Galanthus January 2012

[Brian Ellis]

Lina,  in The Garden  Feb. 2012 there is an article about Colesbourne Park, the Elwes family, the snowdrops and John Grimshaw, by Stephen Anderton.
There is also a piece on Hepatica, by John Grimshaw.


 Edit by Maggi: Sorry, thought you meant in The Garden - snowdrops are everywhere !

Also Tim Ingram writes about John and Judy's lovely garden at Chestnut Farm, West Beckham - well worth a visit.

[Maggi Young]

Lina,  in The Garden  Feb. 2012 there is an article about Colesbourne Park, the Elwes family, the snowdrops and John Grimshaw, by Stephen Anderton.
There is also a piece on Hepatica, by John Grimshaw.


 Edit by Maggi: Sorry, thought you meant in The Garden - snowdrops are everywhere !

Also Tim Ingram writes about John and Judy's lovely garden at Chestnut Farm, West Beckham - well worth a visit.

.... and Kaye  Griffiths writes about the alpine dept at Harlow Carr   and there are other snippets........ that's why I said in another thread that half the issue had been written by Forumists!!

 

[KentGardener]

...and not before the end of the snowdrop season either

Brian  - We'll book him in for April first then.

johnw

The first class fare is £5934 return.  Send it over and I'll be there.

Brillaint.   

I'm come and help too John. 

[johnw]

The first class fare is £5934 return.  Send it over and I'll be there.

Sorry David & John, the Concorde has been decommisssioned.  Meet this fellow at Land's End Monday and we'll expect you both by Spring.

johnw

[mark smyth]

One photographed today that might be Warei. Are there any named Warei cultivars or crosses with plicatus?

Rob, Warei should have a very large spathe. Your plant could be Viridapice. Is it really such a dark green?

[Gerard Oud]

From today i found with a friend several yellow "sandersii" nivalis and some greenstriped singles and doubles just before its starting to get really cold next week!

[David King]

The first class fare is £5934 return.  Send it over and I'll be there.

Sorry David & John, the Concorde has been decommisssioned.  Meet this fellow at Land's End Monday and we'll expect you both by Spring.

johnw

Thank you for the kind offer John.  I think I will pass on this one as my days of roughing it are well over.

[KentGardener]

Hi Gerard - I am just wondering - do you leave some bulbs in nature when you collect?  

I always try to leave all the baby bulbs, from the one single bulb I might rarely collect from a site, so that the young ones can grow on happily where their parent germinated for future generations of galanthophiles to find.  

[Brian Ellis]

Hi Gerard - I am just wondering - do you leave some bulbs in nature when you collect?  

I always try to leave all the baby bulbs, from the one single bulb I might rarely collect from a site, so that the young ones can grow on happily where their parent germinated for future generations of galanthophiles to find.  

I am pleased to hear it John, it does mean that the gene pool in the site is not diminished.

[Gerard Oud]

Let me tell you a secret John and Brian i do even plant other hybrids over there.

 The problem is it takes a while before results, that might be for the future generations?I do never take the whole clump with me thats impossible too, there are still so many seeds/bulbills left in the soil!
It surprises me every year and i would never kill a chicken that lays golden eggs

[Torsten Junker]

I found this sitting on 'Trymlet' yeserday, is this my first narcissus fly of the season? 

[Armin]

Thorsten,
your NBF is a Eristalis tenax (Mistbiene). They fly in mild winter.

Narcissus bulb flies (NBF) hatch when it is warm enough (E/April-May) and they make a unique buzzing sound similar to humble bees but with a higher frequency.
It is unlikely to find a NBF outside in mid winter (exception: you have put a pot with infested bulbs inside to room temperature , i.e. happend to me with Hippeastrum).

Here a picture of a fat NBF.

[mark smyth]

Boys and girls please learn how to id the bulb fly
It is hairy anx comes in 4 colours
All black
All brown
Black with a pale band on the end of its body
Three coloured bands

[mark smyth]

http://www.snowdropinfo.com/narcissusfly.htm

[johnw]

And to that Mark you can add:

reddish fore and pale yellow-beige rear

This one by the way made no sound whatsoever unless its pitch is out of my hearing range.  The local entomologist said it was a Merodon but never got back to me on the species. All agree NBF.

johnw