Galanthus in February 2018

[Gail]

And  they do deserve to be told  how stable or otherwise a  plant may be.

Absolutely agree - sellers do often point out that Lady Elphinstone is notorious for being green some years but are less likely to mention it with the big money snowdrops...

[Alan_b]

If you buy a "new" snowdrop it will most likely be expensive and it most likely won't have been grown in a garden for many years to establish its garden worthiness.  If you have a run of luck with a particular plant its weak point may not emerge for some years.   Joe Sharman gave a talk on yellow snowdrops yesterday and he ventured an opinion that all the double yellow nivalis snowdrops in circulation are 'Lady Elphinstone', re-discovered and given another name.  Recent ones may be yet to misbehave and have a green year.

When you hear talk about "reversion" I think it is important to establish if this is something that happens to a bulb during its lifetime, or to a snowdrop that has been chipped or twin-scaled.  it seems to be a phenomenon in chopping a snowdrop bulb into small pieces that not all the pieces always retain all the characteristics of the original bulb.  Most snowdrop cultivars chip reliably in this respect but a few do not.           

[Blonde Ingrid]

Not so happy about another expensive yellow - Mother Goose. The first one I bought in 2016 and it flowered beautifully - a brilliant yellow orange so I bought another.  This year both of them are green. I just want my Mother Geese to be brilliant yellow again. Any thoughts?

Hi David, I am sorry  but not surprised to learn that my heads up to you about the unreliability of Mother Goose from last year has been confirmed. Both mine were yellow last year but have reverted to green this year. I have also checked with a couple of other experienced growers of yellows and they have the same issue.

Thanks Matt - I can see where you’re coming from but my soil is good for yellows and I grow quite a few.

I wouldn't worry about growing conditions, mine (Original 2014 and two smaller replacement bulbs planted 2016) have been grown under a variety of conditions, full sun, acid soil etc, as have others, and this has not impacted results. There has also been a notion that they might 'become more yellow over time'. Sadly, the facts dont support this. Your's, mine and others have started yellow and THEN reverted to green. In addition, when I notified North Green of my original problematic bulb from 2014, so confident were they in it's ability to 'become more yellow', they insisted I dig it up and return it.

I take your point, David -  it seems there are too many cases when  such information is not  clearly stated - perhaps because " galanthophiles already know these things" - well, they don't!  And  they do deserve to be told  how stable or otherwise a  plant may be.

Both you, Maggs and Gail are correct, buyers should be given informed consent when making a purchase. I wrote to North Green in February 2016 to inform them that I would expect to see a warning of the possibility of instability in their future catalogues, so that buyers could decide if they wanted to spend a not insignificant sum on taking a risk. No such warning was included in the description of Mother Goose in either the 2017 or 2018 catalogues. I note that your second bulb was purchased in 2017 David and this would have alerted you. One reason why I will not use this supplier again

[Alan_b]

I don't disagree with what everyone else has written but is "reversion" quite the right terminology to use?  To me it implies a one-way change whereas the problem with 'Lady Elphinstone', 'Mother Goose' and others is that they don't perform reliably.  There are quite a few green-tipped snowdrops that don't produce their green tips every year but I have never heard the term 'reversion' used in that context. 

[David Lowndes]

Yes,Alan makes a good point. I just introduced the term “reversion” as a convenient shorthand way of expressing what had happened. Perhaps it’s temporary reversion. If this is a natural phenomenon, and just part of natural variation (after all,  this is part of what is so brilliant about Galanthus), that’s fine and those who want it can buy it. But I’m not sure it’s what I want and, as everyone seems to agree, we need to know what we are buying.

[Blonde Ingrid]

that’s fine and those who want it can buy it. But I’m not sure it’s what I want and, as everyone seems to agree, we need to know what we are buying.

Hi David, I can't get too hung up on the minutiae of diction, I am more a Heavenly Glory rather than a finger kind of girl! The issue as you say is informed consent.  Like you, I don't want instability and would not of bought it if I had known.

[David Lowndes]

Ingrid, I really support your strong stance on this.  I have purchased from North Green for three years now and generally been happy (although I have noticed, this morning, a very feeble ’Chatton’ - purchased last year -  finally showing itself). I have to admit I will treat this supplier with caution now the reason being that you gave them an opportunity to be up front and they didn’t take it.  It just makes me feel suspicious!

[Leena]

Estonian Spirit Kaina one of the Estonian Spirit series, developed by Taavi Tuulik and obtained from Anne Wright.

Estonian Spirit 2009/CS9 one of the clones discovered in abandoned gardens and woods in Estonia.

Do you or Anne know if these are the same snowdrops which were found by Taavi Tuulik from Hiiumaa and sold by Sulev Savisaar in 2011 with only a plant number (Tuuliku 1,2,3 and so on)?
A friend of mine bought them then, and I got from her Tuuliku 2 and Tuuliku 9. 
Estonian Spirit is much better name than just a number.

[Blonde Ingrid]

Morning patrol in bright sunshine and a very virescent theme.

First up is Emerald Isle, a very under rated snowdrop in my view with a lovely colour. Some find it difficult, for me here, it is increasing well.

Next, my second clump of Andrea's Fault is flowering! I thought it was only going to increase this year, but it has thrown up a later flower. The more this proves itself to be a good do'er the more it will rival the King in my view!

Finally, the virescent King , in my view, today Morgana still flowering well, My satellite clumps are also about to flower. A joyful snowdrop this and hopefully Andy will have some available soon.

[Harald-Alex.]

Morning patrol in bright sunshine and a very virescent theme.

First up is Emerald Isle, a very under rated snowdrop in my view with a lovely colour. Some find it difficult, for me here, it is increasing well.

Next, my second clump of Andrea's Fault is flowering! I thought it was only going to increase this year, but it has thrown up a later flower. The more this proves itself to be a good do'er the more it will rival the King in my view!

Finally, the virescent King , in my view, today Morgana still flowering well, My satellite clumps are also about to flower. A joyful snowdrop this and hopefully Andy will have some available soon.

Hallo blonde Ingrid, with great interest I look for the rich collection of Your snowdropvarieties!
I am lucky, to find sometimes a new Snowdropflower. Today I fond an Elwesii findling with green eyes.(1)
And the poculiforme Anglesey Abbey this year shows the typical white form! (2)

[Shauney]

Some of my flowering plants
1. Lapwing
2. Primrose Warburg
3. Rosemary Burnham
4. Henry's white lady

[Shauney]

A plicatus seedling flowering for the first time with an interesting inner mark and ribbed outers

[Alan_b]

That's a very unusual mark on the plicatus, Shauney.  If the leaves looked like that I might think that the snowdrop had a virus but with the flower I really don't know what to make of it.

[Shauney]

That's a very unusual mark on the plicatus, Shauney.  If the leaves looked like that I might think that the snowdrop had a virus but with the flower I really don't know what to make of it.

As you can see the leaves are showing no signs of anything abnormal so no idea what's going on! But I do like it 😊

[johnralphcarpenter]

Galanthus elwesii 'Sickle'. Had to dig this up and put it in a pot as it was growing where our new oil tank is scheduled to be installed.