Galanthus March 2018

[Harald-Alex.]

Discovered this clump with one yellow last week. Any thoughts on affiliation to any other known "yellow" much appreciated. Photos taken today, so "Happy Easter!"

Hallo Cfaitz, happy Easter for You too.
The yellow snowdrop looks promising, it is essential, that the Yellow is next year to see again. Then You can select this bulb and cultivate separat to get more bulbs of it! I found this year a yellow G woronowii and will see next year also, if it flowers stabil yellow again! Greetings Harald Alex

[Cephalotus]

Happy Easter to All!

Look what Easter egg we found in the woods. An orange one! How it is possible for it to be even alive?

[Maggi Young]

Is this G. n. Scharlockii please.

Just about finishing flowering now.

 Your snowdrops are  the type  known as  inverse-poculiform, Eric - and very nice too. I  cannot see too well in your photos but it seems that they are lacking the  long spathes, or "donkey's ears" that are  expected of that  form.
Here is  a photo from the forum some time ago,  from Wolfgang Vorig , which shows the  long spathes very well...


 Another question from me would be how unusual would a Scharlockii type inverse poculiform be, if that is indeed what you have? 

[Palustris]

Thank you kindly, fair maid!

[Alan_b]

Alan will be pleased to see his 'Green Light' standing strong after being buried for a month under snow cover.

Absolutely, Rick.  Given that the entirety of this snowdrop derives from a few bulbs found in 2004, it has never had to face such lengthy snow cover in its native habitat.  So it's good to confirm that it is a well-behaved example of Galanthus nivalis in its tolerance of snow. 

[Alan_b]

Another question from me would be how unusual would a Scharlockii type inverse poculiform be, if that is indeed what you have? 

Galanthus Scharlockii was named 150 years ago (i.e. in 1868).  What we have now results from a mixture of the original clone, mutations and seedlings that have the same basic characteristics.  Even so, the gene pool of Scharlockii variants may remain limited.  Recently many virescent forms have emerged, although typically with only small flowers.  And now we are seeing some beautiful poculiform types.  Since the outer petals are green-tipped, the poculiform ones have six long green-tipped petals.  An inverse(ly) poculiform variant, if it existed, would have six short green-tipped petals but the shape of the mark and of the petals should be sufficient to tell the two types apart.  As far as I know, there are no inversely poculiform Scharlockii types, nor any albinos either.  There is an all-white poculiform called 'Charlotte-Jean' that was found by Joe Sharman but this emerged from a population of otherwise normal snowdrops without enlarged spathes (I was there) so although this has the "ears" of a Scharlockii, the genes may be completely different.

Enthusiasm for snowdrops first came about in the Victorian era and poculiform snowdrops were known then.  But inversely poculiform types have only been discovered recently, starting with Galanthus plicatus 'Trym', I think.  This seems very odd to me.           

[Leena]

So it's good to confirm that it is a well-behaved example of Galanthus nivalis in its tolerance of snow.

Alan, here 'Green Light' is still under snow as most of my snowdrops but I expect to see it coming up in hopefully a week or so, though this year snowdrops are probably at their best here in the end of April.
My plants don't have as green outer tips as Rick's snowdrops do, perhaps it is my soil or the amount (or lack) of sun? Or they haven't been yet mature enough (until hopefully this year).

[Alan_b]

Alan, here 'Green Light' is still under snow ... My plants don't have as green outer tips as Rick's snowdrops do,

My experience with 'Green Light' is that it produces green tips very reliably indeed but they are often quite small and indeed rarely as big as the those on Rick's plants.  Have a look carefully when they emerge this year but if your plants still haven't got green tips then you should demand your money back!

[Leena]

Alan, there were green tips but not as strong as in Rick's picture. 
I've been wondering if our climate or my soil has something to do with it ( the darkeness/lightness of green in outer petals in snowdrops), because also the green in outer petals in my 'Rosemary Burnham' is not as strong as for instance in Blonge Inge's pictures, and also green in 'Kildare' is so faint you can hardly see it.
'Green Light' is a good snowdrop here, it has multiplied and flowered well and it will come up in a few days now.