Autumn-Season 2008 begins

[KentGardener]

John I recognise the writing on the label that is stuck in the pot of 'Hyde Lodge'. I was disappointed with their snowdrops this year so may not order again

hi Mark

I was disapointed in a few places sending things last year - the offerings seem to get smaller each year from the major players.  When I queried this I was sent a letter basically saying "we offer rare stuff no matter what size - it is up to you as a grower to keep it alive!"  That was my first thought at not buying much this year.  Then becoming a single person paying the bills earlier in the year has been the deciding factor in my not being able to afford any new ones 2008/2009.

John

[mark smyth]

We are covered under the Consumer Act or whatever it is called. We should complain more when bulbs dont do especially when we pay pay top prices for what turns out to be a non flowering twin scale/bulbil.

'Peter Gatehouse' is now open and fosteri is above ground.

[snowdropman]

i fear i wont have much of a display for next year if things keep up

Rob - I think that we all have to accept that, with constantly changing weather patterns, we can no longer predict with any certainty what will be the flowering times for the different forms of snowdrop - just enjoy them when they do come up 

The colder than usual weather in October, with unseasonally early frosts, seems to have triggered many of the 'later' snowdrops into active growth e.g. in my  garden I have flowering at the moment G. plicatus 'Three Ships - in 2004 this flowered nearly 2 months later, on 30th December, but has got earlier each year since.

I also have G. reginae-olgae subsp. vernalis 'Alex Duguid' in flower, which is described in the 'Snowdrops' book as 'Mr Duguid's Christmas flowering snowdrop'.

Others in flower at the moment include, G. plicatus 'Mary Hely-Hutchinson', G. cilicicus, G. transcaucasicus,  (early form), together with the more usual G. reginae-olgae & G. peshmenii.

Rather curiously the early elwesii, like G. elwesii 'Peter Gatehouse' & G. elwesii Hiemalis Group 'Barnes', have only just emerged.

[snowdropman]

My G cilicicus in flower at the moment.

Tony - this is still a little known, and consequently much under-rated snowdrop - the 'Snowdrops' book suggests that it is tender and therefore best grown in the coldframe/greenhouse, but I have been growing it in the open garden now for 5 years & it seems quite happy & increases well.

A super plant and a welcome addition as it helps to fill in the hole when the reginae-olgae start to die back and before the early elwesii really get going.

[snowdropman]

Late flowers on 'Tilebarn Jamie' - I lost all the early ones to slug damage but thankfully this one give extra flowers per bulb 

John - delighted to see that the slugs did not get all of your 'Tilebarn Jamie' again . Like your 'Hyde Lodge' a good, reliable, performer.

[Tony Willis]

Chris

I have been growing it several years but keep it in an unheated greenhouse plunged in sand. I have no luck with autumn flowering plants outside as the flowers are eaten of at ground level by slugs. It seems hardy under my conditions where it does get frozen at times.

[Anthony Darby]

My G cilicicus in flower at the moment.

Tony - this is still a little known, and consequently much under-rated snowdrop - the 'Snowdrops' book suggests that it is tender and therefore best grown in the coldframe/greenhouse, but I have been growing it in the open garden now for 5 years & it seems quite happy & increases well.

A super plant and a welcome addition as it helps to fill in the hole when the reginae-olgae start to die back and before the early elwesii really get going.

Chris, do you know a supplier of this species?

[snowdropman]

Anthony - the only supplier that I know of in the UK is Norman Stevens of Cambridge Bulbs (I got mine from him at one of the AGS shows). Joachim Sixtus in Germany also used to sell it.

[snowdropman]

Tony - encouraging to hear that G. cilicicus is hardy with you in Lancashire too - difficult to understand where its reputation for being tender came from.

[Paddy Tobin]

I spotted a fully open flower on G. elwesii 'Peter Gatehouse' in the garden today. As it struck me as being early I did a search of previous postings only to find Mark reported it in flower on 22nd October 2006, again with the comment that it was very early for his garden.

Paddy

[annew]

I seem to remember some time back someone asking what the difference was between Gg reginae-olgae and peshmenii. Is it a constant factor that as they go over, reginae-olgae scapes bend towards the horizontal, whereas in peshmenii they stay vertical?

[Anthony Darby]

I have had a lone Galanthus reginae-olgae open over the weekend. It is in a west-facing bed. No sign of leaves and I will see how the scape behaves over the next few weeks.

[Tony Willis]

my G. peshmenii that appear to have been fertilised have bentover to the horizontal.

I saw one at weekend from Kastelorhizo that had pale green leaves and did not have a stripe down the leaves.

[mark smyth]

Half of my peshmenii flower stems are lying down

[Tony Willis]

my G. peshmenii that appear to have been fertilised have bentover to the horizontal.

I saw one at weekend from Kastelorhizo that had pale green leaves and did not have a stripe down the leaves.

tony, could that peshmenii be a unusual variant like G.nivalis 'anglessey abbey'? i.e showing very green leaves without any vernation? i think anglessey abbey lacks any median stripe unlike regular nivalis (although not very prominant compared to reginae olgae).

Rob I understand this is its first season in its new homeland having been brought into captivity only last year and at this stage the leaves have only just started to grow so we shall have to see how it develops. I will see it again in the spring and hopefully next autumn to confirm its lack of a stripe.