Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Galanthus => Topic started by: snowdropcollector on January 13, 2013, 02:09:49 PM
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Last year I lost a lot of cultivars due to the ( late) very cold weather we had in Febr. Many snowdrops were already far developt because of the warm weather we had in Dec. and Jan. Snowdrops that did survive this cold weather were damaged and of those most have been lost the last couple of months ( due to wet summer ? ).
Now is has started freezing again ( - 11 already last night), so I decided to cover the snowdrops this time.
A lot of work, but I hope it will help.........
Does anyone else protect his/hers snowdrops in a kind of way ?
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I dont nor when the temp fell to -teens in December 2010
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Richard,
In my garden in Haarlem only woronowii sufferd from the severe frost last year.Snotty leaves but they look oke this year.no big losses.
The ones I had in the glasshouse,bedded in sand but no heating,were all lost.( there were my new ones ans some special ones :()
I have never protected my drops from the frost and they do fine.I wont cover them now and I cleaned the beds from leaves because of the very many slugs in my garden.
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My garden is pretty well frozen today. I haven't put any protection over them and they're going to get a covering of snow tonight so hopefully they'll be feeling quite snug. I have only one drop trying to break out of it's sheath. I've never really thought about protecting them from frost but then this is the first time I've heard of them being lost. I think if I had to protect them I'd use fleece sheeting over a large area or may be a Cloche over a small clump.
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Below -10 degree Celsius and with NO snow its advisable to protect your snowdrops with 10 to 15 cm straw. The same straw they use in the horsestables. Try to make it as loose as possible and it wont harm your drops because light can still go through it and it works lika a blanket.
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lost virtually all my Reginae Olgae last year, at least 100 bulbs :'( although the previous winter was no different and they came through that fine.
one small clump looks to have survived on another bed though the flowers were coming through with the leaves (is not vernalis) and were lifted last week when more snow was forecast, bulbs weren't looking great but alive. will just have to live in pots till they've bulked up again and be protected, the others were growing happily in the same place for 10+ years.
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lost virtually all my Reginae Olgae last year, at least 100 bulbs :'( although the previous winter was no different and they came through that fine.
Yes, I think the cumulative effect of bad conditions is the final straw for a lot of plants. I've spoken to so many folks who were relieved when plants ( not only galanthus) came through the grotty winter of 2010 and then succumbed last year. Mind you, grotty summer weather on top of bad winter times doesn't help. :-X
Depressing thought!
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True, have lost some things i would consider very hardy in the last few winters.
The RO foliage looked very sickly after the snow thawed and did consider taking them out but the conditions weren't ideal being on heavy clay soil :-\ not seen that sort of damage before, am sure the cold/wet spring & summer didn't help.
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True, have lost some things i would consider very hardy in the last few winters.
The RO foliage looked very sickly after the snow thawed and did consider taking them out but the conditions weren't ideal being on heavy clay soil :-\ not seen that sort of damage before, am sure the cold/wet spring & summer didn't help.
Richard - I think the very wet summer of 2011 cleaned out my ROs. Only those in rain shadows, as in under overhangs, survived. After at least 6-8 nights of -11 to -12c I see 'Cambridge' standing tall though the flowers packed it in a week or more ago.
johnw - +1c & sunny.
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Richard - I think the very wet summer of 2011 cleaned out my ROs. Only those in rain shadows, as in under overhangs, survived. After at least 6-8 nights of -11 to -12c I see 'Cambridge' standing tall though the flowers packed it in a week or more ago.
johnw - +1c & sunny.
John/Richard
You might consider trying r/o Alex Duguid which is multiplying and flowering ok for me in open ground, albeit well-drained and a little sheltered by shrubs.
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Youre probably right John, they were growing in a an open space on the edge of a raised bed so thought they would be ok, but the soil was sodden for months.
Thanks Steve will have a go with that one, a small clump of another (think it is lefti?) is just about surviving but will have to come out when the snow has thawed, box of lattice pots arrived today so those I rescued will be going in a well drained mix.
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Richard
I was slower than some to try lattice pots but the evidence now is that using them has produced quantum improvement in growth. This summer will see a programme of taking the remaining in-ground varieties up and putting them in lattice pots.
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Sorry to hear about you RO's Richard. But at least you still have few to go on with :), hope they will survive with you.
I only had three cultivars of RO, and have lost all three this season :'(.
Steve, do you mean that RO's grow better in pots ? Or do you mean all snowdrops ?
My RO's were planted in latice pond pots, but still has lost them. Maybe I have to plant them in full sunny spot in
the garden.
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Steve - Thanks for the tip, I'll try Alex Duguid outdoors next year as it should have bulked up by then. Still I think it will require a special spot and those special spots are getting harder and harder to come by; perhaps a trial amongst a particularly root system might be advisable.
johnw - +2c
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Are the lattice pots above ground or below ground or do you take them up if it's very wet to dry out a little, Sorry for my ignorance but I'll be up to speed soon!!...........I hope
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I use lattice pots for my stock plants, but they are plunged to the rim in sand, and I cover them in winter to keep too much rain off. It is very easy to sort and repot them in the summer, and they make a lot of root growth out into the sand. I always put a cm or so of grit in the bottom of the basket, as some are a little short of drainage holes in the base.
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I use lattice pots for my stock plants, but they are plunged to the rim in sand, and I cover them in winter to keep too much rain off. It is very easy to sort and repot them in the summer, and they make a lot of root growth out into the sand. I always put a cm or so of grit in the bottom of the basket, as some are a little short of drainage holes in the base.
Eh? What sort of lattice pots are you using that haven't enough holes? Are they not an offence against the Trades Description( Implied Terms) Act ? :o
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Richard, my RO were in full sun, they only really thrived when I moved them to a spot that was baked. Soil here is heavy clay.
Jacqueline the pots are plunged and left in situ until the bulbs have out grown it. I've only been using them for a few years and have found some that wouldn't grow in my soil (heavy clay) are doing much better in the pots. I've tried for years to grow Primrose Warburg without success, 2 small bulbs were planted in a pot with a well drained mix a few years ago and I have 4 big spikes this year.
Early days but so far the pots seem to be working.
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A stupid question: what are lattice pots? Are same as clay pots? :-[
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Leena they are mesh pots designed for aquatic plants so have very good drainage, eg.
http://www.lilieswatergardens.co.uk/?cPath=106_137 (http://www.lilieswatergardens.co.uk/?cPath=106_137)
My main concern about using them has always been security, I do mulch a lot and make sure the top of the pot is buried and well hidden but they can be removed very quickly.
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No Leena - they are plastic, the type of pots that you plant pond plants in. They are usually available from aquatic plant suppliers.
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In response to Jacqueline, most people have their lattice pots below ground and keep them there, although there are a few exceptions, I think. The original intention was to confine the spread of each particular cultivar so it was easy to find and lift when you wanted to divide it (which might be in the summer when the bulb is dormant). However I see that RichardW and perhaps others are using the pots to have the bulbs in the ground yet keep them in a medium other than the native soil. I myself suffer from marauding insects with a partiality for snowdrop bulbs (swift moth larvae) and I am experimenting with the use of lattice pots to impede their progress. It's too early to say if this is doing any good.
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Thank you Anne, Richard and Alan for your explanations. I can understand using them to keeping your cultivars together rather than letting them mingle. I don't have that problem at the moment with just one of this or that.
I'm going to try mine straight in the ground in a raised bed. The soil here is quite friable even after rain. I moved some snow yesterday and the icy centimeter of the top layer and had a look underneath. It was still light and crumbly so hopefully my chosen one's will enjoy life in this garden.
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Eh? What sort of lattice pots are you using that haven't enough holes? Are they not an offence against the Trades Description( Implied Terms) Act ? :o
You'd think so, wouldn't you? The moulding process is not very efficient, and some are not fully perforated. More a problem plunging in soil, which if a bit clayey(?) can impede drainage through the base as well, once the basket is pressed into the hole. It's a 'belt and braces' situation, and maybe not necessary in sand.
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I'm going to try mine straight in the ground in a raised bed. The soil here is quite friable even after rain.
If you would care to do a bit of science, you could try a few bulbs in lattice pots (using the same soil) to see if it makes any discernible difference to how they grow subsequently.
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Anne I did notice the hole looked compacted when i removed a pot so am now using pot crocks to add a little extra drainage if they are going to ground that hasn't been been well worked, which is most of it :(
The soil on the bank in the kitchen garden is terrible but most things have thrived since i started planting 5 ish years ago, seems to be plicatus that don't like it yet they grow elsewhere in soil not much better, fickle things :-\
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My main concern about using them has always been security, I do mulch a lot and make sure the top of the pot is buried and well hidden but they can be removed very quickly.
Richard, I quite understand your security concerns - such problems need, sadly, to be addressed - what about a long metal stake, with a hook at the end, well bashed into the ground to hold the lattice pot in lace? It would require to be done first, before the pot is planted, and would make it a bit more tricky for you lifting the bulbs when necessary, but it might at least prove something of a deterrent to the thieves that are about.
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Have been thinking about securing them but not sure how to do it and make it practical, although I've had many things pinched over the years (inc a large pot of agapanthus last year :o ) the snowdrops have been ok, only had one case of someone digging up nivalis & they were caught walking out to catch a bus back home, that was our fault for not selling them apparently 8)
Suspect anything that would make them difficult to get out would also make them too difficult for me to remove when the time comes.
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had one case of someone digging up nivalis & they were caught walking out to catch a bus back home
B@star@ds! >:(
I am so lucky with my very private little garden (so far).
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Leena they are mesh pots designed for aquatic plants so have very good drainage, eg.
Thank you, RichardW and DingDong. :)
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Luckily, as my collection is not open to public any more, I can just number all my plants, which would hopefully deter prospective thieves, unless they are able to recognise the varieties without labels.
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Wow, love how we have moved from protecting drops from the weather to protecting them from thieves - all in the same thread ;D ;D ;D
Chris
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Wow, love how we have moved from protecting drops from the weather to protecting them from thieves - all in the same thread ;D ;D ;D
Chris
We're a versatile bunch, for sure!
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Fixed a chain to the greenhouse so I could lock the door today, other one is being done tomorrow so I have somewhere safe to keep the plants for sale.
Moved some of my very specials home, all a bit depressing really.
unless they are able to recognise the varieties without labels.
Is why I've kept mine labelled, I assume most thieves know what they are looking for anyway, the agapanthus i lost wasn't in flower but was a nice plant, would be interesting to see a number system and how it works for visitors.
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a long metal stake, with a hook at the end, well bashed into the ground to hold the lattice pot in lace?
Not sure I want to try that. Have you considered broderie anglaise?