North Green Catalogue is out

[Gerard Oud]

I do have the same problem Martin, but luckily i have about 250 different snowdrops to choose from, but yes there are some snowdrops that suggest a breeding potential which i dont have yet.
The first seeds are showing theire leaves and the crossing BigBoy x Trym looks good.

[steve owen]

Two points spring to mind;

1. If prices were lower, would there be the same incentive for people to either grub through European forests on their hands and knees looking for new varieties, or to spend time hybridising?

2. Whare does the weight of evidence lie between the hybridisers and Mother Nature? By that I mean, do the more recent really attractive snowdrop varieties that also turn out to be good garden plants come mainly from naturally-occurring and discovered varieties, or from the efforts of hybridisers? My gut feeling is that Mother Nature is winning hands-down, but no doubt people will rapidly post contra examples! 

[johnw]

Two points spring to mind;

1. If prices were lower, would there be the same incentive for people to either grub through European forests on their hands and knees looking for new varieties, or to spend time hybridising?

2. Whare does the weight of evidence lie between the hybridisers and Mother Nature? By that I mean, do the more recent really attractive snowdrop varieties that also turn out to be good garden plants come mainly from naturally-occurring and discovered varieties, or from the efforts of hybridisers? My gut feeling is that Mother Nature is winning hands-down, but no doubt people will rapidly post contra examples! 

Steve - My hunch is Mother Nature can grow the quantities needed to achieve good results.

Having said that folks like Martin B. are on the right path. Really good-doers are what we need.

Just how many people are actively hybridizing?  

johnw

[johnw]

I do have the same problem Martin, but luckily i have about 250 different snowdrops to choose from, but yes there are some snowdrops that suggest a breeding potential which i dont have yet.
The first seeds are showing theire leaves and the crossing BigBoy x Trym looks good.

Gerard - Which snowdrops do you think are potentially good breeding plants?  I also have to ask why?

johnw

[Gerard Oud]

John I look at the plants in several stages.
When does it start to show the first noses and how.
How does it look like when it appears, big or darkgreen or with lots extra bulbleaves or flowers(good grower)
Good breeders in general are good growers and plants that show a certain resistance against stagono, but also some extreme varieties that are not such a good growers can be interesting. I like to breed with Trym because its a good grower and a extreme one.

But i let mother nature do a lot too, but this works only when the bee's have more to choose from. What Steve means are the snowdrops that are a spontaneous mutation which can be temporary. What we do is helping mother nature a bit, but i agree with Steve she always wins. From the 1000 crossings one does, maybe 1% is interesting to save, the rest can be thrown away otherwise you loose sight totally!

[Paul T]

Steve - My hunch is Mother Nature can grow the quantities needed to achieve good results.

And she's been at this hybridising gig MUCH longer than any of the human hybridisers. 

[mark smyth]

Paul Ravenhill there are good snowdrops on Joe Sharmans web site - Barbara's Double, David Shackleton,  Faringdon Double, Wendy's Gold ....

[Alan_b]

Paul Ravenhill there are good snowdrops on Joe Sharmans web site - Barbara's Double, David Shackleton,  Faringdon Double, Wendy's Gold ....

I presume Mark means the list at http://www.monksilvernursery.co.uk/resources/Galanthus+Catalogue+2010.pdf

[annew]

The email address given is invalid. I wish you luck in contacting them - I spent all last year trying to send them a snowdrop I'd promised, but could not make contact at all. The answering machine was constantly full.

[Maggi Young]

The email address given is invalid. I wish you luck in contacting them - I spent all last year trying to send them a snowdrop I'd promised, but could not make contact at all. The answering machine was constantly full.

To clarify, Anne, do you mean the email for Monksilver or North Green?

[annew]

Monksilver.

[Maggi Young]

Monksilver.

 Yes, looking at it now, I think it should read info@monksilvernursery.co.uk

[Anthony Darby]

Steve - My hunch is Mother Nature can grow the quantities needed to achieve good results.

And she's been at this hybridising gig MUCH longer than any of the human hybridisers. 

Well actually, no Paul. If that was the case we wouldn't have distinct species which are separated by geography and are therefore unable to hybridise naturally. There are very few natural hybrids (X alleni). Only where man has brought them together would there be unintentional hybridisation, such as has happened at Brechin Castle.

[Paul T]

Anthony,

I think that the majority of our named Galanthus aren't hybrids either, if you want to get into that technicality.  They're selections within particular species.  We then "hybridise" different marking forms to create other markings, which is what I was referring to.  They're all still within the same species in most cases.  I think from a named perspective, the vast majority are species selections aren't they, rather than actual species hybrids?

[Brian Ellis]

The answering machine was constantly full.

Often the case with this nursery - especially in the snowdrop season run up!  Persistence is the answer.