Galanthus - April 2015

[Leena]

Some photos of my snowdrops from last week

I have three yellow snowdrops and 'Wendy's Gold and 'Bill Clarke' have not multiplied from last year, but 'Ray Cobb' has. I can't really say nothing after only so short experience, but I think I want now to buy some more yellow nivalis, in case they do better here than yellow plicatus.
'Ray Cobb' started to flower earlier than the other two so it is soon going over.

[Leena]

Apart from yellow G.plicatus, all other G.plicatus seem to like it here.
The first is an unnamed one which a kind forumist sent me two years ago.
The second is an unnamed G.plicatus from Augis bulbs and I have even divided it last year. It is quite robust snowdrop.
Also 'Diggory', planted 2013 has multiplied.

[Leena]

My own old G.nivalis
G.nivalis fl pl in the foreground
'Hill Poe', planted last summer was a nice surprise, it is more beautiful than I imagined

[Leena]

Some tall snowdrops
'Melanie Broughton'
'S.Arnott'
'Falkland House' is not so tall, but I like it's flowers and it also has started to grow well for me.

[Leena]

Couple more which were planted last summer and are now flowering for the first time, and have made an impression on me.
'Cicely Hall'
Fieldgate Forte', three pictures

[Tim Ingram]

What a wonderful collection Leena - it's quite weird to be reliving all these snowdrops a couple of months after they have all flowered here (you kind of move on with the garden, especially on a Forum like this  , and it's salutary to step back and view experiences in other places). I think you may have been unlucky with 'Wendy's Gold' because it is much the best (most vigorous) yellow that we have and does well in many gardens. Maybe 'Elizabeth Harrison' will turn out as good too, but it will be a while before this is more widely grown. The nivalis yellow 'Sandersii' is very slow with us but is now growing much better on a high humus raised bed. Look forward to seeing spring developing in your garden and across 'the pond'!

[Maggi Young]

Leena - how lovely to see your snowdropscoming out now to give you pleasure - and the other fans, too!



 For photos from some nice crocus - and fine Galanthus nivalis in the wild from Thomas Huber, see this new thread : http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=13049.0

[johnw]

The weather has taken a bit of a turn but there's still heaps of ice and snow to melt here and there.  The brutes centre left are Rodmarton Regul(i).

johnw - +7c & partly sunny

[Leena]

Thank you Tim and Maggi.
Snow melted here about a month ago and snowdrops started to flower then, but it has been so cloudy until last week that they kept their flowers closed. Now it is sunny and today +15°C, if this continues, they will be over soon. The snowdrops season so so much shorter here, too bad.

You have a lot of snowdrops, John.

[johnw]

Too many Leena and 2 more bigger frames and 1 smaller..........  As with you my fear is there will be a very warm day and things will pass, they've already lost a month of growth so next year may be a bust.  At least yours have been getting light, I thought mine would green up faster when the lids were removed.   The ones in the ground are trying hard to flower but I suspect there's still frost in the ground.  After being imbedded in 15cm of ice for 8-9 weeks only one small group in this new planting seems to have sustained some leaf damage.

[Brian Ellis]

Too many Leena and 2 more bigger frames and 1 smaller

I do believe you can't have too many John

The weather is certainly not doing you any favours this year!

[johnw]

Well I hope that's past tense Brian.  What's worrying are the sheets of ice within the snowbanks.  The bulbs handle ground ice fine but the bulbs and dwarf shrubs with sheets supended overhead are another matter.   Just now I lifted a 2ft x 8" slab of ice off a clear part of the garden and to my amazament there were a number of Galanthus in it and the sheet came off leaving the drops intact.

Rodmarton Regulus - what a grand drop it is.

plicatus 'Primrose Warburg' (a clean batch at last after a bout of virus in another import.)

john

[Leena]

plicatus 'Primrose Warburg' (a clean batch at last after a bout of virus in another import.)

Is it common that 'Primrose Warburg' is virus infected? What about 'Spindlestone Surprise'?

[Rick Goodenough]

John and Leena...I am enjoying your snowdrops. So many nice ones you are both showing. Leena, your 'Fieldgate Forte' is terrific...my first time to see it.

John, I hope you are getting some decent spring weather finally.

Rick

[johnw]

Rick - I wish I was having more success taking pix with this Blackberry but the snow that is still about is causing big problems.  Some time ago I got a 'Trym' from Colesbourne that turned out to be not, could be 'Trymlet' but until I id it it will be Tramp.  Nine seedlings of Tramp flowered this year and all, like the others, have outer markings and mainly solid green inners.  So we can safely assume it selfed itself.  The markings tend to improve in a few years but I have my eye on one.

Apologies for the wretched pix.

The weather is splendid by the way and the big melt is close to 80% complete.

johnw - +10c & sunny