Galanthus November

[KentGardener]

Hoorah.   

Today I have my first flower of the season.

In the last couple of years Melvyn kindly gave me some of his 'not so special' seedling R. O.'s.  I've always struggled to keep this species alive in my open garden.   With Melvyn's kind gift I decided to change what I have done in the past and have kept them in lattice pots about ground (rather than plunging them into the jungle borders).

It seems to be working for me as I now have a lovely flowering reginae-olgae.   

[Paddy Tobin]

John, I have had exactly the same experience with G. reg. olg. ; I simply cannot manage to grow them in the open garden. In desperation, for I am reluctant to do so, I potted 'Tilebarn Jamie' last season and it has done very well in an unheated glasshouse and came into flower a few weeks back. This was the only G. reg. olg. which had surviving bulbs; others have been lost. 

[Pauli]

Hello,

I am so proud of my clump of reginae olgae, that I have to show it again, picture taken today with very low sun
Here in Austria they grow and flower outside, but do not muliply as quickly as planted out in a bulb frame!

[steve owen]

This is dreadful Steve, it's obviously someone who knows what they want.  Richard Hobbs labels all his snowdrops with numbered sheeptags (the left ear one has a hole in it if I remember rightly) stuck into the clump by a long piece of wire (from old coathangers).  The only disadvantage is that if he doesn't remember which particular snowdrop it is he has to consult the book.  It may be a good way to go.

Brian
You may be right. I had considered the sheeptag solution because other label solutions get broken or lose their adhesive name or the plastic perishes or whatever. I've seen sheeptags used elsewhere and they seem to be pretty permanent.

Thanks guys for the other sentiments expressed. I cursed at the time but its onwards and upwards. I get great pleasure from looking at other peoples' gardening efforts and I shall try to maintain giving people the chance to see mine.
Steve

[Hagen Engelmann]

John,
it is a good feeling to have own flowers also in late autumn. With this moment your winters are much shorter.

[Paddy Tobin]

Steve, I use Alitag aluminium labels fixed to a length of strong galvanised wire about a foot long. I etch the name onto the label and so it is perfectly permanent. I push the wire down into the ground until most of the label in into the ground as well so that it is not too conspicuous but still easy to find.

Paddy

[annew]

I use code numbers as well.

[Mavers]

Sorry to hear about your theft Steve.

How do people manage to dig up snowdrops on an open day without others seeing?

Do you think they intend to steal a plant when they go to an open day or are they suddenly overcome with lust for the plant & have got to have it come hell or high water.

[steve owen]

I was talking to the alpine plants sales people at RHS Wisley last week. Apparently they regularly lose alpine plants to unscrupulous gardeners who take the plant out of the (small) plastic pots, replace the compost, put the empty pot back on the sales table, and walk off. They showed me two pots of galanthus Autumn Beauty where that had happened that morning (it was only 11 am).

[Mavers]

I know it's painful having to part with so much money for some bulbs but what pleasure can there be in growing a snowdrop that you had to become a thief in order to possess it?

[annew]

I think that might be part of the attraction for some people. The equivalent of trophy hunting, and the thrill of maybe being caught.

[Alan_b]

I don't imagine actually being caught would prove much of a thrill and news of someone being caught and prosecuted might act as a deterrent to others.  I'm tempted to suggest a 'sting' such as a hidden camera monitoring a highly desirable snowdrop. 

[Hans A.]

Beautiful plants Tony and John,
Superb clump Herbert

One of my favourite drops - a Galanthus cilicicus with some more green - very slow in bulking up - but it does 

[Hagen Engelmann]

Hello Hans, it seems the whole plant looks a little bit greenish. My plants have more bluish leaves.

[Hans A.]

Thanks Hagen, those plants grow in an very shady corner - light conditions are not the best to take pictures and they seem to be less 'bluish'  than those which get more sunshine - here a picture of same species in a sunnier corner.