Galanthus March 2018

[annew]

Greenkeeper and Das Gelbe vom Ei today - Thank you Hagen!

[Josh Nelson]

Nice, Anne!

[Josh Nelson]

Amy Doncaster, looking fine before the snow:

[Edgar Wills]

Galanthus elwesii 'polar bear' on sale at Intratuin garden centers in the Netherlands! 5 bulbs for €3,99.

[Alan_b]

'Polar Bear' is a late-flowering elwesii with very large bulbs.  I bought mine from Avon Bulbs in 2016; it has not flowered yet this year.  I got a few bulbs but I think I paid more than €3.99.

[Edgar Wills]

'Polar Bear' is a late-flowering elwesii with very large bulbs.  I bought mine from Avon Bulbs in 2016; it has not flowered yet this year.  I got a few bulbs but I think I paid more than €3.99.

Attached a picture of the flower and bulb size. I like it.

[Josh Nelson]

Galanthus elwesii 'polar bear' on sale at Intratuin garden centers in the Netherlands! 5 bulbs for €3,99.

looks like it could well be the real Polar Bear, Edgar; this is the second time I've heard it for sale cheaply in NL - I think the growers have been busy chipping (you must get a lot of chips from such a plump bulb; suspect a mass produced yellow will be coming along before too long as well)

[Edgar Wills]

looks like it could well be the real Polar Bear, Edgar; this is the second time I've heard it for sale cheaply in NL - I think the growers have been busy chipping (you must get a lot of chips from such a plump bulb; suspect a mass produced yellow will be coming along before too long as well)

Cool! I thought they were the real Polar Bear, but I'm no expert.
There seems to be a Dutch grower that mass produces them.. Hope they manage to do it with yellows as well.

Could this be a UK seller with similar bulbs?: https://www.gardeningexpress.co.uk/garden-plants/spring-flowering-bulbs/snowdrops-in-bud-galanthus-nivalis-polar-bear-rare-variety

[Small update:]
Got an answer from the seller from the email address on the plants. I asked him where the bulbs came from.

Translation from Dutch:
We grow them on the land and break off the small bulbs.
use those for propagation.
we had the idea to make more people enthousiastic about the snowdrops through 'intratuin' garden centers.
they indeed priced them very competitively.

"we kweken ze op het land en breken de kleine bollen eraf.
gebruiken deze voor vermeerdering.
we hebben het idee om via intratuin meer mensen enthousiast te maken.
ze hebben ze idd heel scherp in de markt gezet
 
Met vriendelijke groeten,

Peter Komen

Dahliakwekerij M.J.Komen-Kruiswijk
Molenvaart 138
1761 AM Anna Paulowna
E.peter.komen@quicknet.nl
www.mjkomen.nl "

[Tim Harberd]

Odd that Avon are also selling Polar Bear in 1 Litre pots this year!

Tim DH

[Alan_b]

My guess is that the UK vendors, including Avon Bulbs, are all importing from the same source.

[steve owen]

"we kweken ze op het land en breken de kleine bollen eraf.
gebruiken deze voor vermeerdering.
we hebben het idee om via intratuin meer mensen enthousiast te maken.
ze hebben ze idd heel scherp in de markt gezet
 
Met vriendelijke groeten,

Peter Komen

Dahliakwekerij M.J.Komen-Kruiswijk
Molenvaart 138
1761 AM Anna Paulowna
E.peter.komen@quicknet.nl
www.mjkomen.nl "

Peter
I don't know if you will see this (if not maybe someone could pass this on to him), but good idea!

[sokol]

Mainly Galanthuis nivalis is reappearing in the snow. The first picture shows Galanthus elwesii.

[Leena]

My guess is that the UK vendors, including Avon Bulbs, are all importing from the same source.

I wish someone would import them also to Finland! But I guess not.

[Alan_b]

I wish someone would import them also to Finland! ..

Perhaps you have spotted a gap in the market and a business opportunity, Leena?

[Leena]

 
Big markets  and flower shops sell potted Narcissus 'Tete a Tete' and Muscari (and some other spring bulbs sometimes)  around Easter, and in April. I don't know if they buy them potted from abroad or if they are potted in Finland. No-one sells potted snowdrops (not even G.nivalis) here. The only time you can buy snowdrops here is dry bulbs in the autumn. I hope times will change and snowdrops will become more available so that more people will get to know them. Just last week I talked to someone in the village how in more "normal" spring I would have flowering snowdrops in March and she thought I was joking.