Snowdrops in February 2012

[johnw]

Here is the poc ex Jedburgh in the garden, eat your heart out Jennie, but one day you too will have drifts like this. 

Smashing Brian!  You always have a surprise in store for us.

johnw

[RichardW]

things going over fast now, had a nice day planting lots of new things.

only a couple of pics...

Greenish
David Shackleton

[David King]

I think no. 5 is 'Tubby Merlin'

Thanks. Has been amended - tired eyes after a long day!

[Brian Ellis]

Here is the poc ex Jedburgh in the garden, eat your heart out Jennie, but one day you too will have drifts like this. 

Whose garden? 

Art you may have gathered from the other posts that it was Carole Smith's garden at Wansford.

Good that you did so well for the open day Carole

[Webster008]

Rick it was named by Carole Smith for Joe Sharman. Joe has a reputation for being late and as the
?Sandersii Group is a bit late it got named

Thanks Mark,


Looks like not many people grow this variety.

[Brian Ellis]

Rick it was named by Carole Smith for Joe Sharman. Joe has a reputation for being late and as the
?Sandersii Group is a bit late it got named

Looks like not many people grow this variety.

There are more and more about as Joe has been selling it this year Rick.

[Brian Ellis]

Well the snowdrop season is gradually winding down now, we had our last visit? today to the National Collection of Margaret MacLennan in Essex, and what a treat it was.  It's not often I am taken aback, but I was really pleased to see the thought that Margaret and David had put in to their National Collection; we have seen a fair few National Collections in our time of various genus, and it would be nice to think that more of them were cared for in this manner.  They have 100s of varieties (well over 600 and counting), nearly all have been chipped for backups and scrupulous recording and care of the collection is evident. 

I should imagine it is a beautiful garden in the Summer, but to be quite honest I was 'blown away' by it all.  Some of the collection is displayed in mixed beds, some in raised beds, some in walk through beds many are also planted in drifts in the lawn.  Then there are the cold frames.  I was pleased to see some that I grow, some that I had heard of and can now put a face to, and even more that I had no inkling even existed and my mind is still racing nearly two hours after we have got home!  For once I have not taken a single picture as there was just so much to see, fortunately David did take a few so they will be up later. 

I know Margaret is a sometime lurker so I must express our thanks to her for a fantastic end to our season, and to both David and Margaret for their kind hospitality, we had a marvellous visit.

[art600]

Here is the poc ex Jedburgh in the garden, eat your heart out Jennie, but one day you too will have drifts like this. 

Whose garden? 

Art you may have gathered from the other posts that it was Carole Smith's garden at Wansford.

Good that you did so well for the open day Carole

It was a joke - not very funny - brought on by absolute envy.  what a wonderful garden.  And then you go and visit another fantastic garden.

[jamouatt]

A couple of shots of a poculiform Lagodechianus which has been stable for the last three years.

John (M)

[Brian Ellis]

The poculiform flower looks particularly nice against the dark lagodechianus foliage John, very nice.

[Gerard Oud]

Very nice poc and in a lagodechianus!
From yesterday pics before digging up some Tippy Green at a old farmhouse. One special nivalis with 2 pair of normal petals and the 3d above the ovary and a green stripe on it!

[KentGardener]

I have no idea how this picture will turn out as I am using mums iPad and the resize is really not as intuitive as on a windows pc/laptop.

(Maggi, if the size is completely LARGE could you do the honours for me please)?

I have been searching Madeira for a snowdrop fix and failed miserably.  But today I almost managed it when I spotted a snowflake growing.

It has made me smile seeing the selection of plants it is growing with!  


Failed!  I shall go to the internet cafe as I don't seem to be able to an image using the iPad!   Will edit this post with a picture later...


 edit by maggi - photo added

[Roma]

I was given this Galanthus elwesii by Fred Sutherland in 1994.  It stayed as one bulb for a long time.  There are 3 flowering shoots this year and 1 non flowering.  So it's not a fast increaser.  I have not seen the little green eyes before.  As far as I remember it has always been 'monostictus'.

[Brian Ellis]

A friend came round the garden today with her husband, I was amazed to find that she is yet another lurker! 

The reason for her visit was to bring a snowdrop which grows well in her present garden, and has obviously been there some years, we hope it is Galanthus 'Norfolk Small' and I shall grow it on and compare with other known examples (anybody growing it please PM me).  I was extremely pleased to be given another present with it - Galanthus 'Denton' which was collected just down the road from here.  My friend lives in Alburgh (again only a few miles) so is hoping to obtain a bulb of G.'Alburgh Claw' when it becomes more widely available.

Sadly this lovely weather is hastening the end of the season in our dry garden, she was very amused that I was actually watering some of the snowdrops as we were going round - we were bemoaning the fact that I was having to do so in February when the old rhyme says 'February fill dyke, Be it black, or be it white'.  Certainly this February we haven't had vast amounts of either rain or snow so the dykes are nowhere near full.

[David King]

A few pictures from our visit to a Norfolk garden on Monday.

1.  Welcome
2.  General shot
3.  From left:  Ann Borrill, Esme Bagnall-Oakley, Brian Ellis
4.  G Augustus
5   G Lace Wing
6.  General shot
7.  General shot
8.  Crocus ‘Yalta’