to one or two. By the way, the minute bulbil is atop the edge of the basal plate.
johnw
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Thanks Martin, I'll follow your advice. What is strange is that the sliver looks a lot better right now than it did when it went in the bag, I am amazed how white and shiny it is. The mother bulb came with stag, 2/3 of the bulb had to be discarded and then whilst slicing it up another bit was tossed as there was suspicious brown streaking. A month later another sliver was rotten, so we are down to one or two. By the way, the minute bulbil is atop the edge of the basal plate.
johnw
Much will depend on how much basal plate the sliver has. If there's a reasonable amount then it will probably make roots. If not much then there may not be roots, or not much in the way of roots. If it's looking happy in the bag I'd definitely be inclined to leave it in there as long as it continues to look okay and until there's a sign of root production, then move and pot very carefully. That, hopefully, will give it the max chance to increase the bulbil size before potting has to be carried out.
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Of course you didn't,John, the 'drops have nothing so exciting as that! ::) :-X
Maggi - Just thinking, give me a white flowered rhododendron with a big green blotch and then I will be a happy man. Can you think of even one out there? ::) Even an azalea will do....
johnw
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Of course you didn't,John, the 'drops have nothing so exciting as that! ::) :-X
Maggi - Just thinking, give me a white flowered rhododendron with a big green blotch and then I will be a happy man. Can you think of even one out there? ::) Even an azalea will do....
johnw
The Rhododendron maddenii ssp. crassum shown by Frazer in July comes close.....http://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=10.msg208282#msg208282
.... greeny yellow throat could count as a blotch!
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This G. reginae-olgae subsp. reginae-olgae was flowering in the last week of september.
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Very nice Frankie. If only R. O.'s liked my garden!
I think I shall try again - but in pots rather than in the ground.
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John,
These autumn displays have put the longing on me as well. G. reginae olgae have always simply wasted away in my garden. I put it down to our wet conditions and heavy soil. Though I generally don't enjoy growing bulbs in pots I think I will be tempted to do so with the autumn snowdrops. Perhaps, when I am more interested in the bulbs I will take more care and have more success. That's my hope, at any rate.
Paddy