Whopper bulbs

[Paddy Tobin]

A clump of Galanthus plicatus cristata (that is the name under which I received these bulbs) looked in need of dividing and I undertook the task today. I was surprised at the size of the bulbs and the prolific production of offsets. Have a look at the photographs.

The first show the whole clump with a trowel alongside for size comparison.

The second shows three of the big bulbs on the trowel

and the third shows how productively this bulb had produced offsets - how we would all love our rare cultivars to produce so prolifically!

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Goodness me, those are whopper bulbs! I'd never have thought that three galanthus bulbs would fill a trowel. Indeed a shame that more plants are not as robust as this.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Very impressive Paddy !
Did you give them the BD potash regime  

[Paddy Tobin]

Luc,

No regime at all, simply planted in the garden. Never fed, only what was available to them in the ground.

Paddy

[art600]

Paddy

Were the flowers any different from other Galanthus plicatus?  Were they a gift from a friend, or did you buy them?

[Paddy Tobin]

Arthur,

Photograph below from 2007 for your attention.

The bulbs came from a friend.

Paddy

[Martin Baxendale]

Paddy, any seed capsules formed? Looks like it could be a polyploid form of plicatus (not nearly as common in plicatus as in elwesii). If it's a regular seed setter, may be a fertile tetraploid. If sterile then probably a triploid. If you've had no seed pods, might you be able to ask your friend if he or she regularly gets seed set or not - could be very useful indeed from the breeding viewpoint.

[Paddy Tobin]

Martin,

I have just read your posting on the other thread of all the seed you have now sown for this year. Here, I take a very opposite approach and deadhead my snowdrops so as to prevent any self-seeding which I fear might lead to seedlings arising in the garden which might  compromise the purity of a clump of a particular cultivar.

Paddy

[Martin Baxendale]

Martin,

I have just read your posting on the other thread of all the seed you have now sown for this year. Here, I take a very opposite approach and deadhead my snowdrops so as to prevent any self-seeding which I fear might lead to seedlings arising in the garden which might  compromise the purity of a clump of a particular cultivar.

Paddy

I do the same unless I've made a deliberate cross. Unplanned seedlings sprouting in clumps of named cultivars can cause real problems. One job I have to do when it stops raining, is go around those clumps that I didn't cross-pollinate and check them for unwanted seed pods that I might have missed earlier. It's very easy to miss some seed pods hiding under leaves, but they tend to become much more visible when the leaves start to die back - trouble is by that stage they're often ready to shed their seed so you have to be quick.