Galanthus January 2012

[Sean Fox]

Brian - Is Walker Canada a plicatus or plicatus hybrid? 

John Morley describes it in his catalogue as G.plicatus other than that I do not know, I am afraid it is in that great snowdrop bed in the sky

It's not on it's own Brian, that's for sure.

[mark smyth]

Thanks Gerard. You might be correct

[daveyp1970]

G. elwesii on November 20.  I have been planting hundreds of dried G. elwesii bulbs for a number of years and they bloom from November to March.

I meant to remark on this earlier but that is the same season as in England.  G. elwesii that flower in November are quite rare, December-flowering less so, and so on with the peak flowering month being February, then a sharp drop-off into March.  It's worth devoting a bit of TLC to the ones that flower early in order to bulk them up.

Actually of all the G. elwesii I have planted quite a few bloom in the fall.  I keep meaning to separate them and give them the TLC you recommend.  Maybe next year.

The three photos below are of a snowdrop given to a friend by a landscape designer who got it from one of here customers (i.e., it could have a name but it's lost).  It blooms here at the end of November so I am thinking it is a G. elwesii.  The X looks much more distinct than other cultivars that I have seen.  Does anyone know what it is?  Carolyn

Freds Giant maybe


edit by maggi to pull answer out of quote box

[loes]

Faringdon double maybe ? should be past flowering by now

[mark smyth]

A kind lurker, hello and thanks, sent me a list of what I bought ...

St Pancras, Sentinel, Mrs Macnamara, Melanie Broughton, Gerard Parker, George Elwes, Faringdon Double and Epiphany

The inner mark says Faringdon Double

[loes]

 

[Carolyn Walker]

A very nice find Carolyn. Do the leaves advance very far before the onset of winter and if so do they weather well?

johnw  -11c at 22:00

The owner really doesn't remember much about the leaves except that the photos she sent me (and I posted here) were taken Feb. 28, 2004.  I asked her to take some now.  Carolyn

[Carolyn Walker]

Yes John the mark is similar to 'Walker, Canada' but that has plicate leaves.  It certainly has a great mark Carolyn...I take it 'Walker, Canada' isn't anything to do with you

That really had me laughing...if only.  Mine would be called 'Walker US' though.  There is a very nice photo of 'Walker Canada' here: http://www.floralook.com/en/no_cache/home/photo/galanthus-walker-canada-1/?search_on=1.  The mark is the most similar I have found (now I am getting compulsive), but definitely very different leaves and ovary, different species.

[Alan_b]

The three photos below are of a snowdrop given to a friend .....It blooms here at the end of November so I am thinking it is a G. elwesii.  The X looks much more distinct than other cultivars that I have seen.  Does anyone know what it is?  Carolyn

... the photos she sent me (and I posted here) were taken Feb. 28, 2004.  I asked her to take some now.  Carolyn

Now I am getting thoroughly confused.  No snowdrop in the one locale flowers from the end of November to the 28th February in the UK.  The only way this could possibly happen is if there were a spell of very cold weather during almost all the intervening period.

By the way, "Walker Canada" is a G. plicatus, judging from its photograph.   

[Brian Ellis]

Yes John the mark is similar to 'Walker, Canada' but that has plicate leaves.  It certainly has a great mark Carolyn...I take it 'Walker, Canada' isn't anything to do with you

That really had me laughing...if only.  Mine would be called 'Walker US' though.  There is a very nice photo of 'Walker Canada' here: http://www.floralook.com/en/no_cache/home/photo/galanthus-walker-canada-1/?search_on=1.  The mark is the most similar I have found (now I am getting compulsive), but definitely very different leaves and ovary, different species.

Glad to have tickled your tonsils Carolyn, it could have been a relation As you say the mark is very similar, and the photo link confirms John Morley's description.

[johnw]

Brian

re: Walker Canada

So I have changed my notes to plicatus (or hybrid).

As I recall the original label in the UK said only "Walker Canada". So we do not know if Walker was a seed collector, a snowdrop collector, a grower or a hybridizer or even a Canadian.  It's only surmised that the snowdrop may have come from Canada.  I searched the maps of Roumania, Crimea, Northern Turkey to see if I could see an area with a name close to Canada - to no avail - in case it was a seed collection and blurry writing.   Is that your understanding from Morley?

No one in Canada I have contacted knows of ___ Walker or has this snowdrop.

johnw

[Brian Ellis]

I've sent you a PM John with my notes.

The history of this snowdrop is quite mysterious apart from the fact that it was growing in Richard Nutt's garden near a label which was faded but looked as though it said 'Walker Canada'

[art600]

Has anyone received their Avon snowdrops?

[chasw]

Are they heavily scented Arthur?ding dong

[art600]

 

I'll take that as a NO