Galanthus January 2011

[johnw]

Mark - Thanks for posting those.   John/Paddy  - your eyes are better than mine, I see the ovaries are different but doubt I would remember the shapes in the field.  Trymlet seems a bit easier to identify. I guess as Alan says we may have to rely on flowering time but that could be difficult here where the season is so compressed.

To add oil to the fire - I just noticed the first flower in a pot of my Trym (impostor) seedlings o.p.. The Trym impostor came from a very reputable nursery as Trym and I sure it was a simple matter of looking at the label of a dormant bulb and just catching the Tr...  This first is quite distinctive with a greenish yellow line up to the ovary and shows a bit of promise. Hopefully it will stabilize the markings in the second season so we can see what it is really up to. Note how closely the ovary resembles Trumps'. Hmmm.... 

Who be the father with such a large inner mark?

johnw - -4c and frozen sold here.

[Paddy Tobin]

Lovely shots, John.

Only showing snouts here.

Paddy

[Warren Desmond]

Two more for those in the grips of winter.

Diggory & Tubby Merlin.  The latter is incredibly vigorous and a favourite.

johnw

Lovely shot's John..especially the angle of the Diggory shot...

Like Paddy just nose's for those two...

Regards Warren

[mark smyth]

No sign of my Merlins. John is there heat in your green house?

[johnw]

Yes Mark there is heat, everything would be dead including the hardiest items without supplemental heat.  The greenhouse is kept at +5c. Other snowdrops are in the coldframes with pots sunk in wood chips, they winter happily in there.

Presently it is -4c and yet it is too warm in the g'house, as there is a stiff wind blowing venting is impossible.  I guess interior reflective shade cloth would be the solution but at least the floor will warm up a bit for the night.  The low tonight will be -11c, Sunday and Monday highs of -8 to -10c with lows close to -14c, our first real arctic blast.

johnw

[annew]

John, your snowdrop looks a bit like 'South Hayes'.
Today I found that two pots in which I had put cut off tops from bulbs whilst chipping, which had formed bulbils, were showing leaves. This is the first confirmation I've had that these adventitious buds will produce bulbs.
Lastly, a bit of wishful thinking - it's obviously a narcissus!

[mark smyth]

Anne I'd say you are correct about Johns snowdrop. I think there was chat last year about South Hayes losing the stripe due to ?over twinning

[johnw]

Anne / Mark - It certainly looks like it could turn out to be a South Hayes look-alike and we certainly don't need any more look-alikes.
I won't get named unless it is very worthwhile and markedly different.   At the moment it is only worth a second look.

Good to see you have a Trym-not too!

johnw

[johnw]

G. nivalis ssp. imperati (ex Dr. Fischer 1984). A perky little fellow.

johnw

[Alan_b]

G. nivalis ssp. imperati (ex Dr. Fischer 1984).

But not, presumably, the green-tipped one in the background.

[Brian Ellis]

Latest update from John Grimshaw

http://johngrimshawsgardendiary.blogspot.com/

[art600]

Would appreciate your help in identifying this snowdrop.  The label says 'Faringdon Double' - but it isn't.  All 3 plants in flower are identical.

[mark smyth]

It looks like John Gray or one of the Fieldgates
http://www.snowdropinfo.com/john-gray.html

[art600]

Thanks Mark

Any other suggestions?

[Brian Ellis]

One or two more from the last few days photographed by David, Acton Pigot No3 from Margaret Owens former garden, Fieldgate Prelude one of Colin Mason's seedlings from Mrs MacNamara, John Gray a lovely clean flower and North Star, a seedling from John Sales, who says:
"It is like a very early 'Lady Beatrix Stanley' but more star shaped.  Not a tidy flower but extremely floriferous and increases rapidly" certainly it is very skew whiff!