Snowdrop events 2015

[Brian Ellis]

Today I put in my holiday request for the Norfolk snowdrop weekend and Shaftesbury 2016!

Tickets reserved

[Carolyn Walker]

I had not attended any of the London Shows for a number of years and whilst I think it is 'a good thing' that the RHS are trying to engage 'the gardeners of the future', I think that they are going about it in the wrong way. The Shows and the magazine are suffering from the dumbed down, mass market, instant gratification phenomena.  Yesterday was a sad experience.

The RHS seems to have fallen victim to the same malaise as many organisations, which is to rely on 22 year old 'Marketing graduates from new universities' to determine their target market and thus strategy. Their 'demographic analysis' is lifted from the current marketing textbook du jour instead of actual experience in gardening. 'Plants person' is not in their demographic jargon.

A great show used to be at Cottesbrooke, plenty of plants people and lots of chance to discus gardening and plants. Sadly, marketing consultants were employed and decided it could be 'improved' by aiming it at 'Bowden man and Waitrose woman'...unsurprisingly it then had to close as it was not making money!

The same thing has happened to the Philadelphia Flower Show, the largest indoor flower show in the world put on by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.  It has been going on since 1829 (very venerable by our standards) and attracts visitors from all over the US and even internationally.  It used to be very plant oriented with gorgeous displays of plants that gardeners could actually find and grow.  People went there to get ideas for their gardens and found them.  Recently, it has looked more like something that would be more appropriate in Disney World or Atlantic City I assume to attract a wider audience although they got 265,000 people already.  But this has backfired and attendance is down.  I didn't go last year and only went the year before because I spoke.  Sad.

[Alan_b]

Those of you who remember 'Kent Gardener' may be interested to know that I persuaded him to come along to the CGS snowdrop event yesterday.    He is looking very fit and well, helped by the fact that he had recently returned from a holiday in Madeira and also by frequent visits to the gym.  His packed diary of events means that he does not now have so much time to devote to snowdrops.  His excellent collection is ticking over nicely but he has managed to resist the desire to add to it last year and this - and he did not fall off the wagon yesterday, even when faced with two rooms full of temptations.  Afterwards we met-up with Arthur and Jennie for an impromptu local get-together.  I think we all had a good time - I certainly did.           

[Tim Ingram]

Greatly enjoyed meeting members of the CGS yesterday, including Alan and John and Arthur. We are very appreciative how quite a few people had travelled great distances to come down to Kent. We also met Sarah Morgan, a highly imaginative and skilled landscape designer and plants-lady who trained at Wye College and has run courses and lectured at Hadlow, is now associated with Greenwich University, and is a Trustee of Cobham Hall where she hopes to encourage more interest and study of the long established collections of snowdrops and narcissi there. She has worked with a colleague from Hadlow on some really interesting projects such as a rose walk at Mt. Ephraim, near to us, showing the development of the rose from early days to now. Wonderful to talk about plants with two people who been fascinated and excited about them all their lives, just as I have. Very stimulating for our future plans for the garden and nursery. Our thanks to everyone for their kind comments.

[steve owen]

At Shaftesbury last weekend I gave the example of Longnor Hall Double as a Land of Beyond snowdrop. So I was astonished and delighted to find that Margaret Owen had been growing it in her garden, and that I was able to come away from a very cold, wet and muddy Acton Pigott today with that particular snowdrop.

That find prompted me to go back to the "Where are they Now?" thread which had its last outing three years ago. The current list of snowdrops listed in Snowdrops 1 but apparently not grown anywhere is now as follows;

Armistice Day                Longfellow
Barguest                        Mafangza
Ceri Roberts                Maid Marian
Crimea                        Matt-adors
Diana Broughton        Missenden Slender
Earliest                        Molly
Eleanor’s Double             Pat Mackenzie
Ellen Minnet                Pelican
Ermine Lace                Proliferation
Ermine Oddity                Quintet
Ermine Ruby                   Robert Berkeley   
Halo                               Ryton Ruth (in Devon somewhere?)
Ispahan                        Scissors
Joan Weighell                Six Leaves
Julia   Shadow                  Slim Jim
Krabat                        Squib
Lanarth                        Watts
Lady Mary Grey                Yuletide
Linnetts Green Tips   
Long Tall Sally   

Any sightings by anyone of these mislaid treasures?

The terrible weather in Shropshire today defeated even the hardiest snowdroppers. Only about a quarter of the varieties on the Sales list made it onto the sales table.  Still it was good to have the chance to get another remembrance of Margaret.

[Maggi Young]

Pity the weather is so awful today in so  many parts of the country - absolutely horrible here with wind and sleet. Was hoping that Ian the Christie kind, Cyril and the others going to to "The Patch" today would have had better luck.
High roads in Cumbria are badly affected by snow  so galanthophiles travelling the country will be having a tough time all round.

[johnstephen29]

Hi Brian the Norfolk snowdrop weekend, is that at blacksmiths?

[Alan_b]

The Sunday event is at Blacksmiths.  The Saturday event is in East Tuddenham.  Lumping the tow together as a 'Norfolk Snowdrop Weekend' is just a neat bit of marketing.

[emma T]

At Shaftesbury last weekend I gave the example of Longnor Hall Double as a Land of Beyond snowdrop. So I was astonished and delighted to find that Margaret Owen had been growing it in her garden, and that I was able to come away from a very cold, wet and muddy Acton Pigott today with that particular snowdrop.

That find prompted me to go back to the "Where are they Now?" thread which had its last outing three years ago. The current list of snowdrops listed in Snowdrops 1 but apparently not grown anywhere is now as follows;

Armistice Day                Longfellow
Barguest                        Mafangza
Ceri Roberts                Maid Marian
Crimea                        Matt-adors
Diana Broughton        Missenden Slender
Earliest                        Molly
Eleanor’s Double             Pat Mackenzie
Ellen Minnet                Pelican
Ermine Lace                Proliferation
Ermine Oddity                Quintet
Ermine Ruby                   Robert Berkeley   
Halo                               Ryton Ruth (in Devon somewhere?)
Ispahan                        Scissors
Joan Weighell                Six Leaves
Julia   Shadow                  Slim Jim
Krabat                        Squib
Lanarth                        Watts
Lady Mary Grey                Yuletide
Linnetts Green Tips   
Long Tall Sally   

Any sightings by anyone of these mislaid treasures?

The terrible weather in Shropshire today defeated even the hardiest snowdroppers. Only about a quarter of the varieties on the Sales list made it onto the sales table.  Still it was good to have the chance to get another remembrance of Margaret.

Mark brown in France says he grows ' armistice day'

[steve owen]

Thanks Emma. And another one bites the dust...

[Alan_b]

And another one bites the dust...

Shouldn't that be resurrected? 

[Anthonyh]

I have Ermine Lace... I'll have some spare in a year or two...

[Anthonyh]

Hopefully...

[chasw]

Was great to meet up with Ian Christie and Cyril, who had travelled down to The Patch today from Scotland

[Anthonyh]

Agreed Chas... it was nice to see a lot of people who'd traveled quite a long way today...