Chipping/Twin-scaling type question

[snowdropman]

Thanks to Martin, Brian & Anne for confirming that you pot up the blind chips as well.

Anne, I am always amazed by the massive variation in time between different varieties of snowdrop - my G. woronowii 'Green Flash' had to be potted up after just 14 weeks because the chips had already started to produce a root, whereas with G. nivalis 'Monika' even after 24 weeks, when they were all potted up, most of the chips were still blind and only a few had very tiny bulbils (not holding out too much hope for the latter by the way).

[snowdropman]

Gerard is listing a nivalis 'Maximus'. This name has already been used for a plicatus in the past

There is also a form of elwesii in circulation with the cultivar epithet 'Maximus' (not to be confused with the similar sounding G. elwesii 'Maximum')

[Maggi Young]

Quote from: mark smyth on Today at 01:24:01 PM
Gerard is listing a nivalis 'Maximus'. This name has already been used for a plicatus in the past

Quote from Chris:
There is also a form of elwesii in circulation with the cultivar epithet 'Maximus' (not to be confused with the similar sounding G. elwesii 'Maximum')

Chris, is there nothing that can be done to "tidy up" all these confusingly similar names? Doesn't the RHC Narcissus Register work to prevent this sort of muddle? Is there nothing similar in place for the snowdrops?

[mark smyth]

I would have though Matt Bishop holds list.

There any many snowdrops now with names to catch the addict. It seems to be mainly from people who have never been to e.g. the Galanthus Gala or the RHS shows to see what is available and how good they look. If every green tipped elwesii found in a garden centre was named we would be inundated with named varieties.

[snowdropman]

Chris, is there nothing that can be done to "tidy up" all these confusingly similar names? Doesn't the RHC Narcissus Register work to prevent this sort of muddle? Is there nothing similar in place for the snowdrops?

Maggi - The ICRA for Galanthus is the KAVB in Holland but very few Galanthus names have been registered with this organisation.

The 'Snowdrops' Monograph (by Messrs Bishop, Davis & Grimshaw), published in 2001 (2nd Edition 2006), and which contained the names of approx 500 cultivars, is widely regarded as the most accurate record of snowdrop names and the authors went to considerable lengths when writing it to try to resolve situations where, for instance, more than one snowdrop was circulating under the same name, where invalid names had been used etc.

Unfortunately, since the publication of this Monograph, a very considerable number of further snowdrops have been named, but there has been no effective system/control in place over this naming frenzy - I know of approx 800 named cultivars, over and above those already recorded in the 'Snowdrops' Monograph, but suspect that there are many more still to be discovered.

I do what I can to try to resolve situations where more than one person has used the same name, where invalid names have been used etc, but this is as yet only on an informal basis - whilst I have received a good reaction and have achieved some success (particularly where duplication of naming has occurred) this is all very much 'after the event'.

I am keen to see some form of easy to use Register being set up and have developed some outline proposals, but this initiative is at a very early stage - in the meantime, for anyone thinking of naming a new snowdrop, I remain willing both to check my Database for any prior usage of the name and, where requested, to offer guidance/advice on naming.

[Martin Baxendale]

Good God, Chris! When you previously mentioned 800 named snowdrops I thought you meant including the 500-odd in the monograph. Do you really have records of another 800 on top of those, i.e. about 1,300 in total?

[snowdropman]

Good God, Chris! When you previously mentioned 800 named snowdrops I thought you meant including the 500-odd in the monograph. Do you really have records of another 800 on top of those, i.e. about 1,300 in total?

Martin

Yep, 800 on top of the 500 in the 'Snowdrops' Monograph, and growing, almost daily 

I am sure that you must have named a few from your breeding programme & would love to have a note of them 

[snowdropman]

Given the size of your database, Chris, I would think that a word or six with you before naming a snowdrop would seem an eminently sensible idea and I think it is good of you to offer assistance in this way, however informally..... the current situation is just too ridiculous, in my opinion.

Thank you Maggi - I would certainly want to encourage anyone, thinking of naming a new snowdrop, to get in touch with me - preferably before they have named their snowdrop

[Martin Baxendale]

Martin
I am sure that you must have named a few from your breeding programme & would love to have a note of them 

I've selected out quite a few nice seedlings over the years and chipped them to make clumps for the garden. And two or three of those that are especially good may get named eventually, but only when I'm sure they're strong, healthy growers disease resistant and good garden plants as well as lovely flowers. But to date I haven't named a single one. Now excuse me, I must go and polish my halo.   

[snowdropman]

two or three of those that are especially good may get named eventually, but only when I'm sure they're strong, healthy growers disease resistant and good garden plants as well as lovely flowers. But to date I haven't named a single one. Now excuse me, I must go and polish my halo.   

Polish away Martin 

I doubt that many of the 800 named cultivars that I have unearthed would get anywhere near satisfying the criteria that you set out, which should be the yardstick for deciding whether, or not, a snowdrop cultivar is name worthy.

[Hagen Engelmann]

Martin, I have sent Chris lists of names . And I`m more than curiously to listen about your results. I found you only in silence. My very interest is in swapping bulbs with you. But how?

[Hagen Engelmann]

Martin, where do you have the time for polishing??? I thought you have to drawing and gardening the drops?

[Martin Baxendale]

Hi Hagen. Sorry I forgot to get back to you about your offer of a swap in return for my mother's colchicum. Unfortunately I don't have much room in my small garden for big colchicums, especially as I need so much room for the snowdrops. Was the Colchicum 'Huxley' what you hoped for or not as dark as you expected?

Swapping my new snowdrops is not something I can really do yet because when I raise a new seedling that is good, I only have the one bulb, which must be chipped and grown on and chipped again before I have enough to swap or give away. Hopefully in another year or two I will start to have enough quantities of some of my best new snowdrops to begin distributing some. And before I do that, I will also have to think about names. It's a lot easier for someone who finds a nice big clump of a 'new' snowdrop in a garden because straight away they have enough to give away.    

[Paddy Tobin]

Martin,

You should be cloned! At least your attitude to the naming of snowdrops should certainly be widely copied. Such reticence in naming will assure your, in time, named snowdrops a warm welcome when released to other enthusiasts. At least we will know that something worthwhile is available.

I have been reading snowdrop sales lists over the last week, checking up on them in the snowdrop book or some of the internet sites. You know, I can pass up on most of them without a second thought. There are simply so many which are not particularly individual at all.

So, keep up the breeding and chipping programme and we can look  forward to nice snowdrops at some stage.

Paddy

[Gerard Oud]

Sorry to be a bit late for a reply but i had problems with the computer.
For the twinscaling i use perlite it is much better than the sticky vermiculite. It breaths much better and its cleaner.

About Flocon de neige, i maybe do have some for sale next year but these are twinscale's. I want to see first how they grow and if they remain healthy, because it is hard one to grow.
Even when you are able to get some you have to swap a lot of money or a bunch of other value snowdrops for it. So i thought 150 euro would be a fair price but the price in my cataloge is just a price indication, we can always swap for other nice one's!

About price's, my neighbour is growing very rare and valuable peonie's like Old Faithe (a very nice big red double). He is asking for one 150 euro what is a lot of money we say. But when you have it in your garden you will have the pleasure of this fantastic peonie, and after 3 years of enjoyment you even might have about 3 to 4 plants that you can sell easily for that price. That is pleasure and 500% credit!

About the Maximus we are growing here this cultivar for age's, it is a bit earlier then the normal nivalis and it reache's up to 35 cm, even the bulbs grow easily to size 6 or bigger and i believe its registrated at the kAVB.