Snowdrop ID please

[ChrisB]

I got a pot of 6 snowdrops yesterday at Dunblane. All have different markings but three are very nice. They came labelled as G. elwesii AGM.  Are any of them worth fostering?

[David Nicholson]

Careful

[ChrisB]

Hi David, couldn't resist when there were six different ones in one pot for a fiver..... Not even sure they are elwesii really, one has long slender sepals and another plump ones with a tinge of green on the tip. Maybe I should resell one by lol....

[Matt T]

A similar range of variation to a potful I picked up at a garden centre when down south over Christmas - extent of green on inner, 1 vs. 2 marks, greenish tips to outers, width of outers, size/shape of ovary etc. They're all nice in one way or another, but I think within the expected range for G. elwesii elwesii.

[ChrisB]

Yes, they look quite a lot like mine Matt... I'll just pop them in the garden then....

[Matt T]

Some say they don't like our wet winters. I've separated mine out and did find a bit of rot on one bulb. It's been very wet here recently. So maybe find a warm, dry-ish patch if you have one?

Sorry to have missed you at Dunblane, Chris. I just couldn't get away this time. Will hope to meet you at an event soon! Was it a good day?

[ChrisB]

I have hardly any wet areas, nearly all very sandy, so they should do quite well.. I think I'll separate them all out and number them when planting to see how each one fares....

[Alan_b]

.... They came labelled as G. elwesii AGM.

I cannot vouch for the 'AGM' but I see no reason to doubt that they are G. elwesii.  Not named cultivars, just examples of the species.

[mark smyth]

The 50 dry bulbs I bought last year show a big range of elwesii elwesii and some elwesii monostictus

[David Nicholson]

Can anyone have a stab at this one please?

[mark smyth]

Possibly 'Armine' if you bought that one. What are the leaves like?

[David Nicholson]

I possibly got a couple from Snape Cottage a few years ago, it's chucking it down here so will try to get a pic of the leaves tomorrow.

[mark smyth]

ok

[David Nicholson]

Here's a picture (file name Snowdrop 3 Rs) of the leaves referred to above. A bluish/green, is the term 'glaucus'?

Mark, your 'stab' was possibly Galanthus 'Armine' and I was wracking my brains last night (what's left of 'em!) trying to remember if I did get some 'Armine' from Snape Cottage and I think I did but I can't remember planting them in the location shown. I did once get some Snowdrops labelled as G caucasicus and had thought I had planted them near the location shown. Is either a possibility?

I have another clump in my back garden which look, to me, remarkably similar and I have pictured those below also and hope you might have time to take a look. These are file names, Snowdrop 5 leaf BG1 Rs and Snowdrop 5 flower BG Rs. The leaf colour in 5 is more glossy than those in 3.

[annew]

I think the last one is Augustus.