Galanthus Events - Snowdrop Days etc 2013

[johnw]

Managed to get in a full day of gardening after a shower overnight.

Imagine what a bath would do.

[Brian Ellis]

Imagine what a bath would do.

...and would you believe it, now it's snowing!

[johnw]

Hope that snow is short-lived with the sales and visitors ahead.

We have 10cm on the ground, dodged 40cm nicely on the weekend but now another storm is brewing.

johnw

[kentish_lass]

A sunny February day and snowdrop time. Carolyn and John Millen, who run the Mid-Kent Group of the AGS, always open their garden in early February for the NGS, and visitors come as much for the hot homemade soup as for the amazing collection of Galanthus that Carolyn and her daughter have amassed in a relatively short time.

Drat - I got my dates muddled and thought Carolyn had an open garden for two weekends but this year it is two consecutive days.  I was looking forward to seeing the collection again as last time we went it was ferocious wind and almost impossible to take a photograph.  Thanks for posting your account of the day Tim and next year I will be sure to check the dates properly.  What a great collection they have amassed and it looks like lots were in bloom.

Do they use horticultural sand or builders sand to fill those huge raised beds?  Anyone know?

Started snowing here earlier in Kent...but it soon turned to rain.

[KentGardener]

Drat - I got my dates muddled and thought Carolyn had an open garden for two weekends but this year it is two consecutive days.  I was looking forward to seeing the collection again as last time we went it was ferocious wind and almost impossible to take a photograph.  Thanks for posting your account of the day Tim and next year I will be sure to check the dates properly.  What a great collection they have amassed and it looks like lots were in bloom.

Do they use horticultural sand or builders sand to fill those huge raised beds?  Anyone know?

Started snowing here earlier in Kent...but it soon turned to rain.

Hi Jennie

On their website ( http://kentsnowdrops.com/open-dates/ ) it says:


Spring Platt Garden open 13th February for Demelza House
Spring Platt Garden open 6th February for the NGS

[Tim Ingram]

I'm not sure what they fill the beds with; it must be beautifully drained. John has worked for many years building and maintaining golf courses and has a great knowledge of soil drainage and good growing conditions, and at least in the garden it must help when you live on the top of a hill!

[Johnm]

The dates when Sping Platt garden is open this year was last weekend. the dates John gave were for last year.
If any groups want to come give us a call.
As for the raised beds they are filled with a double washed sand on a gravel base which crates a perched water
table, that will drain and also hold water.
Johnm

[Maggi Young]

The dates when Sping Platt garden is open this year was last weekend. the dates John gave were for last year.
If any groups want to come give us a call.
As for the raised beds they are filled with a double washed sand on a gravel base which crates a perched water
table, that will drain and also hold water.
Johnm

A definitive answer - thanks John!

We could see the gravel bases in photos  from John's blog last year-  will just check the link......
here  we are : http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=6670.msg184579#msg184579

[Maggi Young]

From the Telegraph website-  Best places to see snowdrops in 2013

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardenstovisit/9827088/Best-places-to-see-snowdrops-in-2013.html?frame=2463896    - worth a look   if only to enjoy the photos

[Mavers]

I was talking to Alan Street last Friday at Avon Bulbs & he told me he isn't 'doing' the RHS show this year as it has been put back a week & he cannot keep the snowdrops from going over without cold storing them which he finds very unsatisfactory.

So there's going to be a big Alan sized hole this year. 


EDIT: There was a mis-understanding- Avon Bulbs WILL be at the RHS Show !

[Maggi Young]

I know so many people enjoy the Avon displays at the RHS London show-  we've had the pleasure of seeing   many photos  in the forum.

EDIT : AVON will be at the RHS show!!

[Mavers]

Yes Maggi, he works incredibly hard to perfect his displays


Wonderful display on the nursery though   

[KentGardener]

I had heard on the grape vine that the later RHS week was going to cause even more problems for the galanthus displays to be worth doing. 

If the RHS keep this later week (to fit in with school half term holidays?) as a regular thing then they will have ruined one of the best annual Galanthus shows of the year. 

I can not express how gutted I was a few years back when the RHS did away with the January show!!!  

If the the RHS now ruin the February show too buy turning it into a 'design show' (that very few people seem to be interested in) and make it too late to show Galanthus it really could lose them a lot of support!

 

[Ding Dong]

Noo!!!  We are DEFINATELY going to the RHS Show, don't worry folks, we will be there. I think what Mike means is that Alan doesn't think we will get a good medal, because it has been hard to hold the snowdrops back with the show being a week later. All the orders that people are collecting there have been sorted, and will be setting off for London on Sunday afternoon.  Come and say hello anyone - see you there 

[emma T]

  Oh i was worried then , it wouldnt be the same with out Avon, i wouldnt go just for the design show