Galanthus January 2009

[Martin Baxendale]

i wanted to ask another question regarding pollinating galanthus again,

the pollen produced from poculiform snowdrops,is this fertile? i know that the structure can be different in poculiform snowdrops, so i am not sure if i can save the pollen?

on the same note, are the stigmas of poculiform snowdrops receptive? seeing as the ovarys on many nivalis pocs are very small and reduced maybe the ovaries are infertile?

thanks
rob

I can't see any reason why the pollen from poculiform snowdrops shouldn't be as fertile as any other snowdrop pollen just because the flower shape is unusual. Doubles produce good pollen, Trym with its unusual shape is fertile and produces good pollen, etc. Re. the ovaries, it's a case of try pollinating and see. A very tiny ovary may indicate an inability to set seed, but you won't know for sure unless you try, so give it a go. But an inability to produce seed doesn't neccessarily mean the pollen won't be okay.

[maggiepie]

what a beautiful sight Tom, you are so priviliged to be able to wander around in such a place.
The only plants I have ever seen growing in masses like that were wild freesias.

[Anthony Darby]

Snowdrop time again.  I was not sure where to post this as it is of general interest rather than for Galanthus fans but this is as good a place as any.
I have posted pictures from here over trhe last two years and it is difficult to get a different slant on it but for those who have not seen them before here goes.  Taken today in Fullarton woods in Troon just before the snow - it didn't arrive !

Fantastic Tom. Now where can I hire a JCB?

[Roma]

Paddy,

I have done a bit of research and found two letters from Fred Sutherland when he sent me some snowdops from his friends' garden at Culcabuck House near Inverness.  He called them caucasicus but they are elwesii.  I got the first lot in 1992.  He said they had flowered in his garden and set seed.  I now have a good clump of these.  I think there may have been 3 original bulbs  as there seem to be 3 distinct clumps and many seedlings of all ages. I am posting a photo taken last year (they are not flowering yet this year) and one of the seed pods.  Unfortunately I did not get round to collecting the seeds.
The other letter is dated 1994 and mentions a bulb also from Culcabuck which he calls 'Fred's Giant mark 2'.  He had difficulty getting this one as it was among tree roots. He could only spare me one bulb.  It has not increased much.  Up till now it has not increased but this year there are going to be two flowers  The leaves are very long and it is tall but the flower is not very big. It has a single mark like the one you posted.
I have spoken to Bob Rutherford, Fred's successor and he confirms my thoughts on the original 'Fred's Giant'.  It is a single clone and does not set seed.It increases well but needs frequent splitting otherwise the bulbs start to rot.  I don't have a photo yet but hope to get one if we get some warm weather before the flowers go over.

Hope this clears up some of the confusion.

        Roma

[art600]

We are always advised to split up clumps if we want the snowdrops to prosper.  In the park, so beautifully captured by Tom, this does not seem to apply.  Can any one suggest a reason why there are not non-flowering clumps where they have become too congested.

[Alan_b]

The forest floor tends to be very rich in leaf mould which is a moisture-retentive but very light growing medium.  So it is easy for clumps of bulbs to expand by pushing the soil aside.  The opposite situation would be growing snowdrops in heavy clay soil or in rocky ground (or in a small pot) where it is necessary to intervene to spread out your snowdrops; something they can manage themselves in a more natural environment.

[Paddy Tobin]

Roma,

Many thanks for following up on G. 'Fred's Giant'. It is great to have background information on the snowdrops we grow.

I must ask you to clear up some misunderstanding on my part.

In the first paragraph of your posting you deal with a G. elwesii (which Fred called G. caucasicus and you clarify is G. elwesii). Does this, and the first photograph, refer to the G. 'Fred's Giant' you referred to in earlier postings?

Your second paragraph deals with what Fred referred to as 'Fred's Giant Mark 2'. This would seem to suggest it was a seedling of the original 'Fred's Giant', something seemingly impossible by further information that 'Fred's Giant' does not set seed. Why was the name 'Fred's Giant Mark 2' applied to it?

Your third paragraph refers to your previous posting confirming, I presume, that G. 'Fred's Giant' as known in the Cruickshank Gardens has an X marking on the inner segments. Is this so?

The clump which I showed recently on the forum has not been lifted and divided since I received the bulbs a few years ago. It is at the stage of needing to be lifted and it will be interesting to see how healthy the bulbs will be.

Many thanks for your research and looking forward to further clarification. Paddy

[Tony Willis]

I think conditions can vary. If I remember rightly when I found Galanthus plicatus ssp plicatus growing at Lake Abant although there was a covering of leaf litter they were growing in heavy wet clay. Also they did not clump up. I will try and find a slide and scan it in

[Anthony Darby]

I tipped out a pond lily basket sunk into my snowdrop border which was supposed to have a bulb of Galanthus elwesii 'H. Purcell' in it. I found a lovely firm bulb about the size of a Narcissus 'Tête à Tête' bulb, with a few healthy looking roots. Clearly the shoots had rotted off, perhaps because the compost had been too damp? It was mostly organic compost, so I suspect I need more grit in the mix for elwesii?

[art600]

I think conditions can vary. If I remember rightly when I found Galanthus plicatus ssp plicatus growing at Lake Abant although there was a covering of leaf litter they were growing in heavy wet clay. Also they did not clump up. I will try and find a slide and scan it in

Tony
I found my digital images of Lake Abant and Yedi Goller

0079 Shows Galanthus plicatus at Lake Abant
0086 Shows Galanthus plicatus at Yedi Goller

I could not resist the opportunity to post Crocus abantensis - much lighter than recent postings in Crocus January 2009

[Tony Willis]

Arthur yes the picture through the leaf litter is as I remember growing in thick birch woods. You have saved me a job there.Your picture on the hillside is very nice. I did not find any outside the woods in the open.

Crocus abantensis is a nice plant,difficult to distinguish in flower from biflorus pulchricolor

[Jo]

Some mixed up seedlings in the greenhouse this morning.  All others under snow.  And some more rhubarb for John

[Tony Willis]

The first picture is Galanthus reginae olgae ssp vernalis

The rest are all Galanthus elwesii nos 17,61 and 62 are normal

 but 16 is very large and has four leaves and three flower stems ,one with twin flowers from the same bulb. Unfortunalely a couple of flowers are mis shaped one having a petal attached to the scape and another with an inner and outer petal fused. A bit of a mess really

The last one no 14 has four outer petals and five inner ones a quite robust flower.

[Diane Whitehead]

The flipped up ends to 14 are intriguing.  I've never seen that before.
62 seems to have a mild version of the flip as well.  Are they related?

[Brian Ellis]

g14 is very pretty Tony.