Galanthus in February 2025

[Jeffnz]

Mariette
Love the yellows.
Harry
Wolud you say that your green is a poc?
Jeff

[hwscot]

Hi, Jeff .. it certainly looks like a poc.

[Jeffnz]

Fingers crossed that it returns next year.

[Stefan B.]

Stefan, what is the mother plant? G.elwesii? Or is this a hybrid?

I'm so glad you like it. Yes, this is a G.elwesii seeding.

Stefan, Your G. trojanus looks great! Somehow this species owes a special dignity.

I agree with you, that's right!

[Leena]

Stefan, thank you

Which reminds me of Leena´s complaint that the "green" snowdrops often are not as green with her as they should be. Maybe the stronger sunlight later in the year makes them bleach? I noticed that with several green-tipped pocs as well.

Mariette, that is a very possible reason, as at the same conditions yellow snowdrops are always very nice bright yellow. The norther you are the stronger the sunlightis  at snowdrop flowering time.
Only the very  green ones, like 'Green Tear' are green here, and even they are not as strong green as in more south. Inverse poculiforms are an exception, their green on the outers is as green as in the inners.

Here is 'Trumps' coming up.

[Stefan B.]

Stefan, thank you

Mariette, that is a very possible reason, as at the same conditions yellow snowdrops are always very nice bright yellow. The norther you are the stronger the sunlightis  at snowdrop flowering time.
Only the very  green ones, like 'Green Tear' are green here, and even they are not as strong green as in more south. Inverse poculiforms are an exception, their green on the outers is as green as in the inners.

Here is 'Trumps' coming up.

(Attachment Link)

This spring my green varieties are also not green enough, like other years. This spring when the snowdrops were about to bloom, they were covered in snow for a long time. When they are in bloom and they don't get enough sunlight, then the green varieties are paler, that's what I think from the modest experience I have.


Galanthus nivalis Grünschleier   


Galanthus elwesii 'Rosemary Burnham'


Galanthus nivalis 'Green Tear'

Sorry for the bad photos!

[Jeffnz]

Makes sesne. Plnats need sunlight to photosynthetise.

[hwscot]

This spring my green varieties are also not green enough, like other years.

But Stephan, the photos .. the flowers .. are just beautiful.

What you say raises a point that interests me .. I love the yellows to excess, but I've also discovered a fondness for drops that have a pale green or limey ovary and markings. They are beautiful in their own right, almost to my eye a distinct category. But the question is, when a plant that often produces clear yellow flowers produces instead a pale green flower .. is that something to be concerned about? It's not as if the pale green or yellowy green is 'wrong', it's just what it is that year.

As an aside, I wonder if anyone has a list of the 'limey' drops. I use that name because I had one from Woottens some years ago, a plicatus they called 'Woottens Limey'. I've tried Yaffle, which has that reputation, but haven't succeeded in keeping it yet. I've bought others which were described as limeys but have grown for me with a good solid green.

Anyway .. beautiful photos!

[Stefan B.]

Jeffnz, Thank you!
 
I'm glad 'Elizabeth Harrison' appeared this spring, I hope it manages to reproduce!

Galanthus 'Elizabeth Harrison'


Galanthus nivalis Sandersii Group


Galanthus 'Midas'

[Leena]

This spring my green varieties are also not green enough, like other years. This spring when the snowdrops were about to bloom, they were covered in snow for a long time. When they are in bloom and they don't get enough sunlight, then the green varieties are paler, that's what I think from the modest experience I have.

That is interesting. I have heard the opposite, that the greens here are not so green because of lot of ultraviolet they get, and I should grow them in more shade. Though I don't think it had helped. I have kind of accepted that yellows are better here than greens and I will concentrate more to them and forget (especially the expensive) greens.

'Midas' is very nice with you Stefan.
It also grows very well here, though it is not up properly yet.

'Wifi Big Bang'


'Glenorma', planted in 2021 and finally it is up to it's name.

[Leena]

Some snowdrops from last week before this new cold spell. Next week it will warm up better and snow will melt again.

G.lagodechianus from Armenia. Have I understood right that this is a form earlier called cabardensis? It comes up earlier than my "normal" lagodechianus.
I have another lagodechianus from Armenia bought from Leonid Bondarenko, but is hasn't yet flowerd. I will have to move it. And a year ago I sowed seeds of G.cabardensis (Holubeck seeds) and they are now germingating so it will be interesting to see if all these are similar.



G.trojanus from Holubeck seeds ten years ago. The two plants have different markings in the inners, but the shape of petals and the leaves are the same.



'Cordelia'



'Lerinda' with Hepatica americana



My double seedling from 'E.A.Bowles'. Father is probably either 'Flore Pleno' (most likely) or 'Flocon de Neige' which both grow near by.
All other seedlings from this patch were single.

[Stefan B.]

Leena, how beautiful it is in your garden now...in my garden the snowdrops bloomed for a few days because of the summer temperatures and it will snow starting tomorrow....

[Stefan B.]

My double seedling from 'E.A.Bowles'. Father is probably either 'Flore Pleno' (most likely) or 'Flocon de Neige' which both grow near by.
All other seedlings from this patch were single.

(Attachment Link)

It's very cute, but you're also a good photographer.
Last fall I bought 'E.A.Bowles' again but again nothing sprouted, I will not buy this variety anymore, something is not working for me, and I like it so much...

[Leena]

Leena, how beautiful it is in your garden now...in my garden the snowdrops bloomed for a few days because of the summer temperatures and it will snow starting tomorrow....

Thank you Stefan, those pictures are from early last week. End of the week was cold and it snowed again. Last night -10, but from tomorrow it should get a little warmer, and hopefully the snow will melt away by the end of the week. And snowdrops continue to flower. Many are still just coming up, so this year the season is long also here.
I'm sorry to hear your weather was not good for a long flowering. Here warm this time of year means +10, so that is not so much. No pollinators are around yet, which is good.
We may have freezing nights until May, and sometimes cold nights below zero even in early June, but fortunately not very often.

'E.A.Bowles' has been a difficult snowdrop for me, too. At first it started to increase well, maybe five six years, but then one spring it didn't come up at all. I don't know if that was because of some pest or too cold or wet winter. Luckily I had divided it two years earlier, so now I have it again and it was coming up before this latest cold spell. But it hasn't increased in it's new spot so well, but I'm happy it is alive. The earlier spot was dryer soil than where it is growing now.

[John Aipassa]

I just want to put this one here as well. A Blonde Inge type virescent nivalis. A yellow virescent, if you will. Actually, not a virescent anymore, is it?
A seedling from my own breeding. The mother is Blonde Inge. Late flowering.