Galanthus February 2011

[annew]

I'm getting snow blindness - so many lovely 'drops 
Yesterday someone came to me at a meeting and said that they would never buy or sell a snowdrop that had been chipped as they are no good, and he had tried them side by side with divided ones in his garden to prove it.  Discuss.
(I was so taken aback that It didn't occur to me to ask how he knew his 'divided' ones hadn't been chipped before he got them )

[KentGardener]

No sun here today so thought I would picture a couple of the more unconventional ones as they look great whatever the weather ("that's a matter of opinion!" I here some groan...  )

1 - Bunch
2 - Walrus

There are some more on their way but need a week to expand to their full potential.   

[shelagh]

Out in the garden earlier in the week I took pictures of two lovely Galanthus. The first is G. dionysus a lovely gift from Frank Tindall some years ago.  The other, well I am blaming the blackbirds again for whipping out the label.  Can one of you wonderful galanthophiles help me with a name? You can see that it has broad glaucus leaves, is about 4 inches tall and the three outer petals are much longer than the inner.

[Martin Baxendale]

Here's a link to John Grimshaw's Garden Diary blog with the pics and video from the Gala snowdrop sales hall:

http://johngrimshawsgardendiary.blogspot.com/

[Thomas Seiler]

Shelag,
your snowdrop looks like a Galanthus elwesii var. monostictus, but the inner segment seems to have no notch. May that be or didn't I see it right? That would be unusual.

John, I looked at the video ... same procedure as every year    I never liked this rush 

You seem to be quite successful with 'Buch' and 'Walrus' and I like them very much    Unfortunately they refuse to thrive with me. But 'Lapwing' is really a good doer!

[Paddy Tobin]

John,

You always like the very odd ones but they do seem to grow well for you. Obviously they feel at home with you!

Thomas, a lovely selection posted earlier, lovely photographs.

Paddy

[kentish_lass]

John
Love Bunch & Walrus.  My Walrus was new last year and only has some tiny leaves this year - don't think it will flower.

I love the Spikey's.  I have some growth on Irish Green but no sign of a flower yet....and Boyd's Double has not shown at all....probably a gonner.  Was relieved today to see that Puck has emerged....whew 

Rained all day here but I battled on as all the Epimedium foliage has to be cut down before the flowers emerge.  Am looking forward to RHS Halls on Tuesday.  Top of my list is early flowering Cyclamen coum with pretty leaves.
Jennie

[ashley]

Feeling rather out of my depth here

G. fosteri first flower from seed sown Jan 08.  Is this green wash at the base of the outer petals usual?
G. 'Rosie' (x3) a very kind gift from Chris Sanham, for my teenage daughter of the same name.  I am to look after it until she has a garden of her own.

[chasw]

I do like Bunch ,I believe that it was one of Joe's finds was it not John,I did try to get it at his Spring Thing last year

[alpinelover]

Today here, Galanthus 'Wisley Magnet' (photo 1) and a G. elwesii (nameless) (photo 2)

[kentish_lass]

Today here, Galanthus 'Wisley Magnet' (photo 1) and a G. elwesii (nameless) (photo 2)

'Nameless' has very nice long petals 
Jennie

[Alan_b]

Yesterday someone came to me at a meeting and said that they would never buy or sell a snowdrop that had been chipped as they are no good, and he had tried them side by side with divided ones in his garden to prove it.  Discuss.

A year or two ago I posted some comparisons pictures of the 'South Hayes' on the Foxgrove Nursery stand at the RHS London show in February that were taken several years apart.  This lead me to wonder if that was not going downhill.   

[RichardW]

Yesterday someone came to me at a meeting and said that they would never buy or sell a snowdrop that had been chipped as they are no good, and he had tried them side by side with divided ones in his garden to prove it.  Discuss.

I only started chipping a few years ago, everything I've sold/swapped to date has been division though I've no idea if any I've had in have been chipped, but given how finicky drops can be I would say that's probably generalizing a bit, if not quite a lot.

my first chips, mostly mighty atom are being planted so will be interesting to see how things pan out in the next few years, I'm not really sure how the process can be detrimental, unless there was something wrong with the original bulb in the first place.

I assume many new drops are chipped to increase stock quickly, so it could also be that some plants haven't had the time to prove themselves as good "doers" anyway.

[Brian Ellis]

I'm not really sure how the process can be detrimental, unless there was something wrong with the original bulb in the first place.

An interesting topic Richard, I have been told that some bulbs can lose their characterstics if over-chipped 'South Hayes' being the one quoted to me, which can lose the mark on the outers.  'Big Boy' I have also been told is difficult, two people have told me they chipped it and lost every single one.  I think the answer is to be sensible and chip only bulbs you have spares of, and then to be grateful if any survive to adulthood

[RichardW]

must admit I haven't experimented with many yet but I can already see variation in vigor, the Atom chips are doing very well, Merlin not so well, probably half the size, but it's also a plant that has increased very slowly here whereas Atom grows like a weed, so that's at least one comparison that is reflected in the garden.

it's food for thought, and I suppose it should be made clear whether a bulb you're buying/swapping has been chipped, although my plan to plant large clumps of Mighty Atom in areas with divided bulbs might make separating them tricky in the long term.

when I do my final planting I'll put in clumps of chipped/split bulbs and mark them, would be interesting to see how they develop but the whole thing seems a potential minefield to me, particularly for a plant that so many either like you or don't