New Snowdrop - named for a forumist, by a forumist

[Gert Hoek]

The story of a new Snowdrop.

About 6 years ago I received a bulb with the name Galanthus nivalis ssp. hololeucus.
I planted it in my garden and grows well with me, I divided it and planted it also in my front garden.
Last March I placed a picture of this Galanthus on the forum of the Belgian Rockgarden and I did get reactions. One man told me that the name of this snowdrop has changed in Galanthus nivalis ‘Danube Star’. But this was not the plant on the picture, so I took more pictures/close-ups. Then this man told me that there was something strange, it was pociliform and virescent.
So all the flower leaves have the same length and on the flower leaves are green lines.
It was a new seedling with ‘Danube Star’ as one of the parents, or it is a mutation when the bulb divided itself.
With this knowledge I went to the Dutch Society (KAVB) that records new cultivars from the flower bulbs in Holland.
I did send the story and the pictures to this Society and they also mean that it was rare. So I decided to register this snowdrop and give it the name of the kind person that gave it to me.
I had to fill in a registration form, send more pictures, get a permission of the person to use his name, etc. After a few days I received a signed form with the announcement of the official registration of this new snowdrop:

Galanthus nivalis ‘Franz Hadacek’

A few days after that it was published on their website:
 http://kavb.back2p.soft-orange.com/kavb/kavbSG.nsf/plants-registered?OpenView&Start=7.1.27&Count=18&Expand=7.1#7.1

I met Franz in 2004 on the Saxifraga Seminar in Beroun near Prague, and we swapped plants, bulbs and seeds since then.
Unfortunately Franz lost many plants in the last winters and also the group of snowdrops from which I received that bulb.
He is a keen grower of alpines and has a beautiful garden, you can visit his website and see it yourself ( http://www.franz-alpines.org/ ).

[Maggi Young]

Gert, this is very exciting news from you about this snowdrop. 

Franz is a very valued forumist and a long term member and supporter of the SRGC.
 We have very much admired the marvelous photos he shares with us here of his garden, his troughs and his wonderful bulb meadow. Franz is a generous man and a terrific grower who is much admired by all who know him, even if only through these pages and his website.

Many issues of the IRG have been enriched by his photos, as well as the recent SRGC anniversary calendar.
I cannot tell you how delighted I am to hear that you have honoured Franz by naming this truly lovely snowdrop given to you from his garden.

Congratulations on the registration of this snowdrop - I wish it every success and long life to you and to dear Franz!

[Gert Hoek]

Gert, this is very exciting news from you about this snowdrop. 

Franz is a very valued forumist and a long term member and supporter of the SRGC.
 We have very much admired the marvelous photos he shares with us here of his garden, his troughs and his wonderful bulb meadow. Franz is a generous man and a terrific grower who is much admired by all who know him, even if only through these pages and his website.

Many issues of the IRG have been enriched by his photos, as well as the recent SRGC anniversary calendar.
I cannot tell you how delighted I am to hear that you have honoured Franz by naming this truly lovely snowdrop given to you from his garden.

Congratulations on the registration of this snowdrop - I wish it every success and long life to you and to dear Franz!

Thank you Maggi, for your kind words, I also think he deserves this honour. After we drunk a few beers and discussed alpines in Beroun we stayed in contact and I received seeds and plants in a generous way. I also hope that dispite his age he and Cristel will enjoy live and his garden and plants.

[Maggi Young]

Franz Hadacek was featured in an article by  Zdeněk Zvolánek in the IRG (International Rock Gardener) No. 14 of February 2011:
 http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2011Feb241298591020IRG14_Feb_2011.pdf     

[ranunculus]

Very hearty congratulations to Franz on this tremendous honour ... and to Gert for keeping this gem in cultivation.

[Ian Y]

A great snowdrop named for one of the great alpine growers of our time.

I always look with amazement at the pictures of Franz's bulb lawn and troughs.

Well done Gert on establishing this new cultivar, I look forward to having Franz's in our garden one day.

[Brian Ellis]

What a fitting tribute to Franz, a lovely snowdrop I hope he will be growing them again himself too.

[Otto Fauser]

Sincere Congratulations Franz , a charming snowdrop named for a great plantsman .     Servus Otto.

[ichristie]

A real beauty such delicate green stripes and named after a real plantsman one to watch out for, cheers Ian the Christie kind

[hadacekf]

Thank you all together for the kind comments, this all is a nice present for my 80th birthday.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

So happy for Franz and Gert ! 

[Maggi Young]

Gert has  shown this lovely snowdrop on Facebook today  -



Galanthus nivalis 'Franz Hadacek' by Gert Hoek

[Brian Ellis]

That certainly is a nice snowdrop, but what else would you expect with that name

[emma T]

Nice

[Maggi Young]

That certainly is a nice snowdrop, but what else would you expect with that name

 I'll second that - I am a huge fan of Franz  and this snowdrop is rightly pretty!