Galanthus March 2018

[Maggi Young]

They are doing well for you, Leena.  Coping well with your long winters - I'll be looking forward to the pictures of them this year.

[Leena]

Thanks Maggi. It is amazing how well they adapt to growing here. Usually the first winter/spring is the most difficult and many 
 snowdrops planted the previous year try to come up early, almost the same time as they would in more south, but from second year on they come up later, and so cope better with the cold.

[Shauney]

Love the shape of this gracilis with its 38mm outers with an 11mm claw.

[Shauney]

A double nivalis just coming into flower that I have nicknamed graboid! (From the film tremors) As they will stay the same as you see in the pic and never opens up and always points outwards.

[David Lowndes]

Particularly like the gracilis. Don’t usually like funny doubles but yours has a certain charm. They both seem to be vigorous.

[annew]

Back in 2007, I got this snowdrop as Ketton from Kath Dryden, but it doesn't look like the other photos of Ketton on Google. Anybody any idea what it is?

[Maggi Young]

Not many photos on the 'net of 'Ketton' are of the same plant it seems!  Quite a variety of marks being shown by assorted nurseries   

[Shauney]

Thanks David
The gracilis is a strong plant. I'm not a real fan of the spikeys but this I think is somewhere between and I have 5 more pots of it.

[Gail]

My wife and I managed to find some new forms, one particularly should catch your attention.

1. 8160a - shows a chimera of which I was told, that does not propagate. Last year my wife found such form, this year I was the lucky one. Nice thing, pity it does not propagate...
3. 3237a - another chimera which... oh... wait... it propagates?!

Really interesting chimeras Chris which remind me of the Agapanthus 'San Gabriel' owned by the much-missed John Finch (Kent Gardener). I bought a 'San Gabriel' from the then National Collection holder and it doesn't have that lovely half-and-half leaf but a more regular stripe - I assume that would probably also happen with your snowdrop??
Bottom image is John's plant, top is mine (as received!).

[Mariette]

Back in 2007, I got this snowdrop as Ketton from Kath Dryden, but it doesn't look like the other photos of Ketton on Google. Anybody any idea what it is?

Maybe ´Edinburgh Ketton´? That one ought to have roughly an X-mark, whereas ´Ketton´has more rounded outers, a very dainty apical mark and a hint of pale eyes at the base, according to the bible.

´Ketton´

[Mariette]

Leena, I like Your combination of blowsy ´Diggory´above upright crocus very much!

[Mariette]

Cephalotus, I´m very sorry for Your lost season in the garden! Your chimeras look fascinating, especially the very regular first one. Was the offspring normally coloured, or did it simply not bulk up?

[ielaba2011]

Hi Jaime,
Central Victoria is quite hot and dry in summer with rain and frost in winter; Galanthus elwesii is the one that does the best here so might be worth trying in Lisboa.
cheers
fermi

Thank you Fermi, that is amazing because you know what, I really LOVE Galanthus elwesii!... I like the broader leaves and the flower is impressive, ever since I've seen it in the UK I became a fan of that species. I thought uhm.. these are really pretty. 

Hello Jaime,
about our ordinary Galanthus nivalis I learned, that they are plants that live underneath foliage trees. In winter and spring, when the trees have no leaves, the snowdrops get water and light. In summer, when the trees are green, the snowdrops get shadow and no water because the trees take all. So I think you can plant any type of snowdrop in your region if you consider this life cycle.

BW
Hannelore

Hi Hannelore, Thank you for you advise and that is a very helpful sugestion. You know, I've always thought the problem would be our very dry Summer, but even Galanthus nivalis, as I've been shown, can be found wild in hot summer regions like Italy and parts of Greece. Of course, still in its native distribution area it might still  prefere fresh places like woodlands or a humid valley. That's why under decidous trees might be the best place to try them in here, they get all the light they need in winter and after spring they stay fresh under the canopy and with lots of leaf mulch for isolation, but a bit on the dry side because of watter intake from tree roots.

 

I was also going to suggest elwesii.  It's a readily-available species, less expensive than reginae-olgae or peshmenii if you start with just bulbs of the species rather than named cultivars..

Thank you for your answer Alan, I can easily get G. elwesii from the Dutch supplier from where I buy some bulbs in September. They have only few Galanthus varieties/species and G. elwesii it is one of them and they are not expensive at all.

[Leena]

Leena, I like Your combination of blowsy ´Diggory´above upright crocus very much!

Thank you, Mariette.

[annew]

Maybe ´Edinburgh Ketton´? That one ought to have roughly an X-mark, whereas ´Ketton´has more rounded outers, a very dainty apical mark and a hint of pale eyes at the base, according to the bible.

´Ketton´

I wondered if it was, but the X on Edinburgh Ketton is very bold.