Galanthus in January 2014

[Alan_b]

Okay Anne, you have bred yellow snowdrops and now you have bred a very green one.  Your next mission, should you choose to accept it, is to produce something like your latest green one in yellow!

Seriously, congratulations on this latest example of your snowdrop-breeding success.

[annew]

These are from the same cross last year. The one you like has 2 flowers this year. It frustrates me not being able to chip it - I'll probably lose the marking. When I have enough, I will chip one to see what happens. There is at least one reverse poculiform that chips true, so we'll have to see.

[Alan_b]

I don't do chipping myself but it has always been my understanding that reverse poculiform snowdrops occasionally don't chip true but usually do.  For example, last season Matt Bishop was selling huge quantities of one of the Trym derivatives that could only have been created by chipping.

[Brian Ellis]

I don't do chipping myself but it has always been my understanding that reverse poculiform snowdrops occasionally don't chip true but usually do.  For example, last season Matt Bishop was selling huge quantities of one of the Trym derivatives that could only have been created by chipping.

There are two points here Alan, firstly there is a difference between chipping and twin-scaling.  With twin-scaling the pieces of the bulb are very small and if the genetic material is not contained in that scale then the resultant bulb may not come true.  Whereas chipping is a larger chunk and usually is fine as I understand it. Much of this has come from twin-scaling the likes of South Hayes which can result in some bulbs losing the outer marks.

Secondly I assume you mean Matt's selling of Trumps, I am sure he will respond, but he said on eBay that he was amazed at the vigour of that bulb and in a few years it had increased tremendously so perhaps it was natural growth of the clump.

[Matt Bishop]

I don't do chipping myself but it has always been my understanding that reverse poculiform snowdrops occasionally don't chip true but usually do.  For example, last season Matt Bishop was selling huge quantities of one of the Trym derivatives that could only have been created by chipping.

Just a quick note to say that all of the 'Trumps' I sold last year were originally twinscales (five bulbs) planted in 2004 and thereafter resulted from natural increase only - which I know sounds like an exageration but there it is. Alan Street came to The Garden House last year and counted nearly 400 flowers.

[Alan_b]

Thanks very much, Brian & Matt, for the clarification.  I thought there would be some knowledge out there that might be useful to Anne, even though I myself am an ignoramus on this aspect of snowdrop culture.  My apologies to Matt if I commented out of turn.   

[Matt Bishop]

None necessary, Alan! Had I not grown them, I might easily have come to that conclusion myself but there is certainly something in the chipping versus twin-scaling. I have since used this stock of 'Trumps'as the source for subsequnt batches for chipping (I tend to leave mine on the chunky side, even when twin-scaling) and I have never seen reversions whereas other growers who take there's smaller have noted absence of markings.

I also suspect that there is a variable tendency within different 'Trym' off-spring ( haven't enough
experience yetof inverse pocs derived from other species toi make useful observations) for the outer segment markings to be absent and basal marks seem more prone to dissappear than apical ones. The most unpredictable clone  seems to be 'Trimmer' which is variable, even in its inner segment marking on bulbs from chunky chips.....

Fantastic hybrid Anne - here's hoping that when you chip that offset the results are stable!

[emma T]

That looks great Anne 

Where I've lifted some of my collection into pots incase I have to move (hopefully just up the road, still waiting to hear back , land agents are waiting for them to get back to them from USA) they are all flowering extra early .

Going to pop them in the glass house and get some pollen . "Miss Willmot " is looking particularly lovely today with 4 stocking flowers from one bulb , and the daughter bulb also has one flower . Photos to follow if I get a chance today .

[johnralphcarpenter]

The label says Galanthus plicatus 'Colossus', so I assume it is correct!

[johnralphcarpenter]

And this is labelled as Galanthus elwesii 'Comet'. Does it look right?

[mark smyth]

Ralph your 'Comet' looks like an elwesii Hiemalis Group. I should have spare 'Comets' if you remind me to check.

[Ru]

These are from the same cross last year. .....

Remarkable reverse poculiform!

[Ru]

This blossoms now on my shelves with lighting.

[Alan_b]

Shelves with lighting, Ru?  I would be interested to see a picture of what those look like.

[annew]

Thanks for your comments re chipping inverse pocs. So far in the few I've been able to chip (never taking down to twin-scales with galanthus) Trymlet comes reliably marked, as does Trym, but Trimmer (I must look up the correct spelling) and South Hayes do not. I won't experiment with mine until I have more bulbs of each clone.
Green tipped 'drops are as much of a problem - Modern Art and Dreycott Greentip are 2 which do not retain the green tips reliably. It must be something to do with the green being on the outer segments - as far as I know inner segment markings are always stable - unless someone knows better?