Galanthus May 2016

[johnw]

Let's see how many posts follow on this subject!

The very last snowdrop still in flower here and it's a good one - 'Peardop'.

john  - a raw & chilly +12c, grey.

[Matt T]

And what a nice one to end your snowdrop season, John.

I think snowdrops made an appearance on the show bench in Edinburgh, second weekend in April, not so many years ago. I can't remember which year so can't find the report just now.

I wonder if Leena might still have something in flower?

[Lesley Cox]

I have snowdrops in flower here but the first, not the last. Just G. reginae-olgae, quite a few but mostly hidden under a self-sown Sweet 100 tomato which I want to pull out but we're still taking a dozen or so little toms every day so it seems a shame to destroy it yet.

'Peardrop' is very attractive John.

[Brian Ellis]

Let's see how many posts follow on this subject!

Not many from England I would have thought!  Some foliage already gone and others going over rapidly and will no doubt increase in speed as it is warming up....but I will go and look outdoors just to make sure

[Leena]

Over here most of the snowdrops are over now, due to the temperatures having been over 20C all week at daytime (close to zero at nights) and this weather is going to continue at least a week more.
Some snowdrops are still flowering, all pictures are from yesterday.
The first picture is 'Hill Poe'
Second 'Fieldgate Tiffany' ('Fieldgate Forte' has never opened it's flowers, they are stuck at bud, I wonder why??)
Third is 'Melanie Broughton' which is now at it's best.

[Leena]

Last autumn I planted about 40 unnamed G.nivalis from garden center, these bulbs were imported from Netherlands.
They came up very late this spring, and all are quite small, and most are nothing special, but there were two small snowdrops which are almost white.
Both have very small green marks in the inner petals, but I saw it only in the pictures, in the garden they seem all white.
These pictures were taken a week ago, but the plants are still flowering.

[Maggi Young]

We were right to think you would still have some goodies, Leena - amazing hot weather you've had though.

[Leena]

- amazing hot weather you've had though.

Yes, it is unusual to have this hot now, it is like in the summer. Many flowers go over soon, and you can almost see everything growing.

[Maggi Young]

 The last few days here we feel we can see the leaves emerging from the trees as we watch! And that is even with quite a cold wind at times.

[Anthony Darby]

My first Galanthus reginae-olgae flowering, bulb kindly sent by Dave Toole.

[Leena]

Some seed pods look promising. The first is nameless G.plicatus, the pods are so heavy the the stems can hardly keep them up.
I'm hoping 'Diggory' would also give seeds, it looks promising to me.

[Blonde Ingrid]

In mid 2015, I decided to add Galanthus reginae-olgae to my collection. I obtained four from Melvyn Jope, Lefki, Eleni, Autumn Snow and Fotini. The pots looked like a forest of leaves which inclined me (and Melvyn) to the view that Melvyn's generosity & cultivation skills has contributed more than one bulb per pot.

Well, this morning was knocking out and re-potting time and the final score was:

1 x Eleni with developing offset
4 x Lefki (one with developing offset)
6 x Autumn Snow
2 x Fotini

An incredible haul from just 4 pots!! Thanks Melvyn, not only great flowers and the strongest perfume of any snowdrop I have experienced by far, but a mass of bulbs!

[Jupiter]

A few early offerings from South Australia. My old faithful elwesii is powering, looks like I'll have 8 or 9 flowers from the clump this year. Earlier in the rock garden was Galanthus peshmenii, which is only a recent addition. I was happy to see it flower. Lastly, G. ikariae ssp. snogerupii, Otto said it was very early and he was right!