Advice for a Galantho-newby

[mark smyth]

oh, I now see you have two threads on the same or similar subject

[mark smyth]

looks like the one in my files

Colesbourne claim to have it sorted now and will have a good selection of Greatorex doubles for sale next month. I might just buy a collection

[Paddy Tobin]

Yes, Kristina,

Panax quinquefolius is what I was talking about, I received seed last autumn from a friend in Maryland and had four germinate. This was a cause of major amazement to my friend. I have been reading "Ginseng, the Divine Root" by David A. Taylor over the last few days and he states that it is very common for ginseng to lay dormant for quite long periods, often as long as many years. I'm hoping they will spring into life again as the days lengthen and I will plant them out.

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Friends, I have merged the topics of "Advice..." and "G. Hippolyta, since there were pix on both of said (?)plant to keep things simpler!

[mark smyth]

You're a star and should be doing better things like watching BB Hijack or Gordon's teach the world to swear sing cook.

And me you ask? I recording both because I sitting here crick in neck preparing a lecture that will be seen by two forum members in March

[Maggi Young]

I have aslo been searching the old Forum for Hippolyta pix.... here are three from John Forrest

[apothecary]

Wow, those 3 pics look just like what I have here.  I tried counting the inner segments in the photo and it looks like those ones are also failing to produce the full compliment of 18-24 stated in the monograph.

Can the number of inner segments on a snowdrop also vary dramatically from year to year, sample to sample?  I had thought that that would have been a more consistent identifying feature than length of leaf etc.

Sorry for the double thread by the way.  There was some sort of time delay on my comp and things weren't going through and I was receiving conflicting messages.  I started a new thread because I was given to believe the photos wouldn't go through on the old one.  I'll blame it on Vista shall I?  Seems to be the most deserving scapegoat for computer problems at the moment.

All in all, I do believe that given your help I am happy to confirm the identity of this particular snowdrop.  There are plenty more to come though.  Does everyone enjoy receiving a regular plant ident?

[mark smyth]

Vista is way the computer appears and not how it works so I would blame the connection between your computer and the web site or fall back to the the old saying a poor workman blames his tools 

Without running downstairs for the book I believe that the Greatorex doubles are not stable until they mature

[apothecary]

So, I assume a Galanthus must grow in one particular position for a period of time before it is considered 'mature'.  How long might this time be?

I think most of ours were originally planted on to our wooded hillside in 2001.  I lifted half of each little group last year so that we could go through them and move some of them to a more suitable place in the garden.  The one I've posted so far is from the sample I dug up because it's more advanced than what's in the woods, but if the woodland one looks the same, can't I assume that one has the correct identity?  When I say 'assume' I mean of course 'beyond reasonable doubt', but still with a margin for error.

[Brian Ellis]

Hello Kristina

Yes I am sure we all enjoy a plant ident!  You have, however, started off with one of the Greatorex doubles which are the most contentious!  Again, as you used one of those you had that was more advanced some of us have not yet got them out to have a good comparison.  Nevertheless we are enjoying your contributions to the forum and I liked you dissections.  Did you see the article in the Daffodil, Tulip and Snowdrop yearbook this year? It's a stunner and I must try and create some digital herbarium pictures for my records.

[apothecary]

I finally got the camera back!!!

So here is a higher elevation pic as suggested by Mark. Sorry it's not very good, the plant was camera shy and was more closed up than before.

[apothecary]

For extra info on the origin of this snowdrop:

Our database tells me that it was received by us in 1997.  It says it was given to us by Primrose Warburg, but that it came from John Grimshaw.  I imagine it should be the other way round since it was John Grimshaw who distributed all the Warburg snowdrops wasn't it?

This was the first year in which the garden was being built here and so the database and plant records from that time are very basic.

[snowdropman]

Our database tells me that it was received by us in 1997.  It says it was given to us by Primrose Warburg, but that it came from John Grimshaw.  I imagine it should be the other way round since it was John Grimshaw who distributed all the Warburg snowdrops wasn't it?

Kristina - yes, John Grimshaw was asked by the family in 1997 to take on the role of Snowdrop Executor and to distribute the South Hayes snowdrops - people were invited  at the time to apply to him, so I would imagine that the NBGW must have asked for these snowdrops.