Galanthus January 2011

[Brian Ellis]

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

My brain always hurts

[David Nicholson]

I'm told by powers that be that what little I have is becoming more addled with each passing day. I was going to buy her some flowers but changed my mind

[Paddy Tobin]

Similarly, there is the story of bargaining at a horse fair where the vendor asked for a ha' penny for the first nail on the horse's hoof, a penny for the second, two pence, four pence, eight pence, a shilling and four pence, two shillings eight pence and that was the first hoof paid for with the doubling continuing for the other three hooves to give a frightful end price.

Pence and shillings: I really am showing my age!

Paddy

[David Nicholson]

Pence and shillings: I really am showing my age!

Paddy

Thought you had enough problems with Euros over there Paddy

[Brian Ellis]

Pence and shillings: I really am showing my age!

At least you didn't start with farthings Paddy

[Alan_b]

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.   

So if you buy a child a vigorous snowdrop on its first birthday and this snowdrop manages to double each year then by the time that child gets to age 65 they will have 18446744073709551615 snowdrops.  Maybe that will pay for their pension or maybe by that time 18446744073709551615 euros will be the price of a cup of tea.

In "The Book" it says snowdrop division follows a Fibonacci series, although I looked up the original reference and this seemed to be based much more on conjecture than evidence.  If so then you would only have a meagre 10610209857723 (10 million million) snowdrops after 64 years.     

[Brian Ellis]

Ah, but Alan you have left that dreadful variant out of the equation, I am told if you don't regularly look after your clumps then they get fewer rather than greater

[mark smyth]

Brian, Maidwell C and Enid Bromley are above ground now. When they open I'll take some side by side photos

[mark smyth]

Does anyone else grow plicatus Enid Bromley?

[johnw]

then by the time that child gets to age 65 they will have 18446744073709551615 snowdrops.

Right. My financial advisor suggested something similar quite a few years ago and I'm still working. 

johnw  - 0c ay 21:25, maybe sunny enough tomorrow for a few snowdrop shots.

[steve owen]

Does anyone else grow plicatus Enid Bromley?

Yes Mark - a small flowering clump.

[mark smyth]

Steve, do you have a photo of your plant?

[Brian Ellis]

Some more in those clear blue Norfolk skies
G.'Kyre Park', does not do well for me and is on it's last chance (three strikes and you are out)
G.'Chequers' found in the late Jenny Robinson's garden, one of my chips now flowering
G.'Sutton Courtenay' a super gracilis hybrid

[Paddy Tobin]

Brian,

I don't grow and don't recall taking notice of 'Sutton Countenay' previously. It has an interestingly light mark on the basal section of the inner segments and also on the ovary; a nice combination.

'Kyre Park' and 'Chequers' both look very fine also.

The clear blue skies are such a contrast to today's weather here.

Paddy

[mark smyth]

now those are photographs, well done

It's been a long time since I had Sutton Courtenay. I must get some this year