October snowdrops

[David Nicholson]

johnw - summer here, sunny & 25c.  Bracing for a brush with Hurricane Gonzalo, we may just get some much-needed rain.

......... and the start of next week doesn't look promising for the Brits

[Gerard Oud]

Is "Kinn Macintosh" your earliest elwesii, Gerard?

No i do have some that flower in September!

[Leena]

I would have thought that the vast majority of 'food gathering' is done in the warmer longer days of late spring, irrespective of whether a bulb flowers in autumn, winter or early spring.  Leaves could be damaged by the rigours of winter so it might be better if they came later rather than sooner.

Thank Alan. You are right, I don't think the leaves survive here until spring if they come up before winter which may last 4 months of even longer so that is why I thought they need to do their job before the winter. Autumn flowering snowdrops are probably not plants for colder climates.

[Paddy Tobin]

The first snowdrops have opened here. These are pot grown in a cold glasshouse. G. reginae olgae will not survive in the open garden here so I have started growing them in pots in the last few years and am now delighted to have snowdrops in bloom in October.

Galanthus peshmenii
Galanthus reginae olgae from seed collected in Langada, Greece, but not collected by me. A bulb was a generous gift. This is the first time I have had it in flower and isn't it a dainty little thing!
Galanthus reginae olgae 'Sofia'
Galanthus reginae olgae 'Tilebarn Jamie'

[johnstephen29]

Hi paddy great looking snowdrops.

[mark smyth]

Just wondering if 'Cambridge' is the largest reginae-olgae that is readily available to buy?

elwesii 'Barnes' is three weeks early this year

[David Nicholson]

I agree that reginae-olgae are very pretty and being early they stir the soul a bit BUT having looked at Paddy's excellent images if you took away the file names and jumbled them up and then re-posted them how on earth could you tell which was which?

[Blonde Ingrid]

Looks like the festival calendar is out of kilter in snowdrop world!

G. 'Santa Claus is in flower while G.e. 'Remember Remember' is lagging behind.

Both were resting bulbs purchased this year.

Amazing to see 'Santa Claus' out before the Sainsbury Christmas brochure but a few days behind M&S

[Maggi Young]

Looks like the festival calendar is out of kilter in snowdrop world!

G. 'Santa Claus is in flower while G.e. 'Remember Remember' is lagging behind.

Both were resting bulbs purchased this year.

Amazing to see 'Santa Claus' out before the Sainsbury Christmas brochure but a few days behind M&S

     For many flowers these celebrations are very much a "moveable feast" , eh? 

[Paddy Tobin]

I agree that reginae-olgae are very pretty and being early they stir the soul a bit BUT having looked at Paddy's excellent images if you took away the file names and jumbled them up and then re-posted them how on earth could you tell which was which?

David, I certainly  have been comparing G. reginae olgae 'Sofia' and 'Tilebarn Jamie' and feel that I either received one or the other of them under the incorrect name or there is no difference between them.  The other two above are quite different though the G reg. olg. is in its first year and may be bigger next year. Nonetheless it is different to 'Sofia' and 'Tilebarn Jamie'. 

[ian mcenery]

Tilebarn Jamie in the garden. Some of the others are not far behind

For me slugs not hardiness are the problem with RO's

[Hagen Engelmann]

Very fine group, Ian.
I would like to see a fine group here too. But I have alway only singles in the garden.
Groups, increasing plants van live here only under glass.
And I have both!
Slugs, snails and frost.

[Hagen Engelmann]

One thing I can do very easy: I can arrange different groups

[mark smyth]

I have to agree with you David but you'll not be able to say that when the pink reginae-olgae is released for sale

'Tilebarn Jamie' should have twin scapes

[ian mcenery]

One thing I can do very easy: I can arrange different groups

very artistic Hagen

I agree that it is generally a quite a bit colder in Berlin but mine did survive the very harsh recent winters with no ill effect -18 c min and max of  -10 C for 2 periods of one month .

With me the slugs get them before I can see them above ground and originally led me to believe that they weren't hardy - so they must be very tasty    I now treat with a liquid slug killer before they are due to appear and until they have finished flowering