A different Valentine's Gift!

[Tim Ingram]

Some of Anne's fascinating 'yellow' hybrids would make wonderful gifts I would imagine - especially since they may have taken a decade to produce and increase. There is an interesting contrast here, which Ian intimates, about the craftsmanship of growing and selling plants and the hype. I don't suppose the two can ever be mutually exclusive but they are both important sides of the same coin, and I go with the first more than the second, but as a result will remain poor! (But also there is more in the plant world than snowdrops).

[Maggi Young]

I have heard the story- though I cannot pass it on at the moment - of the purchaser of Tom's valentine snowdrop -  it is a  delightful story that is truly heartwarming and rather moving.

[Alan_b]

The story is now on the Facebook page of Evolution Plants https://www.facebook.com/Evolutionplant .  I'm not sure if anyone can read this or if you need a Facebook login.

The snowdrop will be named 'Peter Gooding'.

It is a heart-warming story (provided Tom Mitchell does not intend to pocket the extravagant sum he made on the auction and I'm pretty sure he does not).  As he writes, it was to gain publicity for Evolution Plants and for snowdrops.   

[Maggi Young]

I will take the liberty of repeating Tom's facebook post here  -

Galanthus reginae-olgae subsp. vernalis 'Peter Gooding'

Tom writes:
"Shall I let you into a little secret? I loathe Valentine's Day. In fact, truth be told, I dislike birthdays, Christmas, Mother's Day, New Year's Eve and every other occasion on which it is decreed that I must be in love/the centre of attention/eating turkey/grateful for having survived childhood, etc.

So it was with some misgivings that I entered the Valentine's business by auctioning the right to name a new snowdrop cultivar. Needs must, however, and I hoped to draw attention to Evolution Plants and to the genus Galanthus, with which I am so besotted. I am really thrilled, therefore, that the winning bid was placed by a lady, Caroline Mabbs, for the most romantic of all possible reasons. She has graciously agreed that her name and story can be revealed.

Caroline's father, Peter Gooding is 79 years old. His father died when Peter was a boy and was buried on Peter's 13th birthday. The family had no money to buy flowers for the funeral and all that Peter now remembers about that sad day is the snowdrops growing in the graveyard. In recent years Peter has taken to planting a new snowdrop in his garden each year, in memory of his lamented father. Caroline wanted to give her dad a plant that will forever be in flower on the anniversary of her grandfather's death.

Caroline concluded her story with these words: 'So the purchase is not about romance but it is about love - my love for my dad and his love for his dad ...'. If you ask me, that's about the most romantic sentence ever written, without any of the saccharine faux-romance of Valentine's Day.

I hope that Galanthus 'Peter Gooding' will enter the select list of must-have snowdrops. It certainly deserves to."

[Tim Harberd]

What an interesting debate!

My view would be that the primary driver here is not the snowdrop itself, but some sort of deep yearning for immortality. It seems to be a part of the human condition.

Similarly there are at least a dozen ‘name a star’ websites on line.. Even tho’ it is quite obvious that all of the significant/recognisable heavenly bodies were named AGES ago.

The most ancient comparable offer I could think of are the biblical ones like ‘I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.’  Of  course, in all such deals, ones view of it is coloured by ones assessment of the credibility/reliability/authenticity of the service provider!!

Tim DH

[Martin Baxendale]

You don't need a facebook account to see Evolution Plants' facebook page. Just click on the link:

https://www.facebook.com/Evolutionplant?fref=ts

And since it's publicity for the nursery that Tom is after, here's a link to the nursery website:

http://www.evolution-plants.com/uk/

P.S. There's a very good facebook group for snowdrop lovers started by Emma, which is well worth joining if you're on facebook (or maybe worth joining facebook in order to become a member of the group). Link here to the group (not sure how much people without facebook accounts can see):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/160399837333841/?fref=ts

[Martin Baxendale]

Just tried it, and you do need to have a facebook account to see the facebook snowdrop group page. For people with a facebook account, click the link below while signed in to facebook or sign in and search for Snowdrops and Galanthophiles to find the page.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/160399837333841/?fref=ts

[Tim Ingram]

Good stuff Martin - we are just discovering, belatedly, how valuable Facebook and Twitter are in stimulating more interest in the things we do personally; and how much time you can potentially waste glued to a computer screen, unless there is actually some sensible communication going on. Well there always is, but we do often have different views of what sensible is, and I have to say this Forum has moments of great brilliance in making things happen, which says a lot for the SRGC in general. It has certainly been very valuable to me personally.

[Gerry Webster]

.......My view would be that the primary driver here is not the snowdrop itself, but some sort of deep yearning for immortality. It seems to be a part of the human condition.......
Tim DH

The definitive statement on this occurs in  Jean-Luc  Godard’s film À bout de souffle:

Patricia Franchini (Jean Seberg) -
“What is your greatest ambition in life?”

The novelist Parvulesco (Jean Pierre Melville) -
“To become immortal... and then die.”

[emma T]

Just tried it, and you do need to have a facebook account to see the facebook snowdrop group page. For people with a facebook account, click the link below while signed in to facebook or sign in and search for Snowdrops and Galanthophiles to find the page.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/160399837333841/?fref=ts

Thanks Martin for the shout out .

I rember the page just being me for ages ! Now we have over 350 members from around the world and a fair few from here !

I might be biased but I think if Facebook is used properly it is a force for good , I enjoy it . I like to think it's worth joining for the snowdrop page alone , but again I might be biased 

[Maggi Young]

I believe that twitter and facebook have their uses for all sorts of things  but they can never provide the sort of resource that builds here in the form.
ANYONE can see these pages, no need for any registration, fully searchable, a cast of thousands, with access to some of the greatest plant experts in the world and the chance to see and discuss just about any plant.  The chance to add to an evergrowing solid resource is  unbeatable from where I stand !

Look at this thread - it's attracted wearing on for  1490 readers already - and if folk do register so they can post too, there are no adverts   - just a huge  collection of plant lovers. 

[Si_33]

Maggi - having just joined up here at the forum - I can certainly vouch for the wonderful resource that is continuously being built on. Lots of knowledgeable people and plenty who have made me most welcome - despite all my newbie questions 

[Maggi Young]

Thank you very much, Simon - the beauty of this place is that experts can discuss and  newbies can ask - all at the same place - sometimes it's the other way round!

Basic point is , we are all about sharing. Glad you are finding that for yourself!

[RichardW]

I will take the liberty of repeating Tom's facebook post here  -

Galanthus reginae-olgae subsp. vernalis 'Peter Gooding'

Tom writes:
"Shall I let you into a little secret? I loathe Valentine's Day. In fact, truth be told, I dislike birthdays, Christmas, Mother's Day, New Year's Eve and every other occasion on which it is decreed that I must be in love/the centre of attention/eating turkey/grateful for having survived childhood, etc.

So it was with some misgivings that I entered the Valentine's business by auctioning the right to name a new snowdrop cultivar. Needs must, however, and I hoped to draw attention to Evolution Plants and to the genus Galanthus, with which I am so besotted. I am really thrilled, therefore, that the winning bid was placed by a lady, Caroline Mabbs, for the most romantic of all possible reasons. She has graciously agreed that her name and story can be revealed.

Caroline's father, Peter Gooding is 79 years old. His father died when Peter was a boy and was buried on Peter's 13th birthday. The family had no money to buy flowers for the funeral and all that Peter now remembers about that sad day is the snowdrops growing in the graveyard. In recent years Peter has taken to planting a new snowdrop in his garden each year, in memory of his lamented father. Caroline wanted to give her dad a plant that will forever be in flower on the anniversary of her grandfather's death.

Caroline concluded her story with these words: 'So the purchase is not about romance but it is about love - my love for my dad and his love for his dad ...'. If you ask me, that's about the most romantic sentence ever written, without any of the saccharine faux-romance of Valentine's Day.

I hope that Galanthus 'Peter Gooding' will enter the select list of must-have snowdrops. It certainly deserves to."

Must admit the whole thing had me in grumpy (cynical) old man mode... until I read that, a great & very touching story, hope the drop thrives.

[evolutionplantsman]

As various people have correctly pointed out, with subtexts ranging from admiration to abhorrence, the point of the auction was to raise the profile of Evolution Plants. It wasn't 'cynical', unless it is cynical to want to promote a business into which you've sunk six years of your life, your passion and every penny you've saved.

Of course the auction courted controversy. That was the intention. I have enjoyed listening to the debate and am, as Maggi points out, grateful for all the free publicity.

I feel extremely strongly, however, about one theme that runs through a lot of the comments. That is the unsubstantiated assumption that the buyer must be (a) rich (b) stupid and (c) in the words of Lesley Cox 'a t**t'.

The snowdrop is now formally named (and, pace various suggestions, a full description published on a public website is enough to validate a name - read the rules) Galanthus 'Peter Gooding'. Here is the story that the winning bidder, Caroline Mabbs, told me.

Caroline's father, Peter Gooding, is 79 years old. His dad died when Peter was a boy and was buried on Peter's 13th birthday, in late January. The family had no money to buy flowers for the funeral and Peter's only memory of the day is of the snowdrops growing around the graveyard. In recent years Peter has taken to planting a new snowdrop variety in his garden each year, in memory of his father. Caroline wanted to do this for her dad - it had nothing to do with the merits of the plant .Caroline concluded her email to me with the following words: 'so the purchase is not about romance but it is about love - my love for my dad and his love for his dad...'.

I put it to you that it is unwise to make assumptions about a person's motives without any evidence. Caroline Mabbs appears to me to be a genuinely lovely woman, motivated solely by love for her dad. Her purchase was covered today, incidentally, in the Daily Express. The Mail didn't want it. Peter Gooding was quoted in the paper, saying 'the bulb was the best present of his life and "a real lump in the throat moment"'.

Best,

Tom