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Author Topic: KentGardener's Galanthus Blog 2012  (Read 30461 times)

johnw

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Re: KentGardener's Galanthus Blog 2012
« Reply #180 on: February 12, 2012, 02:54:59 AM »
John - Another wonderful tour. Amazed what a differnce at Kew since last there in 1983!

Those Cyclamen rohlfsianums are totally outrageous. :o

johnw
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Alan_b

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Re: KentGardener's Galanthus Blog 2012
« Reply #181 on: February 12, 2012, 05:30:57 AM »
That gherkin in a can is far out & I think I would have declined too  :D  What a bummer when you was expecting a beer!

Maybe you could pickle the gherkin in beer and get the best of both worlds?
Almost in Scotland.

ashley

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Re: KentGardener's Galanthus Blog 2012
« Reply #182 on: February 12, 2012, 10:19:25 AM »
Great blog John.  Don't worry about including non-white things from time to time ;)
Fascinating to see the very different male and female flowers on the wollemi, and on such a young plant too.
Ashley Allshire, Cork, Ireland

Maggi Young

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Re: KentGardener's Galanthus Blog 2012
« Reply #183 on: February 12, 2012, 10:57:56 AM »
Great blog John.  Don't worry about including non-white things from time to time ;)
Fascinating to see the very different male and female flowers on the wollemi, and on such a young plant too.

Don't worry John... you would have shown us more snowdrops if the weather hadn't conspired against you. The alternative visits you have reported on are most intersting... I must agree with Ashley about the surprise to see the (to me, precocious) flowers on the young wollemi pine.

I'm still getting to grips with the notion of the scent of the Androcymbium greuterocymbium - "a kind of butterscotch chocolate"  :o 8)
Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

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KentGardener

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Re: KentGardener's Galanthus Blog 2012
« Reply #184 on: February 12, 2012, 11:56:26 AM »
The smell was yummy Maggi.  I kept getting a whiff of a wonderful perfume in the greenhouse and had to track down where it was coming from.

1 - I found the source of the delicious scent.
2 - For Ashley and Maggi.  The small group of 7 Wollemi just behind the Evolution house were all flowering - even the tiny little one.
3 - A Wollemi again for Ashley and Maggi.  They really did look like a decorated Christmas tree.
John

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angie

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Re: KentGardener's Galanthus Blog 2012
« Reply #185 on: February 12, 2012, 08:09:54 PM »
Well John, I thoroughly enjoyed your pictures. Thanks for taking the time to show us.

Angie  :)
Angie T.
....just outside Aberdeen in North East Scotland

ashley

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Re: KentGardener's Galanthus Blog 2012
« Reply #186 on: February 12, 2012, 11:05:43 PM »
Thanks very much John.  Apparently they are used as Christmas trees in Australia.
I've never seen any other Araucariaceae show such precocity, and the snow and recent cold doesn't seem to bother them at all 8)
Ashley Allshire, Cork, Ireland

Olga Bondareva

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Re: KentGardener's Galanthus Blog 2012
« Reply #187 on: February 14, 2012, 05:18:08 AM »
John
Thank you very much for this blog. Don't know what I like more plant images or garden visits and parties photographs. Wish I was there!
Olga Bondareva, Moscow, Zone 3

KentGardener

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Re: KentGardener's Galanthus Blog 2012
« Reply #188 on: February 14, 2012, 05:34:18 AM »
You are most welcome to visit any time Olga.   8)

Last night Hagen and Uli arrived back at my house after a great tour of Southern England.  I so wish I could have taken the week off and joined them as they visited some great gardens and met with some wonderful plants people.  

Today is my last Galanthus outing before I head off to Madeira.  We are heading into London to the RHS show halls and then my German visitors head back to mainland Europe.

Hopefully I may take a few photographs of the day.   ;)

John

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Mavers

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Re: KentGardener's Galanthus Blog 2012
« Reply #189 on: February 14, 2012, 08:24:57 AM »
Please do take some photos of the RHS hall exhibits John I love seeing them.

Mike
Mike
Somerset, UK

Alan_b

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Re: KentGardener's Galanthus Blog 2012
« Reply #190 on: February 14, 2012, 08:51:35 AM »
David and Anke way, who featured in John's blog, are also featured in the Daily Mail here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/gardening/article-2100413/Drop-galanthophiles-The-snowdrop-lovers-beautiful-creation-attracts-visitors-world.html?ito=feeds-newsxml .  They have a lovely garden.
« Last Edit: February 14, 2012, 09:55:52 AM by Maggi Young »
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Brian Ellis

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Re: KentGardener's Galanthus Blog 2012
« Reply #191 on: February 14, 2012, 09:54:40 AM »
Thanks for that Alan, happy memories of visiting their National Collection of Penstemon in about 2000 - wrong time of year for snowdrops!
Brian Ellis, Brooke, Norfolk UK. altitude 30m Mintemp -8C

chasw

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Re: KentGardener's Galanthus Blog 2012
« Reply #192 on: February 14, 2012, 04:59:52 PM »
Thanks for that Alan,somewhere for us to visit on the Friday ;D ;D
Chas Whight in Northamptonshire

KentGardener

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Re: KentGardener's Galanthus Blog 2012
« Reply #193 on: February 15, 2012, 05:44:40 AM »
Tuesday 14 February

Sadly, for me, the 2012 Galanthus season is already nearing its end.  Before I know it I shall be walking the levadas of Madeira with my family - and my father will have reached the age of 80!  (and I find myself wondering, does that make me old?...  :-\ )

My Tuesday started with work meetings until 11.30 followed by a quick dash to Vincent Square for the 2012 RHS early spring flower show (or whatever silly name the RHS marketing department call it now  ::) ).   95% of the attendees are there to look at plants, chat to friends and purchase from the nurseries.  The show was once again split over 2 halls, the Lawrence Hall was bursting with plants,  the Lindley Hall had 2 additional nurseries, an amazing selection of sculpture and various companies selling everything from paving slabs to astro turf.

It was a fantastic day - slightly less dense displays of snowdrops this year than one has come to expect at this show but still some excellent flowers to be seen.  In fact it seemed easier to see the individual plants rather the usual mass of white.  

I was gutted to find out that one of my favourite parts of the day was not going to happen - there were no snowdrops deemed good enough by growers to put before the Joint Rock Committee.   :'(

I met up with many old friends and also made some new ones.  This really is my favourite Galanthus 'social event' of the year.

1 - a general view of the hall
2 - Broadleigh Gardens stand
3 - Foxgrove Stand
4 - 'South Hayes' on Foxgrove
5 - Avon Bulbs stand
6 - SRGC forum member 'Ding Dong'...
7 - Avon bulbs newly named 'Sprite' - A lovely looking snowdrop but I resisted temptation, considering it not distinctive enough for my small garden (£60 for a healthy multi-nosed sized pot of flowering bulbs).
8 - Jacques Amand with a lovely display of Iris
9 - Another beautiful Iris - this one being the organiser of the German coach trip to see UK Galanthus
10 - It was brilliant a brilliant surprise to discover that David Quinton had managed the trip into London  :)
« Last Edit: February 15, 2012, 07:42:32 PM by KentGardener »
John

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KentGardener

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Re: KentGardener's Galanthus Blog 2012
« Reply #194 on: February 15, 2012, 06:11:05 AM »
A few more pictures:

1 - Ruby Baker, John and Brenda Foster  (apologies for writing Judy Foster on the image name!  ::)  I was half asleep when resizing the pictures.)
2 - A fantastic sculpture of a horse
3 - A snowdrop pot
4 - some big bronze conkers
5 - Joe Sharman's button hole
6 - At home, a reminder of my lovely German guests.

And there ends my Galanthus wandering for 2012.  

I have every intention of spending a week on Mainland Europe during the 2013 snowdrop season.  If anyone (members or 'lurkers' ;) ) would be willing to show their gardens to a wandering Englishman please let me know.    :)
« Last Edit: February 15, 2012, 09:26:47 AM by KentGardener »
John

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