Galanthus in April 2017

[Brian Ellis]

How bizarre just starting to post in April.... now this was a pleasing sight, a fond reminder of the very lovely & generous lady who found it and our mutual friend, Don Armstrong, who rescued it from a close call with extinction.  Must get them out of those chips pronto, they're further ahead in the ground this year.

G. elwesii 'Rosemary Burnham'

john

But nice for us to see them John, I think RB looks very pretty coming out of wood shavings!

Good to see yours too Leena

G. 'Green Cage'' has gone completely under the radar, I will see what I can find out.

[Leena]

Two snowdrop species which grow well in my garden.
G.alpinus var bortkewitschianus comes up very early, about the same time here as 'Mrs Macnamara', as soon as the snow melts away in March, and it has suffered a little from many cold nights and day, but some flowers are still up.
G.lagodechianus is also a nice little snowdrop with green leaves. Many snowdrops this year have yellow or olive in their flowers, when they normally are green.

[Tim Harberd]

Snowdrop excitement not quite over here… Watching the pods develop! This balloon is loosely tied up to avoid passing slug thuggery. Spheres aren’t easy to measure, but its easily more than 2cm across.

Since I have had to eradicate roughly half of new purchases in recent years, I think I’ll concentrate on enjoying what I’ve got for a while… and raising a few seedlings.

Tim DH

[Alan_b]

Two snowdrop species which grow well in my garden....

Both grew/grow badly for me in that they were/are reluctant to flower.  G. alpinus var. bortkewitschianus grew and multiplied here for a few years during which time it produced very few flowers.  Then it all died at the same time despite growing in several locales/pots.  G. lagodechianus I got last year and it was very leafy then.  This year it has produced a lot of leaves and no flowers at all.  Perhaps there is just a bad form in circulation?

Last month I was lucky enough to see G. alpinus growing in the wild.  It is a lovely snowdrop that comes in quite a range of forms and sizes.  Why we want to grow a sterile form (var. bortkewitschianus) that isn't going to produce seed is quite beyond me. 

     

[Leena]

Tim, what a nice big seed pod.

Alan, if you would like to try my G.lagodechianus, I can send you a bulb later in June.
I have gotten mine from a friend (two bulbs in 2012) who had his from Savisaar in Estonia and in his catalogue it says that he has gotten it from Caucasus in 1970s. I forgot last summer to check if it produces seeds, but will do it this year. As you can see from the picture there are lot of small leaves to indicate that it multiplies well that way.

[johnw]

Have the first flower ever on lagodechianus, likely several hundred non-flowerers.  Been here since the early 90's as kemuleriae and not a once have any flowered.  I shall not be collecting seed from it!  25 years.

Meanwhile lago seed ex Pilous sown January 2013, the first seed germinated overnight.  Perhaps it will flower in time.

john +13c & sunny

[johnw]

First two elwesii 'Green Brush' x elwesii 'Rosemary Burnham' seedlings to flower, these two will need to be back-crossed with RB.

john

[johnw]

Hmmm.  Was looking through Ken's bulb beds today and what do I spy?  G. lagodechianus he planted 2 years ago....in flower.

john

[Leena]

I was thinking that perhaps G.lagodechianus needs colder climate to flower better, but if it doesn't flower well for you John, then I'm wrong, and it doesn't have anything to do with climate.

[Alan_b]

Do I misunderstand John or is he saying that G. lagodechianus has flowered badly when protected in his bulb frames but seems to be doing better when grown in an uninsulated bulb bed?

[Brian Ellis]

Hmmm.  Was looking through Ken's bulb beds today and what do I see?  G. lagodechianus he planted 2 years ago....in flower.

john

 

I have heard others saying they think there is a shy to flower form of lagodechianus being distributed - but perhaps it is just the conditions it grows in.

[Alan_b]

Brian has given me an idea.  Leena, I'll swap you some of my G. lagodechianus for yours; then we can both compare whether it is the bulb stock or the climate that causes poor flowering. 

[johnw]

Alan  - I have wintered potted lagodechianus in a frost-free ghouse and in a coldframe for 25 years and never once had a flower. Ken took a lago or two and planted them in the ground a few years ago, and they flowered 3 out of 3 this month. I will get some ribbing from him no doubt.  Perhaps it simply needed a free root run.  It is an insane off-setter in pots.

I tried to extract my lago pots from the south frame, which slopes north, yesterday but the pots were stuck to the frozen shavings on the floor of the frame.  It got to 16c yesterday, 4 last night and 11 today so I may get them out today.  I'll report back if they are in flower but don't hold your breathe.

john

[Leena]

Brian has given me an idea.  Leena, I'll swap you some of my G. lagodechianus for yours; then we can both compare whether it is the bulb stock or the climate that causes poor flowering.

Yes, good idea!

[steve owen]

Just a few snowdrops in flower but White Delight is looking its best.