Galanthus February 2008

[Paul T]

Hans,

Great to see that x elcatus is flowering for you at the right time now, obviously settled in after it's trip from down under.  I wonder if I should go out and tell my clump of them in the garden that one of their number is now flowering in Germany? 

It was apparently called x elcatus as it was a cross between elwesii and plicatus, but the name form is invalid.  I don't know whether it should be named 'Elcatus' to make it a "name" instead of a hybrid designation, or whether it should be named something else.  I really don't know.  Either way it is different to anything else I have come across, and here in my garden it is amongst the first to flower each season.  A bit more spidery than I like, but it is distinct enough I don't mind.

[Paul T]

Here is one of the plants I bought as nivalis from the only garden centre I visited.

Anthony,

I'd be pretty impressed with that acquisition.  Nice way it holds itself.  Looks like a good chunky little flower. 

[Maggi Young]

The day of the Dunblane massacre was one of the worst days of my life. I heard the news on the radio and was just shocked rigid.... I knew that Johanna Leven and her friend Laura were at the school and at first I could only fear they might be hurt. I can only imagine how terrifying it was , not only for the children and teachers but for the terror struck parents, waiting for news. When we finally found out the girls were safe, it was a huge relief, which immediately turned to guilt because of the many others who were killed and bereaved. A truly appalling day as was the Beslan massacre, of course.. sadly the world has too many such days.
 A note of joy for us,now, however... Johanna  is the young lady who has featured elsewhere in this Forum... and in the current Journal.... hale, hearty and showing every sign to be both a gardener and an explorer. Praise be!

[Diane Whitehead]

When I went to buy groceries yesterday, there was a rack of
potted G. elwesii in bloom outside the store.  I sorted through
them all and chose all the variants - 21 pots, each with three
bulbs.

Here are the variations:  (and I know down is up, but I'll just
describe the way they look when they are growing naturally).

Ovary - big and almost spherical, tiny, long, dark, medium, or
olive green

Outer petals - white, sometimes with a few little lines pinched together,
or lines all the way down, or striped with gray, which on closer
inspection looks crinkled like seersucker.

petal shapes - from long and skinny, through oval to almost
round below a narrow claw.

a couple with green tips

one with a pale yellow claw

Inner petals - full range of marks from completely green to
teeny pale dots, but none with no marks.

Different ways of flaring the petals open.

Scented or not.  The scent was familiar, so I sniffed around
the garden, and it smells like Viburnum bodnantense.  I was
surprised at this, because I thought the Viburnum had a
sweeter scent.  Maybe it does when the weather is warmer.

Each flower has different combinations of the above.

Since each plant in each pot is different, I have decided to
tie a differently coloured yarn around the stems for each
attribute.  Then when they go dormant, I will be able to unpot
them and plant them in groups that are similar. 

[Paul T]

Diane,

Unless you're FAR more organised than me, I'd be unpotting and grouping them while they're in flower.  Either that or label the pots with pain pen or something (or put tags into each).  Invariably I find that anything which is marked by tying something around the stem ends up having that stem pull out while it is in the process of dying down, so you lose the marking effect.  Given that G. don't mind being moved while green, I'd be putting them together while still in growth, rather than waiting until dying down. 

[Diane Whitehead]

Yes, I think I had better mark the pots.  I could stick a self-adhesive
label close to each plant, and just write on a code.

I don't want to unpot now, as I hope that I'll be able to get some
seeds this year.

I spent the morning driving to garden centres and other supermarkets,
but only mine so far has a good selection of snowdrops.

I have instructed my offspring to scan any snowdrops they see for
sale in their cities.

What I should do is find out where the wholesaler is and check
out the whole lot.

[Paul T]

I do so wish we could buy them like that here.  We go get elwesii some years, but they're a pretty standard lot, derived from Sam Arnott or something similar.  Often come under that name, but we have our doubts when comparing to others we have bought from specialists under that name.  Your lot sound wonderful, and I for one would love to see some pics of the various combinations.

[KentGardener]

Diane - sounds like you got a good mix of types yesterday - the only thing I would be worried about is what they are potted in at the moment.  I have purchased such bulbs and lost them to rot in previous years as they seem to be in a very un-free-draining (what would the word be for that?), they get really wet and rot off.

This year, the ones I purchased (included one with four outers and four inners - fingers crossed for next year) I repotted as soon as I got home - and there was already signs of the bulbs being stressed and starting to rot in their original potting medium.

good luck

John

[mark smyth]

will we see photos?

[Diane Whitehead]

One of mine has four inners and four outers too.

I hope they won't be rotting.  They've all got roots growing out
the bottom holes.

I will set up a little studio and take some pictures tomorrow.

[David Nicholson]

I turn my back for a few hours and 3 pages pop up. Great photos everyone

Trip to Robin Hall off due to poor weather. I have no more free February days now until 2009  I am however going to Altamont in S. Ireland in two weeks time home to a stunning, I've been told, virescent plicatus

Not going to East Lambrook? Is there another snowie day some where in Dorset the week after East Lambrook??

[Hans J]

Hagen :

Here are pics of my G. Maximus ( DDR) - you see it is different !

[johanneshoeller]

My pale Galanthus
Hans

[Hagen Engelmann]

ID wanted. I got it as galanthus plicatus flore-pleno.

[emma T]

There's a picture of a snowdrop I found a couple of years ago in the February 2008 issue of the "Gardens Illustrated "magazine. page 53 top right hand corner, gave a bulb to John Grimshaw to id. He thinks it's a nivalis /plicatus hybrid ; it's got no name yet.