Galanthus January 2007

[Paddy Tobin]

Chris,

Welcome back, though reading of the conditions in Rome do make me a little envious. You will have gathered that we have not had it as nice here.

All the same it is nice to return to a good display of snowdrops.

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Yes, glad you had a pleasant break, Chris, though if the wind had been in a different direction we might all have been blown out to join you! I suspect the slug damage is less than you thought it might have been because the damn things have all been drowned and/or blown away!!

[snowdropman]

Hi Paddy

Glad to be back - Rome was really enjoyable, but home is better!

I was really looking forward to seeing my snowdrops, and I was not disappointed!

Just hope that we have a colder snap, otherwise the snowdrops will be over all too soon.

Chris

[snowdropman]

Hi Maggi

From what I have heard, I suspect that you are right about them drowning - our taxi driver from the airport was full of stories about the torrential rain!

I was mightily worried when, on the day before we left, I cleared several slugs off of the grit surrounding my g. elwesii 'Carolyn Elwes', but happy to report that it seems to have survived intact, together with a few other 'specials'.

Chris

[Maggi Young]

It IS good when our worst fears are not realised, isn't it? I think the gales will have blown away some aphids, too, thank goodness.

[KentGardener]

Welcome back Chris - I thought you had gone a bit quiet.  Glad the slugs haven't taken advantage of your absence.

Things are slowly moving upwards here.  I would guess about 3 more will be in flower this weekend (about 10 % of my collection).

John

[snowdropman]

Thanks John - I must admit that I was a bit worried about the slugs, which seemed to appear in some numbers (both large and very small) just before I left for Rome, particularly as they seemed to be targetting a number of my 'prized' snowdrops!

I do not usually have any sort of slug problem after about mid November, so am into new terrotory here and, if this milder winter weather is to stay with us in future years, I must clearly work out a new slug strategy!

[Brian Ellis]

Well Chris I hope you haven't got pheasants and rabbits which are causing mayhem here!  At least my twin scales are popping up.  I have successfully put used coffee grounds as a mulch over Hostas in the winter.  It seems to keep the slugs away, first read about it in the RHS Journal and thought it was worth having a try.  Would it have an adverse affect on snowdrops I wonder?

Brian

[Ian Y]

There is the new challenge, never mind the wee green bits or the yellow tips what about the slug-proof, non edible by rabbits, deer, pheasants, etc snow drop.
Or any bulb for that matter.
Is it possible?
I am finding many of the newly emerging tips of bulbs being nibbled as the are appearing, definitely a slug problem in Aberdeen as well.

[snowdropman]

Hi Brian - used coffee grounds is a new one on me - only one way to find out whether or not it works with snowdrops - I will try it next year (in a controlled experiment)!

I am not sure if he is still on the SRGC Forum, but Ruben Billiet uses a cover of Lava Rock over his snowdrops - apparently this is very sharp and consequently (literally) shreds slugs & snails as they try to crawl over it - I have not yet been able to source any in the UK, so I cannot speak first hand but, if he is still with us, perhaps Ruben might comment further (if anyone does know a source for Lava Rock, I would love to know).

[snowdropman]

Well Ian, I don't know about your challenge but I would certainly be interested in any other slug & snail beating measures taken by members of the Forum - the nibbling of newly emerged tips is so frustrating, particularly when the flower is okay.

[snowdropman]

I'm not sure how it is for others who like snowdrops but, for me, I use Galanthus nivalis for large plantings

Hi Paddy - just catching up with some of the postings whilst I was away - whilst you are absolutely right that nivalis lends itself very well to mass plantings, I wonder if these mass plantings might also be a source of some interesting new forms?

I have been intrigued by the very exciting nivalis forms coming out of such places as the Czech Republic and Croatia where the snowdrops seem to have been hybridising unhindered over long periods of time (I suspect that other, as yet untapped, populations of nivalis in such places as Poland, Romania, Bosnia, Slovakia etc will also, over time, give up some gems as well)

The sometimes maligned g. nivalis, or Common Snowdrop, is definitely a very versatile snowdrop in that it produces a whole range of different forms e.g. early flowering, late flowering, dwarf, tall, big flowers, small flowers, albino, green tips, green lines, variation in both leaf size & colour etc etc.

Therefore, in addition to seeking out & growing nivalis forms with these diverse characteristics, I have also created a nivalis bed which started with the basic g. nivalis & g. nivalis flore pleno that were growing here when I moved to my present house & I now routinely add to it an extra bulb of any new nivalis forms that I acquire (and duly stick a label in to that effect) and will be interested to discover whether, over a period of years, any interesting hybridisation occurrs.

[Paddy Tobin]

Hi Chris,

Re the mass planting of galanthus nivalis. The one big planting that I spoke about in a previous posting was, rather disappointingly, devoid of any variations when closely inspected by some snowdrop enthusiasts. This was a disappointment when, as it was an old planting, there was some expectation that  there might be some variations over the years.

Do post some photographs of those favourites of yours. It would be a treat.

Paddy

[snowdropman]

Paddy - I am hoping that, by seeding the original nivalis stock with nivalis forms with different characteristics, nature will take its course - we will see!

[snowdropcollector]

Maybe I will have a good solution for you all about the slugs. At least, it works for me very well !!!!
I put little plastic tubes/little botles ( sorry, do not know the right english word for it ) into the ground, let them stick out just a little. Than I fill them 1/2 with sweet beer. Yes, yes, I know, it is a waste. But it is worth it !!! Slugs go into this, they love the beer.
But they do not come out anymore, they kind of drown in it.
It is easy for me to get this plastic tubes, because we use them at my work. Normally we fill them with water and we use them for the cuted orchids/cybidiums. These tubes are used for letting having the orchid water while they are transported all over the world. Maybe you can get them in a flowershop in your city.

I put a few off these tubes between the different species of snowdrops, it works !
If people do not know what I mean, please say it to me. I will make a picture from these tubes at my work, and show it to you.