Snowdrop Varieties - Where Are They Now?

[steve owen]

Snowdrop varieties - Where Are They Now?

"At least Green Tear is available. There are plenty of varieties in the "Snowdrops" book that are never heard of eleven years after it was published." (Steve Owen 17/1/12)

"Perhaps you should compile a list, Steve, and publish it here if it's not too long.  That way we might track a few of them down (though I suspect many are gone for good or, at best, only exist in one person's garden)." (Alan B 17/1/12)

Below is as full a list I can muster of snowdrop varieties listed in Edition 2 of the Snowdrops book that I have never
seen in gardens,
or on a sales table,
or listed on Ebay,
or mentioned in a snowdrops for sale list,
nor ever heard them mentioned on this Forum or in conversations between snowdrop enthusiasts. 

Are they figments of our imagination?  Doubtless some do exist SOMEWHERE. If any reader (contributor or lurker) knows for sure that a variety exists, please send me a Personal Message off-line. I will then amend the list and re-present it.

Alexandra   Amberglow   Armistice Day   August   Barbara Buchanan's Late   Barguest   Beechwood   Beenak   Bob Nelson       Carina      Ceri Roberts   Chevrons   Crimea      Christmas Cheer   Crimean Emerald   Dame Margot Fonteyn   Denton   Derwish   Diana Broughton   Donna Buang   Dorothy Lucking   Double Top   Earliest   Elcatus   Eleanor's Double   Ellen Minnet      Ermine Ad Astra   Ermine Farm      Ermine Lace      Ermine Oddity   Ermine Ruby   Essie Huxley   Eva Turner   Fairlight   Fatty Arbuckle   Friedl          Genet's Giant      Gimli      Gladysdale   Green Maid       Greenpeace   Greenshank       Halo   Hardwick   Harlequin   Hazeldene   Hoddles Creek   Ida Maud   Ismail      Ispahan   Joan Weighell   Julia   Julie   July   June   Karneval   Katie Campbell   Kersen   Kinn McIntosh   Krabat      Lady Mary Grey   Lanarth   Light Bulb   Limey      Linnetts Green Tips   Little Joan   Long Tall Sally   Longfellow   L.P.Long   L.P.Short   Mafangza   Maid Marian        Margaret Markham     Maria   Matt-adors      Melbourne   Missenden Slender   Molly Watts    Mr Spoons   Norm's Late   Mystra   Oreanda   Orwell Greentip   Otto Fauser         Pat Mackenzie   Pelican   Peter Pan   Phil Bryn   Poseidon   Powelltown   Proliferation       Quintet   Rabbit Ears      Ragamuffin   Raveningham   Rheingold   Robert Berkeley   Robin Hall   Ron Ginns   Rowallane   Ruth      Ryton Ruth   Scissors   Shadow   Silvia      Six Leaves   Slim Jim   Snocus     Snow White's Gnome   Squib      Squire Burroughs   Tuesday's Child   Two Eyes   Valerie Finnis     Wandin        Warburton   Westburn   Wim      Yuletide

There are 115 varieties listed - that's 20% of all the varieties listed in Snowdrops. Do YOU know whether a variety still exists?

Steve                     

[johnw]

    Greenpeace - had "it", flowered it and re-labelled it unknown.

    Poseidon - have it, saved in Oregon by Molly G, sent to Canada years ago by Jerry Flintoff, received from a friend.
    
    Snocus  - have seen a swath in the early 90's, it should be released in a few more years, start saving.

    I think PaulT has Essie Huxley, HansJ mentioned his Eclatus

    Cambridge is standing straight again, a stellar day here, +8.9c and sunny.

johnw  - +8c, -8c tonight

[Alan_b]

Another one that came up earlier this year which likely does still exist but is hard to find is "Hanning's Horror" http://www.snowdropinfo.com/hanning-horror.html

If Matt Bishop doesn't have "Matt-adors" and it's not still in the former Greatorex garden then that one is presumably lost.  But perhaps Matt adores it so much that he isn't letting anybody else get one?

[Lesley Cox]

Forgive my cynicism and feel free to shoot me down if you wish, but surely a list such as that above shows the utter stupidity of naming snowdrop cultivars. Undoubtedly there's a good-sized group which are collectable and will stand (or have stood) the test of time but I have no doubt that many people just slap a name onto anything in their garden regardless of whether it's already named as something else, or whether it has any distinguishing - let alone distinguished - feature, in order to say they have a new or different snowdrop. I'd say a rude word here if Maggi would let me away with it.

It's an oddity of the gardener's character that he/she has chosen to give cultivar names to a little plant which is, essentially, just green and white and pretty much the same in all forms. It could perhaps be understandable among, say, crocuses where there is huge variation in colour, shape, markings, flowering time etc. Yet crocus growers have shown some restraint. It doesn't surprise me that the list above probably have faded into oblivion within a very few years. As in music a thousand soloists and groups who blast the airways now will be forgotten forever within 10 years. Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and others will be played and heard so long as there are people on earth.

[mark smyth]

I have photos of Greenpeace and Valarie Finnis (Late)

[chasw]

How about Flight of Fancy? I have been looking out for that for quite some time now,has anyone seen it at all?

[WimB]

Galanthus 'Wim': http://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4907.msg133137#msg133137 

[mark smyth]

I've also seen Kinn Mackintosh

[johnw]

Lesley - No question one could easily pare down one's collection without seeing a noticeable difference afterwards.   The rhodo, heuchera, hosta etc worlds are filled with duplicates and weaklings; mercifully they disappear in time.  Perfectly good names get used up, with many an offended wife and pet.  A rhodo friend of mine used to say a rhodo needed 30 years to prove itself before naming. He died at 94 having sanctioned 5 or 6 names but technically never registered a one himself.  Martin will be the one to watch with his good-doer goal.

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

Ah well, I have some of Martin's seed but will eventually just enjoy the plants. Perhaps the only other plant for which such immoderation is shown, is the tall bearded iris, with hundreds being registered every year in the States, Australia, Britain and Europe, perhaps in eastern Europe too and even here but at least they have a wide range of diffrerent colours.

[johnw]

Whoops, have seen Robin Hall when we visited Primrose Hill.  Clump + fellow on the left.

johnw

[chasw]

And I have two eyes,  growing here at the moment

[johnw]

Perhaps the only other plant for which such immoderation is shown, is the tall bearded iris, with hundreds being registered every year in the States, Australia, Britain and Europe, perhaps in eastern Europe too and even here but at least they have a wide range of diffrerent colours.

I would guess the registered list of rhodo hybrids tops 50,000 at present. Makes the Galanthus namers look moderately immoderate.  

johnw

[mark smyth]

Rowallane is alive and well.

I used to have Robin Hall but also have an ex Robin Hall. Someone else has another, different, ex Robin Hall.

[Lina Hesseling]

I had G. 'Two Eyes' but lost it.
I still have G. 'Kersen'.


Lina.