Galanthus - February 2015

[johngennard]

This is a planting 0f S.Arnott,the original 3 bulbs planted 45yrs.ago and continually divided under trees that were removed four years ago and the cleared space thoroughly cultivated and enriched before being replanted with deciduous azaleas and dot plants of enkianthus.The snowdrops seem to have enjoyed being rotovated.

[ian mcenery]

This is a planting 0f S.Arnott,the original 3 bulbs planted 45yrs.ago and continually divided under trees that were removed four years ago and the cleared space thoroughly cultivated and enriched before being replanted with deciduous azaleas and dot plants of enkianthus.The snowdrops seem to have enjoyed being rotovated.

A novel way of chipping John 

[Alan_b]

Now for a more ordinary Galanthus given to me by a friend, he did not know it's name.
Any ideas?

The mark on the flower and the leaves are close to nivalis so I think it must be a nivalis or a nivalis hybrid.  If it ever was a named cultivar then I don't see enough distinguishing features to re-identify it if the name has been lost.  But most snowdrops from friends are exactly that and not named cultivars.

[johngennard]

A novel way of chipping John 

May be I will try it with Golden Fleece .

[Brian Ellis]

This is a planting 0f S.Arnott,the original 3 bulbs planted 45yrs.ago and continually divided under trees that were removed four years ago and the cleared space thoroughly cultivated and enriched before being replanted with deciduous azaleas and dot plants of enkianthus.The snowdrops seem to have enjoyed being rotovated.

Presumably a very noticeable scent too with all those together.

[johngennard]

I have to be honest,I have never managed to detect any scent but there are several sarcococcas,witch hazels and daphne Jacqueline Postill in the vicinity so the snowdrops would be hard pushed to compete with that trio/

[Mariette]

Today we had a lot of scent in the garden, indeed that lovely honey-smell of snowdrops. A warm sun was shining, the bees were flying, making  this seedling trying  to fly, too.

[Tim Ingram]

I really hadn't thought of rotovating snowdrops but the 45 years must have had an impact too! Sounds a bit like what happens to bulbs in Mediterranean olive orchards at times after cultivation. In our garden G. 'Augustus' looks to have this sort of vigour, growing under a Medlar, with very robust foliage and increasing strongly despite being sterile - a very fine plant. We have 'S. Arnott' as well so I wonder if there will be room for any other snowdrops in time to come  .

[ian mcenery]

May be I will try it with Golden Fleece .

 

I didn't realise that it was you that bought it  John 

[Cephalotus]

Hello to All.
Since I just started last year my Snowdrops hunt, which took only 4 hours, this year I will definitely spend more time on that. It is just so much FUN! It started to have an inch in the back of my head, when I saw first plants opening in my garden. Those forms from previous year are still to open, but one already did with a bit of my help and it is very promising.

Today I haven't went anywhere far really, just to see how a small population I knew about in a park was looking. Last year I visited it long too late and I just wanted to confirm if it is still existing. What I found really surprised me.

First of all there was quite a large subpopulation of "flore pleno" form. Most of them were more the same, but there ware also some clumps that were quite different. Also this form mostly located in open area when the typical form located in more forest-like conditions. In such I have found three other places where "flore pleno" plants appeared, sometimes even as a single plant surrounded with normal Snowdrops. I am sure it is propagating there as well as this population has a potential to create such forms/mutations.

After I searched through that population, I decided to go around and see if there are any more larger populations. I found two more. One of them had a minor population with potential to make "viridapice" forms. In total I found around 7 different ones, but two were really super.

In third larger population I haven't found anything very special, only a single individual with more yellowish ovary, that was all.

Although all those populations are far away like 500 and 200m one from another, they have their own mutagenic potential.

What amazed me the most, was that for the first time in my life I felt the Snowdros scent. Quite strong, very pleasant, honey scent! I felt it only from only one clump of "flore pleno" form and I smelled quite many of them as well as the typical ones too. No other gave away any scent, or too weak to smell it.

Below I attach some photos.

[Alan_b]

Chris (Cephalotus), does that last one have two flowers on the same scape or is that a trick of the camera?  I find hunting for unusual snowdrops great fun.  Now you need to find some with yellow markings and some virescents and when you eventually find the all-yellow one then you will be able to sell it on eBay for thousands of euros.   

[Thomas Huber]

Thomas I think your 'Scharlockii' are 'Viridapice'

The ugly one among the woronowii might be something exciting and if you really do not want it  Does it have leaves like woronowii?

Yes Mark - it has woronowii leaves, see photo below.

The other plants are no cultivated plants, so surely not 'Viridapice'.
Could be hybrids between standard nivalis and 'Schalockii'.

[Alan_b]

Thomas, hard to be certain but it looks as if you have an inverse poc. (pterugiform) woronowii.  That's certainly an interesting find.

[annew]

Chris, it seems you had a lot of fun snowdrop-hunting.

[Cephalotus]

Chris (Cephalotus), does that last one have two flowers on the same scape or is that a trick of the camera?  I find hunting for unusual snowdrops great fun.  Now you need to find some with yellow markings and some virescents and when you eventually find the all-yellow one then you will be able to sell it on eBay for thousands of euros.   

Alan, this is just an unintended photo effect. I wanted to show the difference between a typical and the one I have found. It is more yellow, but not so yellow as it could be. You say, that I can get rich by finding a yellow virescent, I will search for such than. ;-)

Chris, it seems you had a lot of fun snowdrop-hunting.

Yes I did and I have just started. I intend to spend a few days in second week of March, when the weather should be warmer and more sunny.