Re: Winter snowdrops

[Jo]

Yes,   I found it difficult to take a good photo of it, ( lying on the ground ) because its quite tall and kind of fans out a bit in all directions.  Its OK with something nearby to support it, thats Cardamine quinquifolia beside it which works.  Mind you I think the cardamine will rapidly take over it if I turn my back too long 

[Alan_b]

this was my Robin Hood last year. The second picture shows one stem that has 2 pedicels with a flower each. I think that Robin Hood does that kind of thing, a bit like Kite, is that true ?

Once or twice I have found snowdrops with two flowers on a single spathe, got very excited about it, only to find in subsequent years that that they never ever do it again!   

[Anthony Darby]

I think naming a Snowie after you would be very poetic.... 'cause then you'd HAVE to like em more, wouldn't you?  It could be a good way of forcing you to come up to speed and start collecting, joining us in the white fever and all that. 

Better than been named after a rose: here is what Eleanor  Roosevelt said "I  had  a  rose  named after  me  and  I  was  very  flattered. 
But  I  was  not  pleased  to  read  the  description  in  the  catalogue: -
'No  good  in  a  bed,  but fine  against  a  wall.' "

[Luc Gilgemyn]

 

[Jo]

 

[steve owen]

 
Oh Mr Darby - and you a church-goer too...

[dominique]

 

[Anthony Darby]

Ouch!

'Lapwing' is just coming out. I didn't realise it was an early one. This info is missing from the book. I also have fosteri just about open in the greenhouse.

[mark smyth]

Anthony I dont think we can rely on flowering times in the book. As winters are getting milder they are coming up when they want. A short late flowering elwesii I was given a couple of years ago already has one flower open. Another late form nought last autumn has flower buds.

[Anthony Darby]

Perhaps not, but in similar conditions the order in which the various snowdrops open would remain more or less the same? I usually regard 'John Gray' as my first new year snowdrop, but 'Lapwing' has beaten it by a week.

[johnw]

The temperature outside is -4c but in the greenhouse with all the sun the temperature is +18c. Very hard to control at this time of year so the window is flung open and we hope for the best.

The snowdrops' flower size is decidedly underwhelming this year due to leaving them in the same mix for 2 years running.

Still a few in bloom today. Apologies for the photos, again with sun and snow the markings are showing with yellow edges (halos) and streaky.

elwesii Alanja (hopefully)
Brenda Troyle
Diggory
Magnet
Rosemary Burnham is getting close
nivalis Angsley Abbey

When I open up my Galanthus pix in Apple's iPhoto I get a wonderful collage of them. This makes it easy to compare varieties which resemble one another. I have been thinking a cd to accompany the next edition of Snowdrops would be a valuable addition.   It would be especially useful if like varieties were arranged together with an accompanying spreadsheet with leaf, inner/outer segment markings & sizes and other distinguishing features. You could then bring the like ones up on a single page for comparison.  It would be a tremendous amount of work for the authors.  This is not to diminish in any way the great importance of the photos on and hard work put into sites like Mark's.

johnw

[maggiepie]

They're all beautiful John, can't believe you have these flowering now, what a thrill it must be.

[David Quinton]

John,

Marvellous photographs. It seems very peculiar that you should have these in flower given your location when all of mine have been frozen solid for at least a week and no real signs of flowering (apart from Mrs Macnamara and J Haydn).

Keep the photos coming and make sure that you post a picture of Rosemary Burnham when she opens up.

David

[johnw]

Helen and David -

re: David's "Very peculiar that you should have these in flower given your location when all of mine have been frozen solid for at least a week".

No balmy climate here.  Remember the drops are in the greenhouse! At latitude 44.8 the sun is very strong it just has no heating power.

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

[johnw]

Keep the photos coming and make sure that you post a picture of Rosemary Burnham when she opens up.
David

David  - I will be sure to photograph it before I pull all the anthers off and self it.  I think there are 3 stalks arising.

I think it was kentgardener who once remarked "Am I the only one who doesn't have Rosemary Burnham". To which I should have replied "No you are the only one who hasn't killed Rosemary Burnham".  I hope someone outside of BC has better luck with it. Wonder if it requires summer dry and winter wet?  Also have to wonder if it is a grex or a single clone, after all there was a patch of them when first found. Hence the hope for seed.

johnw