Galanthus Jan 22

[Leena]

Roma, 'Mrs Macnamara' does very well also here though it flowers later, but still it is very cold tolerant and good snowdrop. And increases well.

Mariette, it is nice to grow snowdrops from seeds. I enjoy my seedlings even though they are open pollinated, how exciting it would be to wait new seedlings to flower when you have crossed them by hand!

The mighty Glenorma is doing its thing again.

I planted 'Glenorma' last summer, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it flowering. 

[Mariette]

Mariette, it is nice to grow snowdrops from seeds. I enjoy my seedlings even though they are open pollinated, how exciting it would be to wait new seedlings to flower when you have crossed them by hand!

Yes, it´s more exciting for me to see what results from deliberate crosses, and I learn a lot about plants that way. 

[Tim Harberd]

Hi Leena,
   I hope your first Glenorma flower doesn’t disappoint. With me it is a rather unsatisfactory garden plant, because of its variable flower quality. HOWEVER the good flowers are absolutely stunning, so it’s good for cutting.

Hi Mariette,
   I do try to keep a record of my crosses, but I’m never quite sure if some insect didn’t beat me to it! I think this one is Bill Clark x Sandersii, first flowering this year. No sign of the Sandersii in it!!

Tim DH

[Mariette]

Hi Tim, usually, I do not work as meticuously as Anne Wright taught us here, but some crosses convincingly show features of both parents. For instance, a cross between a G. elwesii var. monostictus and peshmenii resulted in 75 % plants with the slender leaves of peshmenii, to my surprise.The seed was harvested from the G.e. The others show supervolute vernation, but some show the marks of a G. elwesii var elwesii, which should be impossible, as the cross was done in September, with no G.e.e. around. The same happened when I crossed an autumn-flowering G.e. var monostictus with G. reginae-olgae ´Cambridge´. Some of the seedlings look perfectly like G. e.e.
From Your pic I cannot judge if Your seedling shows the vernation of a G. plicatus - anyway, it´s different from ´Bill Clark´, and I´d be always glad to achieve another nice yellow snowdrop! 

[PhilG]

G. graecus (Bulgaria), I've got 3 clones all very similar, from Edulis.



Does anyone know what is happening about the paper describing G. graecus as an accepted species?
Back in 2017, it said in the Daffodil, snowdrop and Tulip year book, that a paper by Aaron Davis and Dimitri Zubov was in preparation at RBG Kew. But I'm not aware of it being done yet.

[Maggi Young]

G. graecus (Bulgaria), I've got 3 clones all very similar, from Edulis.

Does anyone know what is happening about the paper describing G. graecus as an accepted species?
Back in 2017, it said in the Daffodil, snowdrop and Tulip year book, that a paper by Aaron Davis and Dimitri Zubov was in preparation at RBG Kew. But I'm not aware of it being done yet.

Seems this rumbles on! https://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=16811.0  and also
https://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=8904.msg241758#msg241758

[Maggi Young]

Seems this rumbles on! https://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=16811.0  and also
https://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=8904.msg241758#msg241758

Latest news about this article:  Aaron Davis is very busy and has not had the time to cooperate on it as yet, however,
I am told by Dr Zubov that there is  phylogenetic proof (DNA assay) they are different, and that there 3 different clades: elwesii in S Turkey (1), graecus in N Greece and several Greek islands, Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria (2), and gracilis in W Turkey (3).

[PhilG]

Thanks for this update Maggi.
That distribution, is what I've read was the likely case. Good to know that there is now DNA evidence.
I hope the paper won't be too much longer - it will be good to read about the actual differences.
What ever, all 3 of my graecus have a wonderful fragrance.

[Herman Mylemans]

Galanthus plicatus 'Wendy's Gold' and Galanthus nivalis 'Galatea'

[Tim Harberd]

Having started late, with Christmas drops flowering in January, I now think the season is running a bit early!

This is the last of my new seedlings. Another Bill Clark x sandersii. It put up one flower last year, and three this year! So gets a mark for vigour. Sadly its a bit short for my liking, only 8cm to the top of the flower. (The one I showed earlier is 12cm high.)

Tim DH

[Leena]

Hi Leena,I hope your first Glenorma flower doesn’t disappoint. With me it is a rather unsatisfactory garden plant, because of its variable flower quality. HOWEVER the good flowers are absolutely stunning, so it’s good for cutting.

Bulb I planted wasn't very big so I'm prepared to wait a year or two to see it in full glory  when the bulb has grown more and it has grown used to my soil and climate. Many times snowdrops from warmer climate come up earlier and are prone to frost damage in their first year, and from second year on they come up later and tolerate our climate better.

Herman, you have a very nice clump of 'Wendy's Gold, it seems to like your garden.

Tim, very nice seedling. To me it looks better than 'Bill Clark', maybe the shortness makes it look better in my eyes.
Here I have had trouble with 'Bill Clark'. I bought one bulb in 2013 and for many years it tried to come up too early and suffered from cold damage. Also I think I had it in too dry spot. 'Mrs Macnamara' grew right beside BC, and increased well and never suffered from cold even though it came up also early (in my experience flowering 'Mrs Macnamara' can take -10C night temperatures and still continue to flower, it is one of the best in that regard).
In summer 2020 I dug BC up ( it had increased to only three small bulbs in 7 years) and moved it to more moist and humusrich spot, and I think it was better last summer. I will see this year if it has increased and how it will flower. Right now all are under 40cm of snow.