Galanthus January 2012

[johnw]

x valentinei Compton Court

how does this differ from "ordinary" x valnetinei?

Probably just the label but maybe Mark or Paddy can comment. 

johnw

[johnw]

And, for John W. Still surviving: G. 'Rosemary Burnham'

Paddy

She's greener in Eire!

johnw

[johnw]

JohnW, Alan, JohnF you bring spring feeling in our gloomy world.
Here we have no light and sun, so our drops don`t like to open.

A pleasure to bring you spring Hagen but could you send a bit back here -  -9c and on its way to 2c today.

johnw

[Paddy Tobin]

And, for John W. Still surviving: G. 'Rosemary Burnham'

Paddy

She's greener in Eire!

johnw

Well, of course she is. This is the Emerald Isle after all.

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

I was quite surprised to see this on G. elwesii "Yvonne Hay" on January 22 nd !!  

Temperature rose to 10°C !

Luc,
are you absolutely sure it is not a narcissus fly?  

 That was my thought, Armin  

It may seem too early for narcissus fly.... but I think it is  too early for lots of the flowers we are seeing... so why can't those pesky narcissus fly be out early as well?

[Luc Gilgemyn]

I was quite surprised to see this on G. elwesii "Yvonne Hay" on January 22 nd !! 

Temperature rose to 10°C !

Luc,
are you absolutely sure it is not a narcissus fly? 

 That was my thought, Armin 

It may seem too early for narcissus fly.... but I think it is  too early for lots of the flowers we are seeing... so why can't those pesky narcissus fly be out early as well?

I'm definitely not a "connaisseur"...  ...  I was told (by a belgian Galantophile) it's a hoover fly...  also called the "blind bee" out here.   

[mark smyth]

RichardW I think x valnetinei is variable. The one I found stands 14 inches and has an inverted heart on the inner. I dont know the difference between Compton Court and S Arnott

[Maggi Young]

Mark... you are a great swatter of narcissus fly... could Luc's hover fly be a nasty?

[KentGardener]

Mark... you are a great swatter of narcissus fly... could Luc's hover fly be a nasty?

(Looks like something I would get worried about seeing in my garden.....   )


I don't know if this is of any help. Valentei is not the sort of thing I can/would give space to in my tiny plot - but here are a couple of photos I took at Kew on Saturday.  (But I am wary of the Kew labeling as the first snowdrop I saw there was a pretty little double with the label 'John Gray'   )

[johnw]

RichardW I think x valnetinei is variable. The one I found stands 14 inches and has an inverted heart on the inner. I dont know the difference between Compton Court and S Arnott

With me Compton Court would be the one that's alive. I know it may be hard to believe but I have had a nasty time of it trying to get S. Arnott going.  I am trying once more and at least they have emerged, we'll see how it does long term.

Mark - I hope your no-shows emerge later, if it was a wet summer that's to blame then we're in very big trouble as well especially with the elwesiis.

johnw

[Martin Baxendale]

Gal. x valentinei is just the "official" name for all hybrids between plicatus and nivalis. Putting it in front of a cultivar name simply indicates that this is the cultivar's parentage. I've been growing 'Compton Court' for about hree years now to compare it with 'S. Arnott' and it is fairly distinct (and a nice snowdrop) having a different mark to Arnott and also a quite different scent.

[Martin Baxendale]

John, I've also found 'Compton Court' to be quite vigorous, probably more so than Arnott. I think that suggests that C.C. is a newer hybrid while Arnott is getting pretty old now and prone to disease.

[annew]

A nice pot of mixed seedlings of G. gracilis. It's short and stout. I got the originals from seed exchange seeds some years ago, and I know you are all going to say it doesn't look like gracilis, but I was told by an eminent botanist that it was. Any other ID ideas welcomed, though.

[Tim Ingram]

I have always had a particular love of woodland gardening ever since my visits to Washfield Nursery years ago (and really always wanted to create a nursery like that, except I don't have the dedication of Elizabeth Strangman, or Graham Gough). So I always think of snowdrops as being part of the woodland plantings and have tried to create drifts of nivalis by 'sowing' seed pods (when they are mature but still firm and green). The little tufts of seedlings flower after 3 years or so and look quite natural. A few named varieties also set seed reliably, one such is 'Gerard Parker', so I have done the same with these and some quite nice variation arises. More special varieties have been planted in discrete groups under the apple trees, mixed with ferns, primroses, epimediums, trilliums and other choice woodlanders which come along later.

[art600]

Very nice Tim - wish my woodland section was as good - and as tidy - as yours.

The snowdrops really seem to enjoy their sitings.