Galanthus January 2009

[Paddy Tobin]

Despite the terrible weather we have had here over the last weekend, the snowdrops began to open. I suppose the weather was warmer even if there were gale-force winds and torrential rain.

G. 'Dionysius' - delicious!
G. 'James Backhouse' - one of the G. 'Atkinsii' tribe and showing the abberant segments which differentiate it here. Reading the snowdrops book last evening, it said that stocks of G. 'Atkinsii' and G. 'James Backhouse' were completely muddled and that one should separate out the regular and irregular flowers in the garden so as to have pure G. 'Atkinsii' and the abberant G, 'James Backhouse'. This strikes me as an unsure method of identification.
G. 'Ketton'
G. 'Lyn' - another of the G. 'Atkinsii' group and a very elegant one at that.


Paddy

[Luc Gilgemyn]

I'm not a galantophile so I normally don't interfere in the discussions here.  I do enjoy some pix though.  Great show you've been putting on lately Paddy.  Marvelous and very detailed shots and I agree on Dyonisius - it's really striking !!!

[Paddy Tobin]

Last few.

G. 'Ophelia' - I really like this one, grows very well for me and I split a clump last year and spread it into a good drift.
G. plicatus 'Warham' - another doing very well for me and has increased to very good numbers
G. 'Silverwells' - another of the G. 'Atkinsii' group and I like the long outer petals.
G. 'Washfield Colesborne' - I have only a few and think this will be a fabulous snowdrop when it bulks up and makes a good spread. It is a strong grower, a tall plant, very upright in habit and has the most fabulous foliage, gorgeously glaucous.

Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

Luc,

Thank you for your comments. I have been trying to recreate the style of photography used in the snowdrop book to illustrate snowdrops - the black background to set off the white petals etc. These are all taken indoors using black card as a background, lit with a table lamp and a home-made reflector - an experiment, trial and error to find the best way to do it.

Paddy

[Brian Ellis]

Luc,

Thank you for your comments. I have been trying to recreate the style of photography used in the snowdrop book to illustrate snowdrops - the black background to set off the white petals etc. These are all taken indoors using black card as a background, lit with a table lamp and a home-made reflector - an experiment, trial and error to find the best way to do it.

Paddy

...and a very good job you are making of it.  Well done Paddy and thanks for posting.

[Jo]

Lovely photos Paddy, you're much further on than we are in Devon. Bill Bishop is only just at the surface here and Dionysius is in light bulb bud shape.

I'm looking forward to your in situ shots with a little garden in the background.

The artificial light is giving a slightly creamy effect to the petals but the black card works well.

[David Nicholson]

Exquisite show Paddy.

[Martin Baxendale]

Paddy, 'Washfield Colesborne' is a beauty and one of my favourites. Just a note of warning - for me (and another grower I know) it seems to do superbly for a while, making huge strong bulbs, then may suddenly succumb badly to disease. Twice I've had to rescue it by cleaning up and chipping rotten bulbs where the year before there was a strong clump (most recently after the last wet summer). It seems to suffer from some kind of bulb rot rather than stagonospora, as the bulbs go back rather than being killed outright, so it can be rescued if caught in time. I'd advise not letting clumps get too congested (although it looks stunning when it's made a dense clump) and giving it good drainage.

[Martin Baxendale]

Sorry, sorry! In that last post I obviously meant 'Washfield Colesborne', not 'Washfield Warham'. Am editing it now.

[Paddy Tobin]

Martin,

Many thanks for the warning re 'Washfield Colesborne'. My garden is particularly wet over winter, though it dries off quite quickly in late spring. Having bulbs standing in wet soil overwinter would not be best for them. I think I'll move this little clump of 'Washfield Colesborne' to a better drained position later in the year. I build a raised bed over the Christmas holidays.

Jo,

The white balance is difficult to get right and I have tried various settings in an attempt to get a clear white. I took one set in "raw" but they take so long to edit in Photoshop later that I didn't want to continue along this line. Some of the creaminess is due to weathering, I think. How I wish I could show you some outdoor shots. At present the weather here is atrocious. The snowdrops above were collected on the gallop dodging the downpour and then photographed last night. I would have imagined that Devon would be quite mild - it certainly has that reputation but I suppose we are a bit more under the influence of the ocean here. I' ve booked a holiday for Easter week to visit gardens in Cornwall and Devon and hope to see nice gardens. Any recommendations?

Brian and David, many thanks for encouragement - I'll keep trying to get this technique right as I think it shows the snowdrops well.

Paddy

[mark smyth]

Paddy I rarely use a black background these days and now use Ian Y's method of a very pale grey card or blue sky.

[Brian Ellis]

Paddy I rarely use a black background these days and now use Ian Y's method of a very pale grey card or blue sky.

What's your reasoning behind that Mark?

[mark smyth]

I find black doesnt give a good contrast especially in very bright light. When the weather improves I'll experiment and show the difference unless someone else happens to have sunshine soon

[KentGardener]

Martin wanted to know what elwesii Pat Mason looks like

Is that a photo from now - or a previous season?

My one is still not out  - I shall still take a photo when she is.   

Regards

John

[Brian Ellis]

Thanks Mark, good to know why.