Galanthus January 2025

[Leena]

Lovely snowdrops everyone!

Winter is incredibly mild in Estonia this year. I don't remember having snowdrops so early.

Your snowdrops are looking good  , and so early. Winter has also here been mild, but here the earliest snowdrops are just poking through ground, and it will get cold again here before the real spring.  There is still some snow, but about half has now melted temporarily.
This is 'Bess' in a very early spot, but it seems to be an early snowdrop anyway.

´Golden Fleece´ is a snowdrop of superlatives: very beautiful, my earliest yellow one and extremely vigourous here. I started 2019 with one bulb and ended up with next to 40 this year.

'Golden Fleece' looks so beautiful! And how vigorous it is. I hope mine will also be vigorous in time.

[Villu]

It is looking really promising already, Leena!
But I think it is better to have them small in our latitudes in this time!

[Stefan B.]

At last the star of the day: G. trojanus. I´m extremely grateful  for that treasure  to a very generous forumist!

Gorgeous!

[Stefan B.]

Seeding from G. 'Rosemary Burnham'. I was waiting for a week to open, today I was very happy while I was shooting it. For the first time it blooms, the seed is planted 2020.

[Stefan B.]

Galanthus plicatus 'Wendy's Gold'

[Tim Harberd]

Hi Mariette,
   My yellow seedling is a hybrid.

   Went with Dad to Harlow Carr today. They have a 'raised bed' of named snowdrops up by the Alpine House. Being out doors they are a bit battered, but its a decent collection. I should have counted, but maybe 30 cultivars?

Tim DH

[Maggi Young]

   Went with Dad to Harlow Carr today. They have a 'raised bed' of named snowdrops up by the Alpine House. Being out doors they are a bit battered, but its a decent collection. I should have counted, but maybe 30 cultivars?

Tim DH

What a delight to see your Father out and about - best wishes to you both!!

[Mariette]

Indeed - and it evokes fond memories, as we visited Harlow Carr several times in the past when staying with friends in Leeds. Never at snowdrop time, but I remember marvelling at a big rhubarb collection - nothing I´ve ever seen in Germany!

[Maggi Young]

What a delight to see your Father out and about - best wishes to you both!!

   IRG 180
This is the first issue of the sixteenth year of the International Rock Gardener. A monthly freely available online magazine on the @ScottishRockgc website.
Robert Rolfe gives an insight into the  Royal Horticultural Society garden of Harlow Carr in Harrogate, Yorkshire and Gerrit and Ibelje Eijkelenboom continue their travels with part two of Orchids of southern France, the orchids in the month of May.

Download here: https://www.srgc.net/documents/irg/250130172424IRG%20180.pdf

[Tim Harberd]

Thanks Maggi,
   I go to Harlow Carr quite often, but I've not seen the Cyprediums...

Tim DH

[Leena]

Seeding from G. 'Rosemary Burnham'. I was waiting for a week to open, today I was very happy while I was shooting it. For the first time it blooms, the seed is planted 2020.

How nice that you have gotten seeds from RB. I don't think mine has produced seeds so far, maybe I don't have any suitable partner for it close by.
Here 'Rosemary Burnham' has not yet come up, but end of January was very warm and most of the snow and ground frost melted and early snowdrops have come up more. During the week end weather turned colder again, but only between 0 to -10C, so I think snowdrops can take it. No snow at the moment.
Here are some pictures from the last day of January.
Most advanced ones are 'Mrs Macnamara'


'Bess'


'Colossus'


'Fenstead End' and Helleborus odorus


An unnamed G.elwesii which is always early.

[Leena]

'Bambino' is now also early this year. Maybe it is always early if weather allows it to be.


This is a seedling from Stefan. And seems to be early too, but many times snowdrops from Europe are early in their first year here, and later adjust to our climate.
I protect it with spruce brances and dry leaves now that temperatures are below freezing again, and also because right next to it are some Epimedium seedlings which I try to protect.


I have four G.lagodechianus from different sources, and this one is the earliest. It is G.lagodechianus from Armenia, bought from Augis bulbs.


'Lord Lieutenant' with Cyclamen purpurascens


'S.Arnott'

[Leena]

I think all these are in full bloom later in April, when winter is over. We'll see how they are then after the cold.

One more picture. This is ordinary G.nivalis, always hardy, and it is nice to see how it comes through even big fallen leaves.

[Robert]

Hi Leena,

I will be very much interested to learn how the different plant species in your garden respond to the lack of snow cover and (the potential) for extreme cold to penetrate deep into the ground. A number of years ago I conducted a study on how high elevation plant species in the Sierra Nevada Mountains responded to extreme cold and the absence of snow cover. In most cases snow cover prevented well below 0° C temperatures from penetrating deep into the soil. However, without snow cover it was possible for well below 0° C temperatures to penetrate deep into the soil and remain low as long as extremely cold air temperatures and no snow cover persisted. Once snow cover returned an upward heat flux in the soil stabilized temperatures at 0° C. Finland is likely much different in this regard.

In the Sierra Nevada Mountains extreme well below 0° C soil temperatures can cause a great deal of damage to some plant species, especially as spring approaches and many species begin to break dormancy. In addition, there are low soil temperature limits for some species even when they are completely dormant during the winter. This study was complicated by other variables that impacted the plants response to extremely cold soil temperatures, as well as its short duration. From the perspective of ornamental horticulture, a great deal still needs to be sorted out. We all want to grow well adapted plants in our gardens. Any information you wish to share on this topic will be greatly appreciated.

[Alan_b]

To import from the UK into the US try Morlas Plants https://www.morlasplants.co.uk/ .  They regularly ship bulbs to the US and are highly experienced in providing the correct growing conditions to meet phytosanitary regulations and preparing the necessary documentation.  They list at least three yellow snowdrops for sale on their website and might be building up stock of others.