Galanthus - April 2015

[Rick Goodenough]

Leena and John...great fun to see your later drops. We have been snow free here for three weeks now, and I still have a few blooms going strong and even a couple getting ready to open. Just common nivalis for the most part, but still fun to see and I am hoping to say I have one in bloom on May 1, we'll see.  John, the huge ginkgo is at a friends home...wish it were here. A hellebore blooming today as well, 'Party Dress'.

[Leena]

I haven't been able to get in the forum again for a week (this happened also once in the winter, it has to do with our security provider which blocks the forum. I think this because there was an update just before this happened, but they deny it and say they can't do anything, and like in the winter now all of a sudden this morning I'm able to see and access the forum again, very frustrating!!) and most of the snowdrops are now over, but some late ones still flower. 'Fieldgate Fore' looks still good, as does nameless G.plicatus in the first picture.
'Washfield Warham' is in the second picture
'Merlin' is in the third picture and 'Cicely Hall' in the last with T.kaufmanniana 'Ice Stick' and red corydalis yesteday.

[Alan_b]

I'm not used to seeing snowdrops and tulips together.  I like the combination with the small T.kaufmanniana.

P.S. Are those forget-me-nots in the background? 

[johnw]

And the show continues on as does the frightfully cool weather.  Even the Hamamelis are hanging on here.

john

[johnw]

And a few more.

john

[Maggi Young]

The cool weather will keep them fresh for longer though, won't it? 

(You do know you have evidence of a serious obsession in those frames, John? )

[Alan_b]

Wow, John, I don't remember you showing your collection en masse like this before.  Has Canada embraced the concept of a National Collection of plants because I would think your snowdrops should qualify.?

[johnw]

The cool weather will keep them fresh for longer though, won't it?

Fresh indeed.  Somethings on north sides are reluctant to move at all and a bit of snow still sits in some places. Note the two clumps of 'Flore Pleno' ( I was not able to correct the spelling on the slide names) that are to the north, they are very slow to turn green and stand up.  Magnet, Peg Sharples and poor elwesii which doesn't know what to make of this weather.

johnw

[johnw]

Skimmia and Viburnum 'Dawn' which itch to flower in winter have not had enough warmth to open.  The latter we can't live without so rather than give it space we prune this Dawn hard every time it sends out a shoot which seems to be hourly. And of course as luck would have it to the fore a big shoot obviously missed.........

plicatus 'Trym' & Leucojum vernum v. carpaticum.

Up to a blistering 14c at the weekend.

john

[Brian Ellis]

What a delight to see them en masse when ours are all dying down John.  Cheers, they don't seem to be too upset by the weather, you obviously have sussed out how to grow them in adverse conditions.  Well done

[Leena]

I'm not used to seeing snowdrops and tulips together.  I like the combination with the small T.kaufmanniana.

P.S. Are those forget-me-nots in the background?

Thanks, so do I. T.kaufmanniana is the earliest tulip which I have, and I like it very much, both 'Cicely Hall' and the tulips were only planted last year so I don't know how they will be in the future.
The blue flowers in the background are Scilla siberica, forget-me-not's are not yet flowering.

It is always sad to see the first flowers of the spring go by, but John has them all still at their best.

[johnw]

National Collection?

Not quite Alan  - A lot of dividing last year and potting on of seedlings.  I don't belive there's a NC programme in the country.

john

[johnw]

Cheers, they don't seem to be too upset by the weather, you obviously have sussed out how to grow them in adverse conditions.  Well done

Brian  - I think they have to take credit for that themselves.  They've had eons to get it right.   

I was out to Bee's on the 22nd and was horrified to see snow and ice still about.  She's just off the peninsula and the snow had drifted in where the snow & ice still lie.  The mess has since disappeared. Note the coloured buds deep in the ice! They got it right.

It has been merciful that the melt has been slow  - despite the whining, sun on frozen ground at latitude 45 is lethal.  And so the temps will bounce to close to 70F (down-graded to 50F since that) at the weekend.  Spring could well evaporate in a few days!

john

edit by maggi to resize photos. ooops. Wonder why they loaded if over-sized?

[johnw]

Have a look at the Leucojum pic I posted a day or so ago. In the upper right corner I just noticed as very narrow flowered oddity.  Just phoned Ken who's in his garden and he says it has retained that shape and says he's found another weird one.  Off shortly to get a close-up.

I'll keep an eye on this one but feel the freaky weather may be more at play than the genes. Seems rather squinny despite the unusual shape.

john

[Maggi Young]

edit by maggi to resize photos. ooops. Wonder why they loaded if over-sized?

Over-sized by pixels not KB - we recommend under 760 pixels wide, as well as  limit of 200KB.....