Galanthus January 2009

[mark smyth]

One neighbour stopped to watch me. I didnt see her and she said "what the %^&* are you doing with a tape measure in the dark!!"

[mark smyth]

Alan someone has suggested 'Henham No1' for your snowdrop
http://www.judyssnowdrops.co.uk/Plant_Profiles/plicatus/henham/henham.htm

[David Quinton]

Around the edge of my big bed they are 50cm apart. A second row is between those at the edge but set back so there is almost a zig zag effect. They are roughly 30cm away from the nearest group. These were not measured out initially and only set out. More snowdrops are roughly arms length in from the edge. The small bed has them spaced out like bedding plants. Yes they are in lattice pots but this year they are being released.

Thanks Mark. I guess being in pots they don't tend to wonder off too far and ultimately close up the gaps so the spacing can be maintained. The downside I suppose is that you have to divide more often to ease congestion. Anyway, that should help with offering a guide as to distances apart to plant.

[mark smyth]

In between each group of Galanthus is a cultivar of Ranunculus ficaria but cats have made a complete mess of them. I need to spray them and start again.

[Anthony Darby]

The weather wasn't too good for taking photographs over the weekend but I did manage to capture 'Trumps' as it started to open. It still has a little way to go but hopefully there should be a copy of the photograph below showing its progress so far.

David

Ooooh that's nice. Must look out for it. I didn't realise how neat it was.

[mark smyth]

If you see this remove it and bin it. This is probably Staganospora at work. I noticed this today and drenched the bulbs

[Maggi Young]

 I'm thinking that everybody elses' snowies are way ahead of ours and I read this......
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090126/tuk-finally-warm-enough-for-snowdrops-6323e80.html    .......

[mark smyth]

Mine have been taking advantage of the recent warm spells but 10 miles up the road they are late. Our group has a snowdrop day every other year and I can see us moving it forward in coming years. For anyone interested the next will/should be the third Saturday in Feb 2010

Paddy, here's another example of an elwesii with long narrow flowers

[Paddy Tobin]

Mark,

That's a topper, just love the long outer petals. Must look great in a clump. Well photographed also, very clear.

Hard to judge from Judy's photograph if Alan's snowdrop is 'Henman No1' as it doesn't show the inner mark well. Now, I am not at all familiar with 'Henman No 1' to be honest.

David, It certainly is 'Trumps', a lovely flower.

Paddy

[Martin Baxendale]

Alan someone has suggested 'Henham No1' for your snowdrop

The flower does look very similar to 'Henham No. 1' which is flowering here now, later than usual thanks to the long freezing spell. But 'Henham No. 1' has only been on sale via North Green since 2001 so if there are a lot of well-established large clumps all around the garden in Ireland where Alan's bulbs came from, is it likely they could have come from North Green and increased that fast in just eight years max? Also, Alan says they're very strong growing, and I don't find H. no. 1 to be particularly strong or fast growing.

A lot of my early snowdrops are very late this year, and some of the later ones are coming up with flower buds very low to the ground, as has been mentioned here before. I think it's just the wierd weather patterns.

[David Quinton]

Mark,

David, It certainly is 'Trumps', a lovely flower.

Paddy

Paddy, it certainly is a lovely flower and the first time I have seen it in its prime. When I purchased it the flower had gone over. I've waited a whole year but it has been worth it. Hopefully the temperatures will lower a bit so that it lasts for a while.

David

[mark smyth]

Paddy here's the group. It's a crap photo so I'll replace it in a few days when they fully open

Martin, Here's the inside of 'Pat Mason'

and lastly for today 'Ecusson d'Or' is improving by the day. It's much better seen with the eye.

[art600]

@Art - the second one is really small - I doubt it reaches 7cm in height. The other two are a bit larger -about 13 - 15 cm - still small compared with the rest.

@mark  - do you have a pic?

Hans
Thanks for info   I have a pot of snowdrops that I thought were elwesii, and are as small, but now I am thinking they could be gracilis.  I always thought of elwesii as being a large snowdrop.

[Martin Baxendale]

Hans
Thanks for info   I have a pot of snowdrops that I thought were elwesii, and are as small, but now I am thinking they could be gracilis.  I always thought of elwesii as being a large snowdrop.

Elwesii can be quite small with narrow leaves, and gracilis can be quite big with wide leaves. The acid test is the vernation of the leaves - convolute leaves = elwesii and applanate (flat against each other) = gracilis.

[Paddy Tobin]

Mark,

The photograph certainly proves it - that elwesii makes a lovely clump, a good garden plant as one might say.

I was only today corresponding about G. 'Pat Mason'. It has very good markings, very nice.

'Ecusson d'Or' - your photograph shows it differently to many previously viewed photographs which seemed to concentrate on the opened flower taken from a low angle to show the shape with the inner segments spread. A nice looking snowdrop.

Paddy