Galanthus March 2018

[David Lowndes]

Saw these tucked away under Camellias at Wisley today. It has plicate leaves and is a substantial drop. Any ideas?

[Shauney]

Beluga looking good today.

[Harald-Alex.]

Beluga looking good today.

Hallo Shauney, Your Belugas looks strong and big in the flower, I found a online gardencenter "gardening express", who offers 5 Belugas in one pot for 7,99 Pounds, the same price for 5 "Polar Bear" in one pot! I try it with the two!

[Harald-Alex.]

a very big flower and two flowers for one bulb I found in a collection of wildgrown G. elwesii (Foto1)
Foto2: a seedling hybride between G. nivalis and G. elwesii.

[Blonde Ingrid]

As the season ends it is worth remembering those varieties that increase swiftly and provide stunning clumps in the garden. Well worth adding to your collection if you are looking for rapid clumping.

Gold Sovereign from Anne Wright, it does not matter if it is a grey day, it becomes a beacon of yellow, or a sunny day it glows. It moves beautifully in even the slightest breeze.

Morgana from Andy Byfield, still the best of the virescents in my view. In a clump it is breath taking.

Hughes Emerald, one of my personal favourites! Gorgeous flowers and it remains an eye opener for weeks.

Faint Heart, from Paul Barney, has proved to be even better than Paul described it. A lovely light green marking with good height it makes a statement in the garden.

Lucy, of all the 'blob drops' this stands head and shoulders above the rest. Another variety that flowers for an extended period.

[Maggi Young]

I think I first heard of  'Lucy' when Chas W  mentioned buying one at Myddleton a couple of years ago -  was it bred by Richard and Valerie of WoodChippings?

[Blonde Ingrid]

I think I first heard of  'Lucy' when Chas W  mentioned buying one at Myddleton a couple of years ago -  was it bred by Richard and Valerie of WoodChippings?

Yes Maggs, I believe so. It grows like fury 

[Josh Nelson]

Saw these tucked away under Camellias at Wisley today. It has plicate leaves and is a substantial drop. Any ideas?

leaves look more elwesii than plicatus. Tips are hooded and folds forward rather than back

[Josh Nelson]

Here's a very large flowered byzantinus with flowers held on very long pedicels.  It has grown to be one of my favourites and seems to be bulking quite well after taking some time to settle down. Sister bulbs (could be same clone or very similar) are doing well in two gardens.  Flowers are very substantial and got larger than these photos (from March 11th). Largest outer measured at just over 45mm a couple of days ago, with longest pedicel of a very similar length. Good glaucous foliage too.

[Josh Nelson]

Another large byzantinus, this time a face type find from this year (Maggi, this is how the 'bow tie' one posted to February page developed - this photo from March 11 and now gone over);  third photo is a daughter bulb, so will see how develops next year on markings front

[Josh Nelson]

This one is a substantial textured petal byzantinus that has produced a four petal flower this year on a plant in the ground (one I have potted I initially selected did this last year but not this year; they need further observation to see how frequently 4x4s are produced although seems occasional).  Outers are quite nicely shouldered.

[Alan_b]

leaves look more elwesii than plicatus. Tips are hooded and folds forward rather than back

Or woronowii, possibly, given the leaf colour and shape of the inner petal mark.  The secret is to look down at the base of the leaves from directly above; it should then be obvious then if they are supervolute.

Those are all nice byzantinus finds, Josh.  There are large quantities of naturalised plicatus in my area.  I have been looking carefully at them and they are all of the Crimean sort (var. plicatus) with a single apical mark on the inner petals.  Occasionally this mark extends more than half way towards the base and more rarely still one sees a sort of H shape but never two marks.  The exception that proves the rule is one grave in the churchyard will a few different small forms of the byzantinus type.  Given its position directly on top of the grave the original was probably brought in from elsewhere and planted there and has since set seed.  But the statistics in my area are very much in favour of soldiers bringing back their snowdrops from the battlefields of the Crimea rather than the area around the hospital near Istanbul.

[Josh Nelson]

Or woronowii, possibly, given the leaf colour and shape of the inner petal mark.  The secret is to look down at the base of the leaves from directly above; it should then be obvious then if they are supervolute.

Good point Alan, I didn't think further than leaf shape; a closer look shows green leaves and general appearance looks much more like woronowii or ikariae; latter looks best bet; see e.g.: http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/diaries/NorthWales/A+cold+and+dreary+March+Entry+/660/

[Josh Nelson]

soldiers bringing back their snowdrops from the battlefields of the Crimea rather than the area around the field hospital near Istanbul.

Thanks Alan, didn't know about the field hospital near Istanbul; that might help researching the byzantinus population - certainly provides a possibility of a link

[Alan_b]

Thanks Alan, didn't know about the field hospital near Istanbul; that might help researching the byzantinus population - certainly provides a possibility of a link

Not I but Blonde Ingrid who made this observation.  Perhaps "field hospital" is not quite the right description but Florence Nightingale treated soldiers wounded in the Crimean war at a barracks near Istanbul.  This was, to quote the Wikipedia entry:

about 295 nautical miles (546 km; 339 mi) across the Black Sea from Balaklava in the Crimea, where the main British camp was based.