Galanthus Gala 2012

[Brian Ellis]

I suppose we better give them a chance to get home Maxine

[Jo]

Mark here ... Dont want to change Jo's settings in case she doesnt remember

Maxine great to meet you yesterday. Dont think the lab liked me. He growled very close to the family jewels.

The Gala was the best in a very long time. Dick Turpin was on the door relieving people of their snowdrop money 

Three great lectures especially Bob Wallis. Ranveig was ill. He took us through Europe looking at species and assosiated plants and then to the garden to look at the Trym babies and selections.

Dowing Munroe looked at yellows old and new with lots of humour - that's him and not the snowdrops

Joze Bavcon from Slovenia showed his selections - boys and girls just wait until they hit ebay!! He had fours books for sale. One on his selections, a tiny version showing his selections, one on Crocus that grow in Slovenia and his selections and one of Cyclamen purpurescens.

Best deals in the sales hall came from Anita Thorpe. Multiple bulbs in pots for the price of a single one. I gave her all my money. Melvin Jope had lovely Cyclamen from Tile Barn - I bought those - and seed raised ikariae from various locations. He also had his usual selection of reginae-olgaes and peshmenii.

Long Acre were selling masses of Hellebores and some thibetanus. The latter I saw when I delivered snowdrops to the hall but on return they were gone.

Lots of new 'drops on Joe's stand - Sharman's Late, (John's) Y Fronts

Loads left on the tables at the end including some not seen by me before.

Some "drug dealing" took place in the car park of East Lambrook Manor - great to meet Michael and co. again.

The food was the best in a long time - well done Kelly College.

Great to meet Hagen - thanks for the nice words

Great to meet the lurkers from across Europe again

Went fishing  

[chasw]

Jan and I have just arrived home from the gala ,we both had a good day,and I only bought 3 drops,how good is that
The weather was fab, especially ,when we found out today it had been -15 here earlier today  

Jan really chuffed as we stayed at the Jamaica Inn

And pleased to meet you Hagen

[Alan_b]

If the Gala did not sell-out this year then you really wouldn't have noticed as the lecture hall was packed with people, too many to even say  hello to everybody, let alone chat.  As usual there was a coach party from Holland and another from Germany.  By normal Gala standards things went very smoothly although this might not have been the case without the loan of batteries, laptops etc. from members of the audience.  The three talks were all interesting and delivered in contrasting styles.  Then there was the usual scrum at the sales tables.  I manged to resist temptation, having succumbed at Myddleton House last week.

Actually, I had a bit of a Damascene revelation whilst looking round the snowdrops the previous day.  It occurred to me that there are many fine snowdrop collections but often they mostly contain the same snowdrops so one doesn't often see something unusual.  I don't have room for a big collection anyway so I thought it would be a good idea to try and populate my collection with less well-known snowdrops, perhaps those associated in some way with people I have got to know through the forum, as well as the ones I have found myself.  So, reader, be forewarned - you may be hearing from me.           

[Maggi Young]

By the way, dare I suggest that the magic of moderation be used to split off the, err, 'debate' on nomenclature into its own thread as it seems to have lost any relationship to the Gala?

I have split the thread as suggested.There is now: 'Galanthus naming- digression from Gala 2012 thread'

[David King]

Seems a dearth of pictures from the gala this year.  Didn't anyone take a camera?  Or am I missing something?

[Maggi Young]

Perhaps folks are still out and about visiting more gardens, David?

[KentGardener]

Hagen showed me lots of photos last night that were on his laptop.  Hopefully he will be able to post some when he gets back to his house in Germany later this week?

[johnw]

Perhaps folks are still out and about visiting more gardens, David?

That hasn't shut them up in the past.

johnw

[David King]

Perhaps I'll have to grit my teeth and go another time. 

[Brian Ellis]

We wait with bated breath 

[KentGardener]

I hope that you two are not sitting in separate rooms using separate computers on Valentines day!

[David King]

Valentine's what?  I thought it was Tuesday.

[Brian Ellis]

I hope that you two are not sitting in separate rooms using separate computers on Valentines day!

...and I was outside selling snowdrops

[Alan_b]

I plan to post some more about the Gala as soon as I get a spare moment, which will probably be in a day or two.