Colesbourne Park and other Snowdrop Gardens

[mark smyth]

Tony!! I thought the same

[KentGardener]

Tony and Mark - how could you!   

It was a long tiring day, I was suffering from a cold and I am 40 in 4 weeks time!

I feel really old now...

cheers

John

[Maggi Young]

We thought that special agent Gardener, Kent Gardener, had been employed as a protection officer for the rare snowies... we also felt he had failed miserably in his attempt to adopt camouflage gear for the task !!

[mark smyth]

when I get home I'll post photos of the specials from Colesbourne.

[KentGardener]

I look forward to seeing them Mark.  I didn't have time to take close ups.

John

[mark smyth]

no time!? I was there for 4 hours -1pm-5pm

[KentGardener]

Mark - we didn't actualy get there until 3pm.  In my review of the day I missed out 2 other things that went on between leaving Phil Cornish and arriving at Colesbourne - I din't think they would really be that interesting for everyone to read about.  I guess that you have been to Colesbourne before and knew to make your way to the garden containing specials.  We had never been before and spent the first hour enjoying the walks whilst admiring the large drifts of snowdrops in the woods and lake area.  It was only later that we discovered the main collection.

Can't wait to see your close ups.

cheers

John

[mark smyth]

did you get any of their Coffee cake? Very tasty

Specials and not so special
'Armine'
elwesii 'Deer Slot'
elwesii seedling
'Daglingworth'
'Greenfinch'
plicatus byzantinus seedling
'Richard Ayres'
'Rodmarton'
elwesii monostictus good leaf colour

I do have others but will save them for the web site. Too many were in the shade so couldnt get good photos.

[Maggi Young]

For a snowie, that Greenfinch is pretty. But enough of the flowers... coffee cake, my favourite, especially coffee walnut cake... tell us more about the cake!!

[David Nicholson]

I had a very nice carrot cake at East Lambrook closely followed by an even nicer chocolate brownie.

[KentGardener]

thanks for the pictures Mark.

I was surprised at how variable deer slot was - I had intended to look out for it in future years but am now not so sure.

There was also disapointment among us because we wanted to see 'galanthus caroline elwes' flowering but we were about 3 weeks too early.

John

[mark smyth]

yes the flowers of 'Deer Slot' were very variable. The best like the one above looked great. 'Carolyn Elwes' must be a very late elwesii if it's only just poking through now

[Lesley Cox]

Their minds are in other places Maggi. They're not even INTERESTED in coffee cake. Men!!!

On the other hand, I do like the G. `Greenfinch' too. It's exactly how I envisage Marks head once he has gone quite white.

[Lesley Cox]

If `Deer Slot' is a selected clone, how can it be variable?

[KentGardener]

Hi Lesley

I promise to ask my fellow travellers what they thought of the cakes - I know my bakewell slice was delicious.

I have found a few galanthus to be a bit disapointing in how variable they can be.  Anglesey Abbey is another one that has been a bit disapointing to me - if you look at the picture on page 85 of the book you will see that barely 50% are poculiform - I have yet to see a flower formed like I had hoped.

I think with some it is to do with maturity (like the greatorex doubles).  But then with something like Deer Slot and Anglesey Abbey it seems to be luck.

cheers

John