Galanthus January 2011

[Paddy Tobin]

At long last we have had a spell of milder weather and the first of the snowdrops are opening here.

Castlegar
Colossus
Faringdon Double

Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

And the others from today. Paddy

Galanthus elwesiis Hiemalis Group
Mrs. McNamara
Three Ships - will this expand to be as nice as John's some day?

Paddy

[ashley]

Fine pictures Paddy.

[johngennard]

Don't normally get involved but couldn't resist this patch of Three Ships.

Wow        
John, you certainly never do anything by halves  

I only started with one .and I have given many away over the years.I find it to be a very good dooer here

[Diane Clement]

I only started with one .and I have given many away over the years.I find it to be a very good dooer here

I started with one and lost it 
but now have another, thanks to a very generous forumist

[johnw]

Don't normally get involved but couldn't resist this patch of Three Ships.

Shiver me timbers! 

johnw

[KentGardener]

Three Ships..... nor yet a flotilla, more a whole navy! 

Very nice John - it certainly likes your soil. 

Nice pictures Paddy - the season is definitely starting.   

[Brian Ellis]

Don't normally get involved but couldn't resist this patch of Three Ships.

With a wonderful patch like that John, you should get involved far more often   Lovely to see it, thanks.

[Brian Ellis]

Mark, last year you asked

Does anyone grow plicatus Enid Bromley? It's identical to plicatus Maidwell C.

I couldn't see an answer to your question, and would like to know if it is Maidwell C with a synonym or is something else entirely and may therefore act differently when grown in the same garden?  It says in the monograph under Maidwell C that "the only other G.plicatus with an arched pedicel and diffuse inner segment is 'Percy Picton'"  Whilst I realise there are many not in the book I wondered if anyone knew whether they were the same?

[Brian Ellis]

The nearest I can get to a drift!  At long last my snowdrops are beginning to bulk up into clumps, not a very good picture of the flower I am afraid, but that's not why I am pleased .  Galanthus 'Henham No 1' seems to be quite floriferous, as I hope you can see from the birdseye view nearly every bulb is making a second scape which helps to bulk the clump out.

[KentGardener]

Some of those look to be producing 3 per bulb Brian.   

[Paddy Tobin]

Ashely & John, many thanks for your kind comments.

John (Gennard), you will have to post shots of your snowdrops; they certainly will be appreciated here.

Brian, I think this clump is at the stage when it will now explode in numbers. Starting with a single snowdrop, the increase is very slow in the early years but then the increase is very fast year on year. Someone gave the numerical progress in a recent post.

Of course, you then have the problem of where to accommodate them in the garden or what to plant with them to cover them over after flowering.

Paddy

[Brian Ellis]

Starting with a single snowdrop, the increase is very slow in the early years but then the increase is very fast year on year. Someone gave the numerical progress in a recent post.

Of course, you then have the problem of where to accommodate them in the garden or what to plant with them to cover them over after flowering.

Paddy

Thanks for that Paddy, I look forward to having that problem   I suppose it becomes exponential (is that the right expression...1 becomes 2, becomes 4,8,16 etc?

[KentGardener]

Reminds me of the old 'grain of rice on the chessboard' story.  Put one grain on the first square, 2 on the second, 4 on the third, 8 on the fourth, 16 grains on the fifth and keep doubling the number of grains to cover all the squares on the chess board.  At the end of the 64 squares you would have 18 billion billion grains (18446744073709551615) - enough to cover the entire surface of India 2 metres deep.   

Do that with your snowdrops Brian and you could make a killing on ebay.   

[David Nicholson]

Reminds me of the old 'grain of rice on the chessboard' story.  Put one grain on the first square, 2 on the second, 4 on the third, 8 on the fourth, 16 grains on the fifth and keep doubling the number of grains to cover all the squares on the chess board.  At the end of the 64 squares you would have 18 billion billion grains (18446744073709551615) - enough to cover the entire surface of India 2 metres deep.   

My brain hurts now