Top of the 'drops

[Paddy Tobin]

Pat,

You caught my list when I was half way through typing it and pressed the "post" button by accident.

The Greatorex doubles - Desdemona and Ophelia are two - have grown and grown in my appreciation over the past few years as, when in a good clump, they give a great display in the garden, great show of white, great bulk in the planting etc. G71 is another double which could be added.

Hill Poe doesn't give the same big display in the garden as it is of smaller stature but it is so neat and dainty - and of Irish origins - that I had to include it in my list.

Paddy

[cycnich]

Paddy
         Its too early for me to make a list of 10 but these 5 have done really well for me in the short space of time I have been growing, most of them are fairly old cultivars that have stood the test of time so they will be old hat to you guys, in no particular order
Bill Bishop
Brenda Troyle
S Arnott
Magnet
Lyzzick
I also have a soft spot for Sibbertoft White, only just aqquired but a real delicate little thing but I doubt it will show the vigour of the previous ones. Does anyboby know the origins of the Sibbertoft plants, I would be interested to know. Thanks All Pat.

[Maggi Young]

Sibbertoft was the garden of Lady Beatrix Stanley, and those plants came originally from there. It is in Northamptonshire, I think. Back in 2006 one Peter Howard, who had recently become the gardener there came into the old Forum to ask if anyone had any old info about the plantings etc, but he o nly posted that one time and did not get much reponse , publically, at least, from the Drop Fiends  

http://www.srgc.org.uk/discus/messages/1078/42618.html

 Lady Beatrix' grandson now has a house with a snowdrop garden himself....
http://www.ngs.org.uk/gardens/gardenfinder/garden.aspx?id=5589

[majallison]

Primrose Warburg collected a lot of material from Sibbertoft Manor after the death of Lady Beatrix Stanley & planted the bulbs in an area of her garden at South Hayes, Yarnell's Hill near Oxford; the area was referred to as Sibbertoft Bank & I believe that PW was responsible for assigning names to some of the Sibbertoft material.

[Paddy Tobin]

Paddy
         Its too early for me to make a list of 10 but these 5 have done really well for me in the short space of time I have been growing, most of them are fairly old cultivars that have stood the test of time so they will be old hat to you guys, in no particular order
Bill Bishop
Brenda Troyle
S Arnott
Magnet
Lyzzick
I also have a soft spot for Sibbertoft White, only just aqquired but a real delicate little thing but I doubt it will show the vigour of the previous ones. Does anyboby know the origins of the Sibbertoft plants, I would be interested to know. Thanks All Pat.

Pat,

I haven't grown 'Lyzzick' though I have seen it discussed and described here on the forum. However, the others you list have certainly proved themselves in gardens and are most unlikely to let you down.

Paddy

[mark smyth]

Maggi yet again I'm amazed by the info your store in yer heed

[Alan_b]

My top ten:

1)  G. nivalis Green Light  (I found this one so it has to be top of my list).
2)  G. elwesii Rosemary Burnham (beautiful but difficult to keep virescent elwesii.  I have found some similar drops myself but they too are enjoying mixed fortunes so far).
3)  G. woronowii Elizabeth Harrison (THE desirable, totally unobtainable yellow drop of the moment).
4)  G. Alwyn (beautifly symmetric flore pleno with stong elwesii parentage).
5)  G. plicatus E.A. Bowles (famously expensive but beautiful poculiform plicatus)
6)  G. nivalis sharlockii 'Belle de Walloni' (sharlockii and similar are vastly under-rated through having been known for so long.  This one has lovely green marking on the outers).
7)  G. South Hayes (unusual striped marks on the outers).
8 )  G. nivalis x plicatus Tommy Thomson (sorry, I just made that name up, but I'm thinking of a smallish very vigorous unnamed snowdrop I grow in my garden that sometimes produces extra petals, fused ovaries or two flowers on a single scape so a bit like a son of Mrs Thomson).
9)  G. nivalis walrus (weird but wonderful).
10) G. elwesii Peter Gatehouse (beautiful November-flowering elwesii with good green marks on the inners).

I only own 5 of my top 10, but we all need something to aspire to.

[snowdropman]

I haven't grown 'Lyzzick' though I have seen it discussed and described here on the forum.

For anyone that is interested - a bulb of 'Lyzzick' is being sold on ebay now.

[Paddy Tobin]

I haven't grown 'Lyzzick' though I have seen it discussed and described here on the forum.

For anyone that is interested - a bulb of 'Lyzzick' is being sold on ebay now.

You should know me better, Chris. No Bid!

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Primrose Warburg collected a lot of material from Sibbertoft Manor after the death of Lady Beatrix Stanley & planted the bulbs in an area of her garden at South Hayes, Yarnell's Hill near Oxford; the area was referred to as Sibbertoft Bank & I believe that PW was responsible for assigning names to some of the Sibbertoft material.

Hello, Malcolm, a warm welcome to you.... thanks for this information 

[KentGardener]

Welcome Malcolm.   

[Eric Locke]

I haven't grown 'Lyzzick' though I have seen it discussed and described here on the forum.

For anyone that is interested - a bulb of 'Lyzzick' is being sold on ebay now.

It "s not mine this time.

Eric

[Paddy Tobin]

My top ten:

1)  G. nivalis Green Light  (I found this one so it has to be top of my list).
2)  G. elwesii Rosemary Burnham (beautiful but difficult to keep virescent elwesii.  I have found some similar drops myself but they too are enjoying mixed fortunes so far).
3)  G. woronowii Elizabeth Harrison (THE desirable, totally unobtainable yellow drop of the moment).
4)  G. Alwyn (beautifly symmetric flore pleno with stong elwesii parentage).
5)  G. plicatus E.A. Bowles (famously expensive but beautiful poculiform plicatus)
6)  G. nivalis sharlockii 'Belle de Walloni' (sharlockii and similar are vastly under-rated through having been known for so long.  This one has lovely green marking on the outers).
7)  G. South Hayes (unusual striped marks on the outers).
8 )  G. nivalis x plicatus Tommy Thomson (sorry, I just made that name up, but I'm thinking of a smallish very vigorous unnamed snowdrop I grow in my garden that sometimes produces extra petals, fused ovaries or two flowers on a single scape so a bit like a son of Mrs Thomson).
9)  G. nivalis walrus (weird but wonderful).
10) G. elwesii Peter Gatehouse (beautiful November-flowering elwesii with good green marks on the inners).

I only own 5 of my top 10, but we all need something to aspire to.

Alan, if I were to take your line - a little bit of a wish list as well as a list of favourites you grow - I would have 'Elizabeth Harrison' at the very top of my list. It is the outstanding snowdrop I have seen this season. I'm completely smitten by it.

And, just to show what kind of people use this forum: after my comments on G. 'Lyzzick' above - that I didn't grow it and wasn't going to be bidding on e-bay - I had two very kind, generous offers of bulbs. True gardening cameraderie is alive and well and living on the SRGC forum.

Paddy

[Alan_b]

Alan, if I were to take your line - a little bit of a wish list as well as a list of favourites you grow - I would have 'Elizabeth Harrison' at the very top of my list. It is the outstanding snowdrop I have seen this season. I'm completely smitten by it....

Paddy

I know I was being a bit fanciful but I thought in the original top twenty at the beginning of this thread, the merit element seemed to get convolved with ease of availability.  What you ended up was more like the twenty best-known snowdrops than the twenty best snowdrops.

[Paddy Tobin]

Yes, it isn't clear whether it is a poll of the twenty best, twenty favourite of the twenty most grown and if we weren't a big fanciful we would never look for something different.

Paddy