Galanthus in March 2014

[art600]

Astonished (or am I really) to see Joe Sharman has just sold 5 'E A Bowles' for £666 - is this an omen for future sales 

[Richard Williams]

£134 per bulb including postage so much for being cheaper buying in bulk!!! My west Wales sensibilities quails at the thought of it. Mind you should make a spectacular clump next year ( if you could see them behind the armed guards) Are they being bought by speculators or genuine enthusiasts with healthy trust funds? Admittedly it is the most spectacular plant in my collection and my little clump cost just over £100 all in...

[Cephalotus]

When I read what you write about those plants prices I make such face: (only my eyes are bigger and jaw hit the ground with impact), than I look at what I found myself and make that face: . I am aware that it is NOT the same plant, but it looks exactly the same. (Photo is on previous page). I understand why it is so much liked. In reality, it is just unreal. It looks like a totally different species. I wish there was a faster way to propagate this beauty than just wait and let the time do the trick.

[Alan_b]

Chris:
Number 1 may be going over so may not look so different next year.
Nice poculiform snowdrops in pictures 2 & 4.
I sometimes see the green stripes of picture 3 but it mostly seems to be a one-off.

If a snowdrop does the same thing two years running then you cannot be sure it is completely stable but it is much more likely after the second year.

[johnstephen29]

Hi Ashley, Vlastimil Pilous has just got back to me he only has G. Lagodechianus & G. Transcaucasica left so, I've placed an order from him, so I can tick two more off my must have list. 

[Leena]

'E.A.Bowles' is a dream, too expensive for me, but beautiful, and something to admire in pictures.

Ordinary G.nivalis 'Flore Pleno' is now in full flower here.

[ashley]

That's a start anyway John, and you can try again next year. 
Good luck with them.

[art600]

'E.A.Bowles' is a dream, too expensive for me, but beautiful, and something to admire in pictures.

Leena

I succumbed to the charm of this beautiful snowdrop at the Cottage Garden Snowdrop Day.  Wol & Sue Staines were selling it for £60.  This beat my previous most expensive drop 'Big Boy' that cost £40.

[Maggi Young]

Ordinary G.nivalis 'Flore Pleno' is now in full flower here.

And very lovely they are, too.

[Maggi Young]

When I read what you write about those plants prices I make such face: (only my eyes are bigger and jaw hit the ground with impact), than I look at what I found myself and make that face: . I am aware that it is NOT the same plant, but it looks exactly the same. (Photo is on previous page). I understand why it is so much liked. In reality, it is just unreal. It looks like a totally different species. I wish there was a faster way to propagate this beauty than just wait and let the time do the trick.

When I saw the pure white beauty in your picture 4667a, Chris, I thought  that you were lucky to find such a plant - it is very similar in its full, rounded shape to' EA Bowles'  as has been discussed - small world isn't it, really!

[Cephalotus]

Maggi, I will do all what I can to propagate it as fast as possible. I don't know if I will be able to name it, since it looks very similar to for example: 'Holo Glob' and 'Holo-Gramm'. If mine is the same, I can't name it. If somehow I will be able to name them, I will give you the right to choose its name, as well as I will send you that one and any other you will like.

Having something beautiful makes me only partially happy, sharing that with others, that makes me fully happy.

I am also preparing at least 10-20 Leucojum vernym clones/forms. But it is still a long way when I will be able to name and spread them all. For example, I have almost pure white one (only a trace of green on petals, which have different shape of petals too), a one that looks almost like closed Galanthus, others, that have half of the petals green, 8-th petalled ones (permanent, 3 plants in a clump already), ones, that don't form a closed cup (thin petals, permanent, already have a clump), cone shaped flowers, yellowish leafs (permanent), petals opened so much that they are in one line and quite a few other, more subtle forms. They just need to propagate, be grown in 3 gardens and than I will put them all in cultivation.

[Maggi Young]

Chris, your work with Leucojum types sound interesting too - Wim Boens is writing about the cultivars available now and I think some descriptions and photos of the ones you are developing would be a great addition to that work. You can contact  Wim  via the forum if you would be willing to contribute information to this article.

[Leena]

Leena
I succumbed to the charm of this beautiful snowdrop at the Cottage Garden Snowdrop Day.  Wol & Sue Staines were selling it for £60.  This beat my previous most expensive drop 'Big Boy' that cost £40.

If they have it in their dormant bulb list, I will have to think about it (and leave something else for next year). 
Last summer I bought some dormant bulbs from them and all of them are flowering now.
This is 'Diggory' from Glen Chantry, planted last August and the photo is from today, I think today was the first day when it really showed how different it is. I can imagine it will look great when there are more flowers.

[Leena]

And very lovely they are, too.

Thank you Maggi, I think so, too. (But I don't have many other doubles so I don't have much where to compare)

[Leena]

Is this 'Magnet', what do you think?

I ask because this is the first spring in Finland when the snow has melted so early that it is possible (for me) to see differences in the earlyness and lateness of the snowdrops. Usually they all start to flower at the same time in April when the snow melts away. Three of my friends have also 'Magnet' and all of their plants have came up later than mine and are also not yet flowering, while these my plants are just begun to flower this week, and I don't think this place where I have mine is warmer or better. I bought this snowdrop (three bulbs) from Nijssen three years ago, and it has been a good snowdrop.