Snowdrop Varieties - Where Are They Now?

[Maggi Young]

Yes, like a lot of bureaucracy... these rules seem to lack a good deal of common sense.... that rarest of commodities. 

[evolutionplantsman]

How about a new term for galanthophiles who name too many snowdrops - 'drop-namers'.

[Maggi Young]

Might that not be too confusing with those folk who want the (multitudinous)  names dropped ?  

Those might be the named 'drop droppers,  I suppose........

 For sure there are a lot of name dropping 'drop fiends 

[Alan_b]

How about a new term for galanthophiles who name too many snowdrops - 'drop-namers'.

I thought this was funny; even without the use of smiley faces to convey intended humour.  

Maggi, those who want the multitudinous names dropped are, of course, 'name-droppers'.

'Drop droppers' are clumsy people at the sales table!


Oh, and 'name namers' are whistle-blowers - is that all clear now?

[Tim Ingram]

Just to drop names this reminds me of a combined snowdrop and crocus day at Chris Brickell's, and made me think how snowdrops get together - so 'Long Tall Sally' going out with 'Big Boy' and 'Blewbury Tart' with 'Chadwick's Cream'! On 'Rules'; I suppose we only follow them if they seem to make sense - there is no 'Rule' that one has to accept a 'Rule'.

[art600]

Just to drop names this reminds me of a combined snowdrop and crocus day at Chris Brickell's

Happy happy memories

[Maggi Young]

How about a new term for galanthophiles who name too many snowdrops - 'drop-namers'.

I thought this was funny; even without the use of smiley faces to convey intended humour.  

Maggi, those who want the multitudinous names dropped are, of course, 'name-droppers'.

'Drop droppers' are clumsy people at the sales table!


Oh, and 'name namers' are whistle-blowers - is that all clear now?

Priceless... I love it!

[Maggi Young]

Just to drop names this reminds me of a combined snowdrop and crocus day at Chris Brickell's

Happy happy memories

Crocus and the charming Mr and Mrs Brickell.... all one would need for a perfect day. 

[art600]

Mrs Brickell had made a most wonderful lunch - with wine.

She said that if we could make the effort to travel many miles, then the least she could do was provide a modest lunch - nothing modest about the scrumptious lunch - a very happy memory 

[steve owen]

39 of the 118 varieties I first listed have now come off that list. That doesn't mean that the 39 are readily available; nearly all are desperately difficult to locate and some have only "I think I saw it in a garden somewhere once"  provenance.  Some are geographically a long way away. 

That leaves 79 varieties that non-one has signified they know they exist. Here they are;

Armistice Day      August      Barguest      Beechwood          Beenak      Bob Nelson          Ceri Roberts        Crimea     Christmas Cheer       Crimean Emerald   Dame Margot Fonteyn     Diana Broughton       Donna Buang      Earliest      Elcatus      Eleanor’s Double     Ellen Minnet   Ermine Lace      Ermine Oddity      Ermine Ruby   Eva Turner   Friedl      Genet’s Giant      Gimli      Gladysdale      Green Maid   Greenshank      Halo   Hardwick   Harlequin   Hazeldene   Hoddles Creek   Ida Maud   Ispahan   Joan Weighell   Julia      Julie      July      June            Katie Campbell          Krabat      Lady Mary Grey   Lanarth   Light Bulb   Limey      Linnetts Green Tips   Long Tall Sally   Longfellow      Mafangza        Maid Marian   Margaret Markham   Matt-adors   Melbourne   Missenden Slender   Molly Watts    Mr Spoons   Norm’s Late        Mystra      Otto Fauser    Pat Mackenzie      Pelican      Peter Pan   Phil Bryn   Powelltown       Proliferation   Quintet   Rabbit Ears       Robert Berkeley   Ron Ginns(not to be confused with Ginns Imperati)        Ruth   Ryton Ruth      Scissors   Shadow   Silvia      Six Leaves      Slim Jim   Squib      Wandin   Warburton     Westburn   Yuletide

79 is still nearly 15% of the named snowdrop universe as listed in the Snowdrops book - still a surprisingly high proportion.  Again, if anyone knows of the existence of any of these long-lost snowdrops, please message me, if preferred off-line.

[johnw]

Steve  - A friend in the UK definitely has 'Ryton Ruth'.

Might it not be a good idea to highlight in bold the really important ones or those with very unique characteristics?  That way we could all alert our non-forumist galanthophile friends.

johnw - +2c

[Martin Baxendale]

I'm a tad annoyed that Pelican isn't around. I wanted to call one of my seedlings, which looks very much like a pelican's bill, that but can't because the name's taken - by a snowdrop that no-one seems to even grow.

[Alan_b]

Broughton is the family name of Lord Fairhaven of Anglesey Abbey.  He has a snowdrop named after him ("Ailwyn") and I presume another snowdrop, "Jamie Broughton", is named after his son.  Perhaps "Diana Broughton" is named after his daughter?  Anyway, I presume Diane Broughton originates from a snowdrop found at Anglesey Abbey so they might know if it still exists.  Lord Fairhaven himself has a snowdrop collection so he of all people might have Diana Broughton and might be willing to trade.  This is all just speculation on my part, however.   

[Brian Ellis]

No 'Eva Turner' were ever distributed under this name so it does not exist, it was identical to 'Chadwick's Cream'

I think this got listed in the book at the last minute before they had finished debating whether it was different or not, it was named for the finder's mother so a bit sad that the name was wasted.

[Maggi Young]

Seems quite ridiculous that these names cannot be re-used for another plant, especially if it can a) be shown to be no longer in existence and b)  be properly defined for the future.


After all, there is not even an official Galanthus registry, only what seems a rather ad hoc arrangement by  self-appointed guardians...... if we were talking about a change of name for a fully registered Narcissus cultivar, I could see the point, but this is all smoke and mirrors.