Galanthus January 2011

[Paddy Tobin]

Alan,

Photographing snowdrops in strong sunlight makes overexposure likely. I use a spot-metering system which allows quite accurate exposure but I prefer to photograph them is light shade.

G. 'Richard Ayres' is up  but not open here.

Paddy

[Hagen Engelmann]

The continent had a warm time frame last weekend. There were a lot of G. elwesii in bloom, with one or two marks.

[Hagen Engelmann]

 no-name but pretty and early

[annew]

Very pretty, Hagen. Your garden is ahead of mine, but at last some sun today, even if frost still on the ground.

[Paddy Tobin]

Hagen,

Glad to hear that the sun has reached Germany and that your snowdrops are appearing.

Nice G. elwesii.

Paddy

[KentGardener]

no-name but pretty and early

Agreed. 

[Hagen Engelmann]

Paddy, John, JohnW, Martin, Brian, Alan and all the other galanthus friends.
Your early pics bring the essential light for the heart. So we are able to wait for the warming sun too .

[KentGardener]

Your early pics bring the essential light for the heart. So we are able to wait for the warming sun too .

Lovely to hear that Hagan - it makes the taking and posting of the photographs that much more enjoyable.   

[Paddy Tobin]

Hagen,

I suppose it is good that our seasons are different for then we can see more snowdrops - we post in our season and you post in yours and so we have snowdrops over a long time.

Paddy

[steve owen]

Alack and alas, signs of Stagonospora on one side of my clump of Ketton, so out they all come, washed in strong disinfectant followed by fungicide,  some binned, apparently healthy plants into one lattice pot, dodgy ones into a separate one, soil disinfected, lattice pots replanted (well apart) - what a palaver, as my father used to say. Fingers crossed that the good ones stay that way and prosper next year.

Does anyone know where I can find G. Ron Ginns (maybe known as R Ginns)? (Not to be confused with the separate Ginns Imperati, which I have already).

[johnw]

Alack and alas, signs of Stagonospora on one side of my clump of Ketton, so out they all come, washed in strong disinfectant followed by fungicide,  some binned, apparently healthy plants into one lattice pot, dodgy ones into a separate one, soil disinfected, lattice pots replanted (well apart) - what a palaver, as my father used to say. Fingers crossed that the good ones stay that way and prosper next year.

Steve  - Which fungicide did you use? Have you found it effective in the past?

johnw - -1c, low last night -10c (coldest to date), rain and +6c by morning.

[Alan_b]

Alack and alas, signs of Stagonospora ....

I had a few elwesii hiemelis that had Stagonospora last year.  I tried to clean them up and put them in an isolated pot.  I thought I might have succeeded when the leaves appeared in December but with the onset of the milder weather the leaves started to rot just above the soil line.  I dug them up and it's Stagonospora again (which also seems to destroy the roots or prevent them forming).  So it's the bin for them now.

I think snowdrops can grow in colder weather than suits Stagonospora but the fungus must be loving the mild damp conditions of the past two weeks.  Be vigilant.  The only sign of infection last year was that the snowdrops stopped developing.   

[mark smyth]

Steve I'll count mine tomorrow.

Yesterday I sprayed all of mine that are above ground, have their leaves apart but are still in bud. Some were done last week. When the flowers are over I'll spray again. I use carbendazim.

[Brian Ellis]

no-name but pretty and early

That's good enough for me.  Glad you are enjoying the pictures Hagen, as John says it makes it worthwhile posting them.  Thomas, Richard Ayres is out today here too.

[Mavers]

Where can carbendazim be purchased from Mark?

Is it something a 'gardener' can get or is it only for professional use?