Galanthus January 2007

[Brian Ellis]

Well Paddy

You will be pleased to know that David Shackleton is one of my personal favourites...although of course there are a lot of East Anglian snowdrops including all those Greatorex doubles!

[vanhouttewim]

Today my father has found a galanthus elwesii with only 2 outer segments and 2 inners.
i don't know if it will be stable for next year.
He also has several Galanthus elwesii with green tips on the outers, 1 is more green than the others , with green stripes.
i know that green tips occur frequently.
what do you think about the plant with only 2 inner and outer segments?
The green mark on the inners has the form of a fat H, strange.

Wim

[KentGardener]

Hi Wim

I would be very interested to see a picture of the 2 petal plant - I cannot imagine what it will look like.  Fingers crossed for this feature being stable in future years.  I seem to remember reading that there was a 2 petal plant in Australia called rabbit ears (or bunny? or donkey?) or something like that (not sure what species it is/was) - maybe Paul can tell us more.

The green striped Elwesii sounds interesting too - is it as green as G Elwesii Rosemary Burnham?

regards

John

[Paddy Tobin]

Chris,

Your 'Hill Poe'  are well ahead of mine which are just barely peeking about ground, so I  must wait for a while. The weather was very bright and clear here today and I managed to take a selection of photographs but did not manage to post any - son and girlfriend visiting, so much wine consumed - but will try to get there tomorrow.


Brian,

G. 'David Shackleton' is a  prized snowdrop for me also but, funnily enough, David always denied any knowledge of having or passing on this snowdrop. Of course, the snowdrops of East Anglia are highly prized here as well as with you.

Wim,

I have been looking through photographs taken today in the garden and noticed a Galanthus 'Fred's Giant' with four outer segments. I must go back to the books and see if this is a regular occurence or not. Let  us know more about your two and two G. elwesii. Sounds interesting.  I find G. elwesii is very variable and close examination will show great variations  among even one clump.

Paddy
Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

John,

That rabbit-eared snowdrop - might it be G. Sharlockii

Paddy

[KentGardener]

Hi Paddy

I have found the reference to 'Rabbit Ears' - it is an Elwesii selected in 2000 by Mitchell Carle, Australia - possessing only 2 outer segments.

cheers

John

[snowdropman]

I seem to remember reading that there was a 2 petal plant in Australia called rabbit ears (or bunny? or donkey?) or something like that (not sure what species it is/was)

Hi John - the Australian snowdrop is g. elwesii 'Rabbits Ears' & was selected by Mitchell Carle in 2000. As you say, it is unique in possessing only 2 outer segments.

As of a year ago, there were only 5 bulbs known to exist and none of these had been distributed. Paul Tyerman & myself have been unable to make contact with Mitchell, so the fate of this snowdrop is unknown.

[snowdropman]

I have been looking through photographs taken today in the garden and noticed a Galanthus 'Fred's Giant' with four outer segments. I must go back to the books and see if this is a regular occurence or not.

Paddy - nothing in the 'Bible' that I could see, but it does say that there are several clones doing the rounds, under the same name - I know that Ian Christie list 'Fred's Giant 1' & 'Fred's Giant 2' on his Nursery website - perhaps he might see your posting and comment.

[KentGardener]

I have just had a look at ebay - can you believe a Wendy's Gold sold for over £40 yesterday!

John

[Valentin Wijnen]

Last week I have been following the issue on feeding plants with potash. I do want to go further in this matter, discussing the essence on it. I am looking forward to see some reactions on this post...

On this liquid fertilizer: It certainly makes us questioning, isn't it? In fact it is quite logic that too much nitrogen will damage the bulb. Nitrogen makes the leafs go longer, provides lush growth of leafs but does not stimulate bold plants. Biologically speaking, a bulb is only a modified stem. I provided last year an organic K-fertilizer. Indeed, like we could read in the bulb logs (or the replies on the sgrc), this organic thing causes white strings on the soil. On the other side, I do not think that this would harm the bulbs. Mycelia  ( plural of mycelium as we call these white strings) are in fact the underground growth of fungi. The mushrooms are only the fruit of this plants. These mycelia  do provide  (combined together with micro-organisms) essential nutrition for the plants. I read already some different times that snowdrops are living together with mycorrhiza. It is a symbiosis to set it in scientific terms. Although, I have never seen it to be proven for Galanthus. It would be very important to know this for sure as it should explain why quite some snowdrops that are transplanted in the green, die down. Probably, in those cases there's no possible mycorrhiza due to a different pH, no material originating from the place where the bulb was dug out.
There is on this K- (potash) - thing another small problem. With us, it is not easy to find pure K-fertilzer (the white powder that is mentioned in the bulb log. It seems to be for professionals...The formula of it would be K2 SO4. No garden centre in the neighbourhood provides it.....

This post has been copied to the Bulb Log Feedback 17/01/07 : http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=191.new;topicseen#new    where the discussion continues

[Valentin Wijnen]

John,
Thanks for your message. The link in the mail from the forum doesn't work, that's why I post this message overhere. The findings from last years are all doing fine, thanks. I 've been chipping them and some of them have been twinscaled by others. I do want to post a picture of another snowdrop I selected some 5 years ago. I am curious upon the reactions. I have named this selection Galanthus nivalis 'Melanie S.' It has been named after my wife; This Galanthus was found in a very big colony of Galanthus nivalis and Galanthus nivalis 'flore pleno'. No single others species can be involved in parentage....

[KentGardener]

Hi Valentin

I like the curve of the outside, how neat is the inside?  Can we see the inside please?  It has a really chunky pedicel - does it always hang at a slight angle like that?

cheers

John

[vanhouttewim]

difficult for me to make a good picture , but here is one (today)

Wim

[Valentin Wijnen]

Hi John,
Here's more from the inside of Galanthus nivalis Melanie S..

[Valentin Wijnen]

Wim,
This finding of you , the G. elwesii with the two outer and inner petals sounds very interesting. I would be very surprised if this feature should not return. It seems to be constant. At the 'sneeuwklokjeszondag' in Vordenstein (Antwerp) I will give a lecture on making selections, selecting new forms of snowdrops and bulk them up. I would be very pleased to have a picture of this finding to show it. Of course, you can mail it to my private e-mailaddress if you want to do so: valentinwijnen@yahoo.co.uk. It should be at least at a 1.5 MB, OK?
Bedankt op voorhand! Tot ziens!