Snowdrops in February 2012

[ian mcenery]

Alan, could I suggest that you correct the 'Wareham' typo in your post, just in case it's seen and noted by people not aware that it should be 'Warham' and might confuse someone. Unlikely, I know, but anything to help avoid naming confusion - you can never tell where simple typographical slips like that can lead.

There must be a lot of "Warhams" about. I gather that G Gerard Parker started out in life as Warham from Gerard Parker or was it ex Lady Stern. Gerard Parker is a magnificent snowdrop having huge and elegant flowers. I will try to photograph it but it is in a difficult place to photo without standing on other little treasures

A couple from today G Brenda Troyle a good doer and South Hayes just beginning to open

[Brian Ellis]

There must be a lot of "Warhams" about.

I understand that this dates back to when the Gala visited Warham Rectory, some snowdrops were distributed from the garden and they are all referred to as Warham...but I may be mistaken.

[Hagen Engelmann]

Ian, I like SOUTH HAYES so much, all of mine were destroyed by black frost. But your pics remember me: there is a life after black frost. Wonderful clump.

[Roma]

I got Galanthus plicatus 'Warham' from Broadleigh many years ago.  It has multiplied hugely by division and by seed.  I think I would now call it 'Warham Group' if passing any on.   It has broad silvery leaves and is very late flowering.  The only other plicatus I have flowers early and is almost going over while 'Warham is just through the ground with the first flower beginning to show.

[Alan_b]

There must be a lot of "Warhams" about.

I understand that this dates back to when the Gala visited Warham Rectory, some snowdrops were distributed from the garden and they are all referred to as Warham...but I may be mistaken.

I went to the Galanthus Gala when it visited Warham Rectory, which I thin k was in 2002 (or maybe 2001).  To commemorate the visit I bought a Galanthus Warham from one of the sales tables, so that one must have been long established by then.   

[ian mcenery]

There must be a lot of "Warhams" about.

I understand that this dates back to when the Gala visited Warham Rectory, some snowdrops were distributed from the garden and they are all referred to as Warham...but I may be mistaken.

Brian nothing more confusing than snowdrop progeny  

Ian, I like SOUTH HAYES so much, all of mine were destroyed by black frost. But your pics remember me: there is a life after black frost. Wonderful clump.

Hagen thank you it has taken a few years it is not a fast grower

[johnw]

Ian, I like SOUTH HAYES so much, all of mine were destroyed by black frost. But your pics remember me: there is a life after black frost. Wonderful clump.

Hagen -  I am very surprised that a late hard frost would kill a snowdrop.   Do you think snowdrops lose their incredible freeze tolerance as the season progresses? How late was this "black frost"?  Hope South Hayes was the only fatality though that is a particularly hard loss to bear.

john w

[Carolyn Walker]

Does nobody have a photo of Warham? Or Colossus? Or is everybody else as confused as I am?

Here is a photo of 'Warham' but the flowers aren't open yet here.  Hope it helps but you probably want to see the inner mark.

[Don B]

I gather from a recent comment, that the snowdrop season over there is getting a little long in the tooth, and that it would be appreciated if some more of us on the sunset side of the Atlantic would post pictures from our gardens, for a change. So, after lurking about here for a couple of years, I'm taking the plunge as the newest of newbies. My garden is in Iowa, in what we would call the upper midwest; a region where all the continental air masses collide (sometimes all in the same day)... think tornadoes. One could be forgiven for thinking that Iowa, being a renowned farming state, must be a paradise for flower gardening. Consider this: the agricultural crops for which we are famous (corn, soybeans, oats) are all ANNUALS. Our winters allow little of value in perennial crops. Winter here is a palpable thing; an almost invariable introductory topic in casual conversational encounters on the street. The all-time low in my present garden was -36C, a night where the wind from the Arctic roared in the trees, blowing ice crystals and everything else before it. The next morning when I drove to work, I wondered what the black lumps were that were strewn across the open fields, then realized they were dead birds, frozen where they perched and blown out into the fields. The wind chill that night (a factoring of wind and temperature) was -81C. Our summers then are very hot, usually humid but with frequent dry spells. I always say if the winters don't kill a plant, the summers will. I don't suppose your balmy country even talks about the heat index, a computational temperature based on the actual ambient temperature and the humidity, giving a result of what the day actually feels like; a heat index of 80C is nothing they would interrupt a televised quiz show to broadcast about. Corn, our main farm crop is, after all, a subtropical from Mexico; when it is sown in an Iowa farm field and sprouts into our summers it must think it's died and gone to heaven.The farmers claim that on a warm, humid night you can hear the corn grow. I'm doubtful of that; the heat, humidity and dark can do funny things to your imagination out in the quiet countryside. Snowdrops would seem an odd addition to a garden here, but they grow like rabbits. Availability is the problem; there has only been one real dealer in the whole country (Hitch Lyman). Now, Carolyn Walker who has been recently posting here is starting to offer some surplus snowdrops for sale. I've gradually accumulated 9 species, and one ssp. (the latter being what I've semi-confidently identified as monostictus group hiemale; a single bulb in a planting of elwesii, which popped up and bloomed in late November. It's survived and thrived through our winters; the last couple of years I've popped a translucent plastic ice cream tub over it when the ground freezes solid, and it's really taken off and turned into a good patch.) I also have about ninety named varieties; nothing fancy-doodle, but I thought you'd be interested to see what can be grown in a tough climate. After a uniquely mild early winter, we've been stuck for several weeks in the cold and clouds. This current weather pattern is very common here in very early spring The snowdrops peek up and start to bud up, then just sit there and sulk in the cold for what seems an eternity; I call this time of year "Sprinter". However, today we've had our first real spring day and half the snowdrops in the garden have opened all at once. Here are a few pictures:

Art Nouveau
fosteri
Lady Elphinstone
Lady Elphinstone (front view)
Viridapice
Bertram Anderson
Blewbury Tart

 (Edit by Maggi to add file names to allow search facility to find the pictures.)

[Anthony Darby]

Hagen thank you it has taken a few years it is not a fast grower

That's interesting. I was sent 'South Hayes' by a kind Forum member and it more than trebled in number the two seasons I had it.

[Lesley Cox]

Oh Don, how COULD you? Pictures of corn, soybeans and oats would be nice. I really love snowdrops but here we have so very few varieties/species and all old ones. I just can't help having a bit of a poke in the ribs at the addicted and obsessed sometimes. They haven't drummed me out of the Forum - yet.

Your climate and conditions are what I can't even imagine. Your Iowan gardeners must be heros, every one. I hope you continue to post in this thread and in others on the Forum. It would be a steep learning curve, for me at least. And, belatedly, a warm welcome to the Forum. After lurking for a couple of years I hope you feel comfortable enough with us all, crazies though many of us are.

[Anthony Darby]

Welcome to the Forum Don.

[art600]

I thought Corrin was Bob & Ran's daughter.

Megan being Corrin's daughter

Thank you Arthur, I'll confirm that with Ann Borrill when she comes over this morning.

Could be  a different version I suppose.... the book of baby names my  nephew and his wife are studying at the minute gives it as a boy's name. Girl's version is given as Corrine .

Corrin \c(or)-rin\ as a boy's name (also used as girl's name Corrin), is a variant of Corin (Latin), and the meaning of Corrin is "spear".


Very appropriate for a snowdrop.

[Alan_b]

I'm a bit taxed by the identity of this snowdrop.  The leaves are supervolute and it's a double so it's very reminiscent of Richard Ayres. [Edit] I have checked my photos, the flower had dropped by 13th January but was still too tightly closed to see the details so I guess although it is lasting well the flowering time is right for Richard Ayres.  In principle it is in a mixed pot of "tinies" which I took to be seedlings.  So if it's not Richard Ayres than it must be a seedling of which Richard Ayres must surely be the pollen parent , since my clump of Richard Ayres is a few metres away from the original location of this one.  Does Richard Ayres produce fertile pollen?

If it is Richard Ayres then it's a squirrel transplant.  I would be grateful for the opinions of the sharp-eyed forumists, one way or another.  The pot of mixed "seedlings" dates from 2010, this bulb produced leaves but no flower in 2011.

[Brian Ellis]

I thought Corrin was Bob & Ran's daughter.

Megan being Corrin's daughter

Ann couldn't remember the exact relationship but confirmed she is a girl.

Don you are a hero.  Welcome to the forum in your official capacity as a contributor I really cannot imagine what gardening in your weather must be like, and I was horrified by the birds being frozen whilst they roosted.  What a dreadful thought.  It's good to see what you are able to get your hands on over there, not surprising to see 'Lady Elphinstone', but 'Art Nouveau' hasn't been around for that long so amazing to see that you have this one.  I hope they all give you an enormous amount of pleasure...and keep posting