Stagonospora infection - collected threads

[Gerard Oud]

Your completely right John, lets stop the gossip and think twice before you give a reply, so that nobody  gets a bad feeling.

[Martin Baxendale]

Damn! I'm never going to get this book finished!   . John, I meant tol ask, did you get Penelope Anne from Hythe Alpines? It's quite shapely.

[KentGardener]

Hi Martin

yes it came from Hythe Alpines - I thought I had better get it as they are closing down this summer and it may not be offered by other places for a while.

regards

John

[Martin Baxendale]

John, I can't recall whether Mike Smith described it as an elwesii type or what. And his latest catalogue and online listing doesn't say. The leaf tip in the pic looks like elwesii rather than plicatus. How tall is it?

[snowdropman]

Martin - there does seem to have been some initial confusion re this snowdrop and some is indeed circulating as g. elwesii 'Penelope Ann'.

Mike Smith got it from Ann Borrill. Ann told me that she got it in the 1990's from Colin Mason and his label said g. caucasicus “all green inner” – parentage is unknown and Colin does not remember giving it to Ann, but he did raise a number of seedlings at the time.

Ann describes it as very vigorous & forming a nice clump.

[mark smyth]

yes it's an elwesii and named after Ann Borill. I bought what might have been the last of them from Mike at the bulb sale last August but I'm sure he has more in the ground. It's a large flowered snowdrop on a stem that doesnt fall under the weight

[KentGardener]

Hi Martin

Elwesii indeed - the label says "(originally Caucasicus green inner)".

John

[Martin Baxendale]

Hmmm. John's pic is the first I've seen of Penelope Ann, and I was thinking it's an unusual mark for an elwesii or monostictus. The mark's a little reminiscent of ikariae and so is the flower shape.

I know Colin Mason raised some elwesii seedlings with ikariae/Allenii looking flowers and strange pewter-green leaves in the 90s which may well be elwesii hybrids with ikariae, Allenii or something of that ilk. He gave me bulbs of one I spotted and pointed out in his garden (under a big shrub) and admired.

I wonder if Penelope Ann might be from the same source?

I'm hoping to visit Colin soon so I'll have a chat with him about it.

[KentGardener]

Hi Martin

I have quickly taken a picture of the complete plant I received in the hope that it may be helpful.

John

[Martin Baxendale]

Thanks John. The leaves look fairly typical elwesii.

[mark smyth]

here it is on my web site with ever present aphids.
http://www.snowdropinfo.com/elwesii-penelope-ann.html

All snowdrops were sprayed today with Benlate and insecticide

John you asked how our gardens are doing - very well thanks full quota almost in flower now.

[Tony Willis]

three I have in flower at the moment

[snowdropman]

I'm hoping to visit Colin soon so I'll have a chat with him about it.

Martin, if Colin is able to throw any more light on the origins of 'Penelope Ann', I would appreciate knowing, so that I can update my records.

[Martin Baxendale]

Okay Chris, I'll let you know.

Tony, nice pics. Lovely dark green mark on that plicatus, and nice wide textured outers too.

[vanhouttewim]

hello galanthofiles.

i would like to see more photos of rare and new snowdrops , but the discussions also have interesting points.
i wonder why it takes so long before we can buy the rare varieties of snowdrops .
if colesborne had a small clump of elwesii 'carolyn elwess' in 1997, they should allready have thousands of them now , but maybe they only want to keep prices high or keep their collection unique.
i have to say that Colesborne has reasonable and honest prices when you are able to buy something.
with all the propagation techniques,
when they have 2 original bulbs for example , and it doubles each year , after 10 years you can have 2000 bulbs.
with the twin scaling they can make 20 bulbs in one year or more.
don't tell me that these wonderful snowdrops are all bad growers or that they don't devide every year or have diseases.
also the spiky snowdrops and the green ones you can never buy , only swap or so.
some snowdrops like 'Wasp' are not so very attractive in my opinion , but are sold for 25 pounds.
in germany Mr. endre Foldesi sold Galanthus krasnovii for 12 euros last year .
also colin Mason has good prices for often unique plants .
i looked on ebay too , but that's a bit too expensive for me.
some  fools give lot of money for nothing special.
they only collect different names.
@ Gerard: must be very impressive to see your fields of snowdrops ....
when i have time to make photos i will post them too.

all best wishes, Wim