Galanthus winter 2009/2010

[johnw]

Not a good day for photographing, the camera is steaming up in the cold.  In flower on this frigid day;

Galanthus Atkinsii ex Foxgrove
Galanthus Magnet Type #6384
Galanthus ikariae ex DA - could it be?
Galanthus Mill House  - this one has a double spathe - is this typical?
Galanthus elwesii Sickle - a big one
Galanthus Hans Guck in die Luft - peeping

johnw   -  PS Hans ist gefunden!

[Martin Baxendale]

John, the ikariae looks like woronowii.

[mark smyth]

John do you mean Millhouse has a split spathe? It looks very similar to Scharlockii
http://www.snowdropinfo.com/galanthus%20nivalis%20scharlockii.html

[mark smyth]

My EA Bowles has a daughter bulb and between the two there will be at least 3 flowers

[mark smyth]

John this is typical ikariae
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VISuperSize&item=160397844294

[johnw]

John do you mean Millhouse has a split spathe? It looks very similar to Scharlockii
http://www.snowdropinfo.com/galanthus%20nivalis%20scharlockii.html

Mark - Late this afternoon the "spathes" parted and indeed it is split.

johnw

[johnw]

Martin - I just compared the leaves of the woronowii (Latifolius {ikariae ex DA}) with the commercial woronowii (sold by the bag of 100 for circa £5).  The former matches the description in the Book "wider to the last third" so you appear to be correct.and I never got round to checking out post Book.  My concern was also that the leaves were so shiny and dark - differing from the book - but in The Genus Galanthus Davis says "bright green & glossy", so I rest at ease  My guess is the name I received was an id based on Stern 1956.

Now I wonder about the latter commercial, some leaves match the description but others are straight sided (lorate?) with no widening or at least very little, the leaves are shiny medium to dark green.   If I can reach far enough I might grab the pot & get a shot of it.

johnw

[Alan_b]

here they are together for this discussion. Sorry Ian I took your photo of Yvonne from your web site

Alan's find
The snowdrop photographed in N Ireland
Yvonne
Rita Rutherfoord

I'm very impressed by your ability to do this, Mark; identify similar snowdrops based on the marks on their inner petals.  Do you have a photographic memory or some other form of sophisticated database? 

However, the marks on the inners are only one of several distinguishing features of a snowdrop and, to me, often not the most interesting.  One only has to think of the classic snowdrop "Magnet" for an example of a snowdrop where the marks on the inners aren't the distinguishing feature and point of interest.

Personally, I am interested in any snowdrop that flowers outside the normal season and/or can grow in some of the less hospitable parts of my garden.  My "ex Longraigue" find fits the bill on both counts.  Nevertheless, I'm not rushing to give it a name - we'll see how it does with Paddy for starters.     

[Brian Ellis]

John do you mean Millhouse has a split spathe? It looks very similar to Scharlockii

Yes it is similar to scharlockii - on steroids once it has settled in.  You have to see it in the flesh and you would then know that it is quite different.  Like some of the others discussed above no doubt.

[ichristie]

Hi Mark all, I have no problems for the G. plicatus Yvonne being used on this forum and please when you look at the pictures Mark has posted the shape of the flowers are very different 'Yvonne' has balloon shaped flowers and the other has longer slim petals also as I have said to Mark it is very important to see leaves with the flowers some leaves are short and broad often with a blue or very dark green sheen while othere are long and pale green, this sets some bulbs away above others as the combined short blue green leaf with a good chunky flower is the best.  cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[Martin Baxendale]

I'm sorry that my comments about the flower comparisons were a bit on the lazy side (at the end of a very busy, tiring week). I should have   been more explicit.

What I was trying to say is that the four pictured flowers looked different enough to me to be quite easily distinguishable from one another, although the markings were probably superficially similar enough for them to be confused by inexperienced growers. And I should have gone on (if I hadn't been so tired) to say pretty much what Ian has since said; that of course you can't judge if a snowdrop is distinct and worth naming from a close-up of the flower alone - the look of the clump, the leaves, the strength of the scape, height, single or twin scapes, the stance of the scape and flower, the vigour and disease resistance (i.e. is it a really good do-er) and so on, all need to be taken into account. So I don't personally think there's a problem with naming snowdrops with similar marks if there are other distinguishing features and characteristics (especially vigour and disease resistance).

[Paddy Tobin]

Re Alan's G. ex Longraigue: it is flowering well ahead of G. 'Yvonne' and Rita Rutherfoord's snowdrop here in my garden. I don't know Mark's plicatus photographed in Northern Ireland and so cannot comment on that one.

From Alan's comments it seems to be a good healthy and strong-growing snowdrop, clumping up well in the open garden. Here, it is in its first year flowering, bulbs planted at the end of last season, and it has settled in perfectly, no losses, and is growing very strongly.

It certainly has the signs of being a good garden plant.

Comments from anybody who can observe plicatus hybrids in their garden at this time will add to our information and will be gratefully received. I don't think it will be a snowdrop to set the adrenalin flowing on e-bay auctions but it is, nonetheless, a good snowdrop for the garden.

Paddy

[Martin Baxendale]

I also agree with Alan that flowering period can be another important distinguishing feature - provided it's consistent.

[krisderaeymaeker]

I am not so specialised as many others on this forum  but have of course some Galanthus in the garden.
They are a bit late due the weather conditions.
Before the snow and frost began already G.olgae reginae subsp.vernalis Amigo was flowering.
I don't know of the name is correct ?
Now some other species as G. " Kite" are close to flowering.
Also elwesii "Daphne's Scissors" and from that one I have still a picture from last year.
   

[mark smyth]

2005 was the last time my Kite had twin flowers. Does anyone have a relibale form?

sorry for the rubbish photo