Snowdrops in February 2012

[JimF]

Most of these are foundings from the Pacific Northwest. If any look just like another snowdrop already out there, let me know. I'll give some description as it's very hard to judge a snowdrop from a photo.

"Cby" its profile
"Cby" frontal showing markings - it's an elwesii with flowers the size of a hazelnut, about 6" tall in bloom with shorter leaves. Very arched pedicels

"CMP#1" A tall 9 to 10" elwesii found in a patch of G. e. v. monostictus! Vigorous. I was told by a friend that a nice poculiform would be better so might try watering it with "White Out" . . . or milk . . . .

"LCbs" another small round elwesii pale pea green color in all parts. The flower about the size of a very large pea; the plant about 4.5" tall, flowers well above foliage. Was given to me as 'Lady Beatrix Stanley'!!

'N's XBr' another elwesii which blooms around Christmas/New Years hear. Tall - 1 foot - and once the petals open they stay open day or night.

"PB1" these two photos don't do justice. It's a real sweetheart. Another round flowered elwesii but with a slight green tip and the unopened petal apexes)apexi? form a very sharp protruding point. The flower is the size of a garbanzo bean (chick pea), dark green coloring in all parts. Will probably be named next year as we've nothing like it here.

"Rz#2c" is another elwesii with two tiny fused dots on the inners and a spathe that opens wide with a thin translucent membrane between. This also came as 'Lady Beatrix Stanley'. Perhaps after so many years she had some "work done".

G. woronowii with two dots - original working name, but cute. I suspect there are many of these out there as I discovered this in a flat at a nursery. Several pots had the same clone. The bulbs came from Holland.

Jim

[JimF]

Finally (see what happens when I get to high speed internet!) some forms with known provenance but no names - and a few named ones.

G. elwesii "R's Casaba". Aware of the previous discussion of the "Casabas" this is passed around here as 'Casaba'. I've not seen a photo or description of 'Casaba Boydii', I think it was. This looks like a small 'S. Arnott' truth be told. Very nice whatever it is.

2 photos of a plant know as "FrankFred  Galyon's tetraploid plicatus". Two other different plicatus "tetraploids" from him are known. He was a narcissus and magnolia hybridizer in Tennessee. He may have bred galanthus, too, or simply collected forms and species to find those that did well there. Other species forms attributed to him are also known and grown.  

G. plicatus ex Phil Cornish. This came from a friend who got it years ago when working at a English bulb nursery. Very nice, but I can't trace it to any named cultivar. Doesn't matter. I like it.

'Wasp' At first I didn't think much of it, but with each year I like it better and better. Perhaps being stung at least once a year at the nursery caused my earlier prejudice.

'Diggory' in all its seersucker glory. It's fun to watch it pull in the ends of its petals over a period of days as if a root touched a bit of lemon in the soil.

Thanks for looking.

Jim
 

[JimF]

Ooops. In my last post of photos it is "Fred Galyon" not Frank. The photo captions are right.
Jim

[johnw]

Jim - At long last we get to see some American snowdrops!  Super.  Now you realize all the Galanthophiles are in bed so I got first crack at viewing them all; now doubt there will be a frenzy when they awake.  

I don't know Oluna's Mother, can you tell us something about it.  Your Rosemary Burnham looks excellent and you're getting great colouration.

Now did Frank Galyon not live in the deep south?  I recall his work on magnolias so a bit of a shock that he bred snowdrops and could even grow them in that steamy climate.  Do you think this tetraploid might break some barriers in snowdrop breeding?  Are there outward signs of its being a tetraploid - i.e thicker outers and inners, thicker leaves and what about fertility both ways?  I bet Martin Baxendale would appreciate a bit of pollen from that one!  Oops or was it indeed Fred Galyon?

CMP#1 is very very elegant, a great find, selection or hybrid, whatever it is as well as Rz#2c.  I love those chunky outers on PB1 - a real brute, it really looks like a winner too.

Lovely post and collection.

So glad you posted, keep them coming.  

johnw  - +3, spitting a bit of snow but mostly rain

[johnw]

Great shots Mark.  That nivalis Flavescens is lovely.

johnw

[mark smyth]

Thanks John.

G. elwesii "L Cbs" IMG_5163.jpg could be G. bortkewitchianus http://www.snowdropinfo.com/galanthus%20bortkewitchianus.html

[Brian Ellis]

Thanks for joining us Jim, but most of all for increasing our knowledge of what is being grown in America, there are some nice elwesii selections there especially 'Cby' and 'CMP#1', and I too like 'Oluna's Mother'.  Lovely to have such a prolific G. reginae olgae ssp. reginae olgae ex Rosemary Verey, I bet the clumps are fantastic to see.  I am totally jealous of anyone flowering 'Rosemary Burnham' at the moment as mine increases but is not flowering   Would love to see more when you are able

[David King]

Here are a few pictures of our visit to Bennington Lordships yesterday.

1, 2, 3 and 5 general shots
4 - Richard Webb far left, Brian Ellis third from left and Ann Borrill far right
6 Diggory
7 Chickens

 

[David King]

A few more from Bennington Lordships.

1 to 5 general shots.
6 S. Arnott
7 Bertram Anderson

[Mavers]

What a magical place to see snowdrops David, thank you for the photos.

[ashley]

A great series David; thank you.  'S. Arnott' is a wonderful snowdrop and hard to surpass I think.

Here are a few pictures from Altamont Gardens, Co. Carlow, taken last weekend in the rain.  Their Snowdrop Week begins next Monday, so perhaps more snowdrops from this fine collection will be shown by Paddy or others more knowledgeable on the subject.

General views from Altamont Gardens
G. elwesii with strikingly waxy grey leaves
G. elwesii 'Skyward' selected here at Altamont by head gardener Paul Cutler
G. nivalis
One of the Greatorex doubles, which I can't remember

[ashley]

Some more plants and views

Pulmonaria.jpg
Altamont hellebore 1.jpg
Altamont hellebore.jpg
Iris reticulata.jpg
Lichens.jpg
Cladonia.jpg
Altamont lake.jpg
Stone throne.jpg
His lordship.jpg

[emma T]

cones on my wollemi pine and some findling doubles

[Brian Ellis]

Lovely pictures folks, some nice finds Emma but I particularly like that 'Skyward' at Altamont Ashley.  A garden that is on the long list to visit, it's gradually getting shorter, but then another one is added

[johnw]

What a magical place to see snowdrops David

And a well-behaved cat for a change.

johnw