Galanthus January 2009

[ian mcenery]

Tony great pictures and plants.Love the gracilis

Here is my Colesbourne Colossus today clumping up nicely. Sorry about the mesh behind it's to stop the B----y cat digging up the bulbs. How I wish she would visit the neighbours after all doesn't she know they are not into plants   I suppose she is getting old  

[Anthony Darby]

I will second the comments about Tony's snowdrops. I especially like your elwesii and the gracilis is beautiful. I have some in the garden and some in a frame but they are a week or two off opening.

[Rob Potterton]

John it's a spikey. G. nivalis 'Appleby Spikey'

Mark - This one is not a spikey and it is pretty small and not open yet but close.  Found it in an old P&M catalogue and at this site http://www.galanthus-online.de/seiten/kultivare-a-d/applybay.html

I see there is also an Appleby 1 but have found no description yet.

johnw

The Galanthus Appleby stable name indicates it was raised/selected and named from the garden of the late Hector Harrison who lived in the village of Appleby, North Lincolnshire not far from Scunthorpe. Hector was a quiet, modest unassuming gentleman with a midas touch for snowdrops and Diascia. Our nursery did distribute a number of Hectors snowdrops in the 1990's and we are delighted to read that some are persisting.

[David Shaw]

Whilst we were out walking this afternoon we saw our first snowdrops out in the grounds of the local 'big house'. A few patches in sheltered sunny sites.

[Maggi Young]

Rob, I know you have drainage problems in your soil, which is why you are growing  in the fish boxes, but in your photos the soil does look really sodden.....I know the weather has been awful but I wonder if at least some of your health problems with the snowies is that they are just not getting fierce enough drainage ?  If that is the case, it could well be that is a reason for them to be suffering.
I know snowies do grow in some damp areas in the wild, but usually where, even if there is water about, there is  good drainage and aeration.... vital for good healthy plants and roots.

[Anthony Darby]

Isn't Essex the driest part of the UK? Certainly, Kelvedon, not far from my sister, is recorded as having 16" average annual rainfall (if my memory serves me correct?). I think this is the lowest anywhere in the UK?

Here is the unknown in my greenhouse. Looks like bog-standard woronowii. I include fosteri for comparison, and 'Lapwing' was open outside today. Nothing else open outside except elwesii 'Hiemalis' and 'John Gray'. My rizehensis is out but failed to open up. It's a nice clump which I got from Lyn Bezzant.

[Paddy Tobin]

Nice, Anthony.  I particularly like 'Lapwing' with very angular  markings.

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Anthony, your unknown seems to have VERY dark green foliage.... is that a true colour  or is it just showing as dark in the photo.... if it truly that dark it is somewhat distinctive, isn't it?  Lovely dark leaves, whatever!!

[Anthony Darby]

I lost the contrast with the flower colours. Here's another pic.

[Maggi Young]

Nice. So the leaves are perhaps not quite so dark as in the first photo? Still a good contrast with the markings though.  I have  G. woroniwii somewhere... if it's dry tomorrow I'll go see if it's up and about to compare..

[mark smyth]

It does look like woronowii and well ahead of mine.

[Paddy Tobin]

Anthony,

G. woronowii is in flower here and the foliage in your photographs is certainly very similar as is the flower.

Paddy

[Anthony Darby]

This one ended up in the greenhouse as I thought it was maybe fosteri as I knew I had two pots of it. I posted a pic of the leaves earlier. Now where is the other pot? BTW my woronowii in the garden is just above soil level.

[steve owen]

Sunshine down South! Snowdrops opening at last!

Has anyone got enough of either Midge or Nutts Early to consider a swap? Please PM me if poss. Thanks,

[mark smyth]

Possibly 'Nutt's Early' and slightly maybe 'Midge.