Galanthus March 2010

[johnw]

I think Paddy's Elfin is still in the process of dropping, it's certainly not a spikey as far as I know.

My 'Elfin' has been an upward pointing flower, just like Paddys', for the last 4 year since I got it from Phil Cornish.  I wouldn't describe it as a 'spikey' but it is definitely a 'different' one.  This year however it has decided to break the trend and all but one flower have 'dropped' and look like a green tipped nivalis.

Brian / John - What a mixed up little elf it is.  And me too for calling it a spikey.  seems rather late for a nivalis at Paddy's given the others he has shown.

Brian  - That Selborne may need lfting as well.  ( but maybe   is more apppropriate )   It really is a show stopper.  Ken has beaten me to it again, the first of his double nivalis came out yesterday, not even near stone work so it beats out my nivalis up against the foundation.

johnw - +10c and sunny, a rare mild early March day.

[Paddy Tobin]

John,

I think Brian and John are right regarding 'Elfin'. When it began opening it was quite upright but has leaned over more and more as the flowers have matured and I think it will go below the horizontal but not hang as much a other snowdrops when fully mature.

Re Brian's photograph of 'Sandersii ex Lowick', I can vouch for the colour. It really is that good strong yellow. Brian's (David's) photograph was taken with full sunlight which would show the yellow to its best but I can vouch that it is the same colour here in the garden. I have posted photographs of it earlier but labelled it simply as 'Sandersii' as that is what is on the label in the garden but my records show that it is 'Sandersii ex Lowick' purchased from Cambo Estate in 1996. It now has five flowers which is a very slow increase over those years.

Brian, Great show from your visit. The photograph of the snowdrop bed shows a lovely planting of bulbs and is likely to improve year on year. Also, a very interesting selection of snowdrops, lovely to see them.

Paddy

A further comment on looking back over the photographs again: Doesn't 'Augustus' look fabulous in a clump, great impact with the big flowers, great patch of white. 'Swanton' is similar in effect.

[KentGardener]

....but my records show that it is 'Sandersii ex Lowick' purchased from Cambo Estate in 1996. It now has five flowers which is a very slow increase over those years.

 
Mine came from that same catalogue Paddy - if memory serves it was the very last year that Cambo did mail order (I wish they would still post stuff )

[Paddy Tobin]

....but my records show that it is 'Sandersii ex Lowick' purchased from Cambo Estate in 1996. It now has five flowers which is a very slow increase over those years.

 
Mine came from that same catalogue Paddy - if memory serves it was the very last year that Cambo did mail order (I wish they would still post stuff )

And how did it do for you, John. Has it increased at a reasonable pace?

Paddy

[KentGardener]

I think there is 3 in my garden and 2 in mums - so about the same speedy rate!   

[Brian Ellis]

Our first visit was on Saturday, and, after greetings, coffee and a quick word with the dogs we went out to see progress in the garden.  Molly was not pleased to be left indoors and wondered what all the fuss was about - she does see them every day!

I have been taken to task for not including Molly!  Here she is.

I will have to check my Elfin's and see what they are up to.

Thanks for the comments folks I will pass them on to David.

[Paddy Tobin]

I think there is 3 in my garden and 2 in mums - so about the same speedy rate!   

It's a pity it is so slow as it's a nice snowdrop. Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Our first visit was on Saturday, and, after greetings, coffee and a quick word with the dogs we went out to see progress in the garden.  Molly was not pleased to be left indoors and wondered what all the fuss was about - she does see them every day!

I have been taken to task for not including Molly!  Here she is.
Thanks for the comments folks I will pass them on to David.

I should think so too! Molly looks absolutely delightful.

Super pix all round, my thanks to David, too !

[David Quinton]

I'm sorry that I didn't make it on Saturday, Brian. It looks like you had a wonderful time and that the weather was excellent. Pass on my compliments to David on the wonderful photographs.

I managed to get a few photographs taken on Sunday morning and have posted a few below.

'Cliff Curtis' was a gift from the man himself and had to post a photograph to show Cliff that I hadn't killed it off! Thanks Cliff, I know that you do look in from time to time  .

Big Boy hasn't fully opened up yet but I thought that I'd post a picture anyway.

Corrin has flowered for the first time with me this year and it is a fantastic flower. I make no apologies for showing this Trym-a-like or for showing Green of Hearts too! Sorry if you don't like them but I am very smitten with them. Unfortunately I don't own Green of Hearts but at least I have my own photograph.

Deer Slot is showing a good mark on one of the inners as per the book so I'm very happy with that. It had opened up wider than I wanted for the photograph but I captured the mark for reference next year.

I posted a picture of Jonathan a couple of weeks ago and it has opened up a little more now and so I have included another photograph to show the inner markings.

The last photograph is not Diggory but a nice plicatus that I found a couple of years ago. The flowers have the puckering on the outers but do not curve under as the flower develops. It is also bigger than Diggory and multiplies quite quickly with me.

[Paddy Tobin]

Lovely set of snowdrops, David.

I think you may post photographs of 'Corrin' and 'Green of Heart' as often as you like. They are both gorgeous.

'Deer Slot' just opened here today but it has very small and light marks not at all as good or as strong as those you have shown. Maybe next year.

Your own find looks very good.

Paddy

[David Quinton]

Thanks for the kind comments, Paddy.

I'm only sorry that 'Megan' came up blind this year as I would have posted that too.

I was fortunate enough to pick up 'Deer Slot' at the Gala. It was pleasing to see that all of those for sale were nicely marked.

My own find looks very nice in a clump and hopefully there'll be a few more that have swollen up at the weekend to show you what I mean. They do start flowering quite low down but extend as they mature. They are certainly distinctive and easily spotted even from a distance.

David

[Brian Ellis]

Very nice, David, and that Deer Slot has a great mark, mine is quite squinny!  DQfind is very nice too.  You did miss a very nice visit, but there's always another time.

[mark smyth]

I seem to remember hearing that Phil experienced the same when he first found it and was calling it 'Stargazer' for the first few years until it broke the trend, and stopped staring upwards, for him too.   

That's what I was told also

[Paddy Tobin]

David,

Re 'Megan': can you tell me something about it. The reason I ask is that 'Megan' is given as a synonym of G. ikariae 'Emerald Isle' and I wondered if this is what you have as your 'Megan'.

I have found a post from John F. from Feb 2009 with a photograph of 'Megan' and it is more along the lines of a 'Trym' seedling.

Paddy

[KentGardener]

Paddy.  I think the Megan DQ talks of is another of the wonderful trymalikes that has been distributed in recent years.  The is a lovely pic of a potfull shown at the Loughborough show in 2006 here:

http://freespace.virgin.net/almond.jim/Whatsnew.htm

Brian may be able to show a picture of the flower in a garden as I think his was flowering while I visited two weeks ago.