mostly making troughs- but some yellow sandersii comments

[mark smyth]

glad to put the spark in the mind. What's your planting mix?

[Alan_b]

Nice trough Rob

However....

Here are pictures of my 'Wendy's Gold' in February 2004 and today.  Not wishing to risk providing more of a meal for some insect I moved it from my garden to a pot in 2004 just after I took the first photograph; ordinary compost, no added drainage.  In 2005 it produced some leaves and in 2006 it produced two flowers and I moved the large bulb(s) back into the garden but there were three small offsets I left behind in the pot.  Now in 2008 these have reached flowering size.  I don't think I ever changed the compost (and you can see it is getting a bit low in the pot) and I'm not sure if I ever fed it (it might have had a bit of Tomorite when I treated some nearby snowdrops).  But the bulbs seem to be doing fine.  There is a lot of superstition around growing snowdrops in pots but I have always found it very easy and very successful.  Wendy's Gold is not the only snowdrop I have saved by rescuing it from the dangers of my garden into the safety of a pot. 

P.S.  If you look carefully, you can see how much I paid for the original bulb in 2003!  

[Maggi Young]

Encouraging words, Alan and good to see your rescued bulbs doing well.

What is a trough though, if not a nice big pot? 

[Alan_b]

Encouraging words, Alan and good to see your rescued bulbs doing well.

What is a trough though, if not a nice big pot? 

Indeed: although I stuff my pots under the climbing hydrangea to see them through the summer - might be harder to do that with a trough.

[Brian Ellis]

There is a lot of superstition around growing snowdrops in pots but I have always found it very easy and very successful.

I heard this afternoon that Ron Mackenzie grows quite a few in 12" pots although he has a new bit of garden where they are lined out like vegetables! 

[Anthony Darby]

My 'Wendy's Gold' is growing well in what looks like pure clay. Clumping up nicely with 8 flowering shoots this year. I have given several away and only started with a bulb from Ian Christie 6 years ago.

[mark smyth]

Avon's special list 2008 has Wendy for £25!!!

At the Gala in Shropshire I bought 3 Wendy in a pot for £15. At the end of the day so many good bulbs are left that no-one wants. Everyone is blinkered and wants the same thing. It's almost the higher the price tag the more desireable

[Brian Ellis]

Clumping up nicely with 8 flowering shoots this year.

I was speaking to someone this afternoon Anthony who spreads her clump every couple of years and has a decent number of spares as a consequence.

[mark smyth]

Rob can you take a close photo of your nivalis Sandersii.

If you smile nicely I might be able to let you have a bulb of 'Wendy's Gold'

[Anthony Darby]

My clumps of plicatus never look congested like nivalis.

[Brian Ellis]

Panic over then Rob, I reckon it's a good'un

[mark smyth]

Robin Hall confines his nivalis Sandersii to a stone trough in acid conditions. This produces very yellow blooms

[Anthony Darby]

Robin Hall confines his nivalis Sandersii to a stone trough in acid conditions. This produces very yellow blooms

I wondered what happened to him after Jimmy McGregor passed away?

[Maggi Young]

Robin Hall (Scottish Folk Singer ) died in 1998, Anthony... as far as I know, Jimmy MacGregor is still very busy, sininging less but walking the hills, making programmes about that and other such stuff!

[mark smyth]

I'm of course refering to Primrose Hill's Robin Hall