Galanthus in December 2013

[Paddy Tobin]

We wait and watch to see that it lives up to its Christmassy name. Galanthus 'Three Ships' today.

[Paddy Tobin]

John, here is Galanthus elwesii Hiemalis Group in flower today.

[Thomas Seiler]

Great find, Uwe!
Where are you gardening?

Paddy, your Hiemalis Group ones are of good shape. Mine have rather narrow outers and are still closed.

[Carolyn Walker]

Paddy, Your photographs of snowdrops are absolutely breathtaking.  Do you have any special techniques that you would like to pass on.  It seems like you must lie flat on the ground to get such a perfect angle. 

Nothing to photograph here as we just had our fourth snowstorm before Christmas and the temperatures are in the low 30s and 20s, that's Fahrenheit, all very unusual for us in the generally mild mid-Atlantic US.  A customer wanted to know if a particular snowdrop was blooming, and I dug down through the snow and ice to discover a nice white bud but no flower. 

[Hagen Engelmann]

Paddy, your THREE SHIPS are the best sign, that christmas is coming. A good news!!!
Here they ring also .

[Alan_b]

John the point of the Hiemelis group is that there are lots of rather similar elwesiis that flower about now (well here anyway) that don't have names.  Unless you have very good reason to suppose that snowdrop is a named cultivar then in all probability it isn't.  Barnes has a heart-shaped mark (inverted). 

[Paddy Tobin]

Thomas, Yes, these are well-shaped and good to grow but I don't think they are especially different from many others except they flower early.

Carolyn, yes, I have a wet and dirty tummy very often. I like to photograph from this angle so as to see the markings as well as the whole plant.

Hagen, we have warm days at present so the Three Ships should open sails for Christmas though G. 'Castlegar' is the one I watch for before Christmas and it is not quite as well up as Three Ships.

[johnw]

Thanks Alan, I'll pass this on to Carol.

john

[Alan_b]

John, just to prove that I am not talking out of my hat, here are two different nameless elwesiis flowering in my garden yesterday.

[uvularia]

I seem to have a G. rizehensis out in flower from last Wednesday. Does that seem early?

[Maggi Young]

From my recollection of past posts of  G. rizehensis flowering , I think that around third week of January seemed about average -  yours must be keen!
Are you seeing early growth in other spring bulbs?

[Brian Ellis]

I seem to have a G. rizehensis out in flower from last Wednesday. Does that seem early?

It does to me, mine are barely through outside!

[mark smyth]

Does anyone know what elwesii Rowallane is supposed to look like? Mine bought in 2011 and flowering for the first time looks like G. elwesii Hiemalis Group

[Maggi Young]

Photo of Rowallane and note from Paddy T.  that the pic is not right, here : 

    it does look quite like the one you showed here : http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=8695.msg235830#msg235830   as not being Rowallane. 


 Quote from Paddy : "The photograph (on RHSI) does not match the description - Very bold grey foliage, distinct difference between enclosed and enclosing leaf with latter much wider. Flowers puckered, rounded outer segments. Inner segment very distinct - top heavy X mark with basal portion filled in with small thin legs legs above the sinus notch. I haven't seen it for sale."

[mark smyth]

Thanks Maggi. I don't have a record of where I photographed the one with the tiny dots and cant remember where I got mine which is also wrong - big sigh.