Re: Winter snowdrops

[mark smyth]

I've had it and killed it

[David Quinton]

John,

Regarding your snowdrops growing in the greenhouse; some of mine are in the greenhouse but are frozen. As you can tell it's unheated! Forecast is for it to warm up this week which should allow the snowdrops to catch up a bit.

I will be at the RHS Halls on the same day as you and perhaps we can meet up?

David

[maggiepie]

Helen and David -
Winter is to strike Thursday Helen, they say we may have a high of -14c in Halifax on the coast! 

Solution - flights booked to London for the February Show.  A good stay from the 16th to the 24th and hopefully they will be thawed out by then. Hope we meet some fellow forumists there. Is not on the itinerary of the snowdrop contingent from Belgium and Germany?

johnw

I saw the weather forecast John, -19C for a high is a bit of a shocker, but the following week the temps are rising again.
Weird.
Would love the shows, but I might see other things I want, plus I can't leave my babies, plus I need my extra cash for seeds'n'stuff.

[Alan_b]

....I hope someone outside of BC has better luck with it [Rosemary Burnham]. Wonder if it requires summer dry and winter wet? ....
johnw 

It won't like BC if it requires summer dry.  They have temperate rain forests in that part of Canada!

[johnw]

....I hope someone outside of BC has better luck with it [Rosemary Burnham]. Wonder if it requires summer dry and winter wet? ....
johnw 

It won't like BC if it requires summer dry.  They have temperate rain forests in that part of Canada!

Alan - Victoria is very summer dry, almost mediterranean, I think 23" of rain a year.  Everyone seems to summer irrigate there, including friends in N. Vanvouver (Deep Cove) right in the the coastal rainforest - I think 62"/yr but most in the winter. Have never witnessed any humidity in the summer out there. Maybe Diane can confirm.

johnw

johnw

[johnw]

John,

Regarding your snowdrops growing in the greenhouse; some of mine are in the greenhouse but are frozen. As you can tell it's unheated! Forecast is for it to warm up this week which should allow the snowdrops to catch up a bit.

I will be at the RHS Halls on the same day as you and perhaps we can meet up?

David

Great David, let's do that. Closer to departure we'll decide on a signal or meeting place. By the way, I look nothing like Diggory.

Forgot about unheated greenhouses, silly me.

johnw

[art600]

Just watched an excellent few minutes on 'Countryfile'.  A visit to Colebourne and a look at snowdrops with Dr John Grimshaw.  Brief, fleeting, but it gave a glimpse of what might be seen by those visiting in the next few weeks.   

[Anthony Darby]

Brought Galanthus 'Lapwing' into the kitchen when it opened.

[mark smyth]

Art I saw it also. Another few minutes would have been great.

Lapwing is lovely. I've had it twice, lost it twice so no more

[Maggi Young]

Just watched an excellent few minutes on 'Countryfile'.  A visit to Colebourne and a look at snowdrops with Dr John Grimshaw.  Brief, fleeting, but it gave a glimpse of what might be seen by those visiting in the next few weeks.   

Fleeting indeed, Arthur. from  05.20 minutes into the programme until 08.25 minutes or therabouts!
 Those in the UK (or at least mainland UK, because I know BBC i-player is sometimes  a bit iffy for Northern Ireland even.... ) can see the programme here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00gq2vp

Just the three minutes of 'drops, but pleasant enough.... pity Adam Henson's introduction doesn't actually make sense !

[Tony Willis]

Thanks for the link Maggi,it was pleasant and quite enjoyable. I gave up when we moved on to cauliflowers.

[Alan_b]

....I hope someone outside of BC has better luck with it [Rosemary Burnham]. Wonder if it requires summer dry and winter wet? ....
johnw 

It won't like BC if it requires summer dry.  They have temperate rain forests in that part of Canada!

Alan - Victoria is very summer dry, almost mediterranean, I think 23" of rain a year.  Everyone seems to summer irrigate there, including friends in N. Vanvouver (Deep Cove) right in the the coastal rainforest - I think 62"/yr but most in the winter. Have never witnessed any humidity in the summer out there. Maybe Diane can confirm.

johnw

johnw

Maybe we are both right, John?  What you say is true for Victoria but not for most of the surrounding area.  I certainly saw plenty of rain when I was there in the month of September.  To quote from Wikipedia on Victora BC weather

"Total annual precipitation is just 608 mm (24in) at the Gonzales weather station in Victoria, contrasted to nearby Seattle, (137 km/85 miles away to the southeast), with 970mm (38in) of rainfall, or Vancouver, 100 km away, with 1,219 mm (48 in) of rainfall. Perhaps even more dramatic is the difference in rainfalls on Vancouver Island. Port Renfrew, just 80 km from Victoria on the wet southwest coast of Vancouver Island receives 3,671 mm (145 in). Even the Victoria Airport, 25 km north of the city, receives about 45 per cent more precipitation than the city proper. One of the most striking features of Victoria's climate is the distinct dry and rainy seasons. Nearly two thirds of the annual precipitation falls during the four wettest months, November to February. Precipitation in December, the wettest month (109 mm/4 in) is nearly eight times as high as in July, the driest month (14 mm/0.5 in). During the summer months, Victoria is the driest major city in Canada."

According to the "snowdrop bible", Rosemary Burnham was found "in the ruin of an old garden at Burneby, BC...".  I cannot locate a Burneby BC but Burnaby BC (with an A not an E) is a little way east of Vancouver. 

By the way, where I live near Cambridge would seem to be at least as dry as Victoria (see http://www.viridis.net/cubg/rain.html ).

[Hagen Engelmann]

Sorry, this video is only available in the UK

Fine. I thought time of discrimination is over. Thanks to all for good pics, witch I can see day for day.

[johnw]

Alan - Most of the Galanthophiles live around Victoria in the rain shadow.  The west coast of the island is certainly a different matter - see Tofino's rainfall!

You're right it is Burnaby and I think I sent John Grimshaw a note on that mistake after the first edition came out.  Is the mistake in the second edition as well? It gets a tad warmer in summer in Surrey to the south of Burnaby than in Vancouver as I recall but virtually the same rainfall as Vancouver. Friends in N. Vancouver near Deep Cove get a fair bit more rain in the winter than Vancouver proper.  Climatically it is a very complicated region.

So the Jury's out on why Rosemary Burnham isn't performing well in similar rainfall areas.  I wonder if there have been losses in Victoria.

When RB was first mentioned in the literature it was Francesca. They thought RB was found by Francisca Darts. I notified them that it was RB who found it. Somehow it got published as Francesca. Should a drop ever be named after Francisca do you think the different spelling would stand or would it be a nomen confusum?

johnw 

[Hagen Engelmann]

John, do you have a little bit more information about the first found of RB. Was it only one bulb, or a clump/group of plants? Is RB a good splitter or only a lonely bulb for a long time?