After a quick check in the woodland to see that all our trees were still standing after the last storm, we had just a few branches down, but thankfully no snowdrops had been squashed. The branches seem to have managed to put themselves between all the clumps of wild snowdrops and hadn’t landed any where near my “specials”. The sunshine that we had before the storm struck meant that all the snowdrops were standing tall and had opened up to show their different markings, just asking to be photographed. Starting in the front, Mrs McNamara is still going strong, she was so much bigger than the wild ones next to her, but now G. nivalis seem to have caught up and are now nearly as tall, Mrs McNamara is on the left.
I think all the rain that we’ve had has made all the snowdrops much larger than usual, in height as well as the size of the flowers.
G. Anglesey Abbey in a fly away mood. You can just make out two very tiny green dots on the inner petals. This photo doesn’t show the leaves, but they are a bright green, similar to G. woronowii.
This is a much better photo of G. Trumps than the one I posted a while ago, its in focus this time! Lovely distinguishing marks.
G. Sally Pasmore is in the back garden just by the archway into the woodland. Once again, the camera didn’t know where to focus, but the inner petals are nearly all green.
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G. Robin Hood is next to Sally and has a lovely green cross on the inner petals. My header photo is of Robin Hood taken last year.
G. Blewbury Tart is a double snowdrop which I liked when I bought it, but now I’m afraid I have fallen out of love with it. Each time I see it, I think, why on earth did I buy it? It looks like a snowdrop with a bad hair day, I like them to look a bit more tidy! This is one variety which increases nicely.
Just across the bridge, into the woodland is G. viridapice with green tips to the outer petals. Quite a small snowdrop but it increases well.
On the right of the woodland path is G. Augustus, its claim to fame is the texture of the outer petals, like seersucker material that we used to buy many, many years ago, ladies of a certain age will know what I’m talking about!
Just across the path is G woronowii, famed for its lovely shiny dark green leaves. This is the only one that I have noticed seeding around…….
…..it is forming new clumps a good 6 inches away. From one bulb about 10 yrs ago, we now have about 6 new clumps, so yes, this one increases very well.
Nearby is G. Little John, large in stature and a large flower with its crossed sword pattern, increasing very well.
This was one of my first specials, G. Merlin, this hasn’t increased as well as others, but I still like its all green inner marking.
A close up of Merlin showing its dark green interior.
Tiny, dainty G. St. Annes with lovely inner markings, this one is bulking up nicely.
G. Atkinsii still flowering, getting taller and taller and the flowers seem huge, I’m putting it down to all our rain, they have never been this size before.
Next to Atkinsii is Magnet, another that has grown very tall and the flowers are much bigger this year. As this one increases so well, I think I will take some of them and put them amongst the red stemmed cornus in the front, they should look good together.
Another large one on the right of the woodland path is G. Tubby Merlin, also increasing well.
Just starting to flower is G. Cedic’s Prolific. This is the only one where I bought 3 bulbs, these are increasing well and could be spread around a bit more.
G. Lapwing is fast becoming one of my favourites, it always seems to be wide open, dancing in the breeze or gales! Lovely markings and only 2 yrs here so increasing well.
Next to Lapwing is G.Wendy’s Gold with each bulb now putting up a second flower, which is a bonus as I didn’t realise that she did that when I bought her.
Help needed for this one, label nowhere to be seen, I’m still searching my books to find this one. Fairly small, with green cross on the inner petals, it shouldn’t be too difficult – but so far it is!
I don’t think I need to say anything about G. Wasp, it says it all on the label!
Very long outer petals with a green dot belong to G. Modern Art, this is another tall variety with large flowers.
Next to Modern Art is G. Cornwood, another tall one which is increasing nicely. I don’t buy any that state that they are slow to increase or difficult to grow, or I try not to buy any that are similar to ones that I already have, doesn’t always work though!
G. Lady Beatrice Stanley, now well marked, so there shouldn’t be any doubt as to who she is! A pretty double with just 2 small green spots on the inner petals.
Back beside the house in a raised area is G.Angelique, on some of the flowers there is a thin green bridge mark, whereas on others there are just 2 dots. This one is doing very well where it is.
Every year I tell myself that I really don’t need any more varieties of snowdrop, and every year I give in to temptation! I bought 3 this time and at the moment I have potted them up and they are in the greenhouse waiting for a gap in the weather to plant them.This one is as you can see G. Mrs Thompson, quite often apparently she puts up 4, 5, or even 6 outer petals and if really happy, 2 flowers per stem.
I couldn’t resist the inner markings on G. Excelsis.
Last but by no means least is G.Diggory, with the same texture to the petals like Augustus, like seersucker material. I have been lusting after this one for years!
I have bought a whole lot of new black labels for my snowdrops. I’m hoping that these won’t go missing like the others. If I push them right in, the birds shouldn’t be able to pull them out and neither should we when we’re sweeping up the leaves in the autumn, that’s the idea anyway!
I think there ought to be a help line for people like me. A number I could call when the urge comes over me to buy more snowdrops, somebody on the other end to tell me “Don’t Buy Any More!” Any volunteers?
So pretty. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Debbie, glad you enjoyed them, flowers in winter are so special.
So glad to read that your snowdrops survived the storm Pauline. Their delicate appearance is most deceptive as they are indeed tough customers flowering at this time of year. Having said that a big branch landing on them may have been a shock to the system. I really enjoyed your snowdrop tour recognising many familiar faces. So pleased that you’ve treated yourself to ‘Diggory’ and you’ve now got me lusting after ‘Excelsis’ now. I certainly could not be that person at the other end of the phone line 🙂
They are tough little things Anna, aren’t they, thank goodness. There were lots of twigs everywhere, but it could have been a lot worse. Diggory is such a lovely snowdrop, so different with its round shape, I’m glad I found him at last at a not too exorbitant price!
You have managed to get some lovely photos of your snowdrops Pauline – not always easy, is it?! I too am pleased your Preciouses weren’t damaged in the storm – strange how the branches missed them , as that one did in our garden. It is refreshing to see clumps of snowdrops close up like this, as so often in books or catalogues we just see the flowers – this way it gives a better idea of the overall clump and it certainly seems a good idea to try and focus on ones that will spread more readily. I am telling myself now that I don’t intend to buy more than one or two in future years, but I cannot of course be sure I will stick to that – swapping though is another matter and perhaps this is the way to go for those of us who find it hard to resist. I hope you get on all right with your labels – these are what I used for many years but found they do snap easily if trodden on and also my white markings tended to rub off after a few years too. The moral of course is not to stand on them I suppose!
It isn’t easy Cathy, to focus when the camera is just a point and press, sometimes it doesn’t focus on what I want it to! The branches landed on the Camellia and Rhododendron bushes which are further back than the snowdrops, they haven’t suffered any damage either. I do like snowdrops that quickly bulk up, I can’t be doing with fussy ones! Swapping sounds a very good idea, I’ll know where to come!! My original small labels have lasted about 15 yrs, the pen I used had oil based ink and it takes turps to get rid of it, my present pens are also oil based so I hope they are as good and the writing lasts as long, I’ll just have to remember not to stand on them!
Hi Pauline,
Merlin looks lovely! Hrm I wonder if I actually have some G woronowii, as I noticed earlier this week that some have shiny green leaves but my others have the usual grey/green leaves. I’ve bought all as Nivalis and the supplier – where I get them in bulk – doesn’t sell anything else. Of course this doesn’t mean their supplier doesn’t have more? I dunno. The blooms look pretty much like Nivalis, perhaps a little less green on the inner tepals but the leaves are definitely very different. I will have a closer look next time the weather permits to see if the green is in the same pattern as yours.
Hi Liz, I always look at our local garden centre as they sell pots marked as G. nivalis and invariably they are something else, usually G.Elwesii. My Anglesey Abbey also has green leaves and not the usual blue/grey, it depends what the markings on your flowers are like, Anglesey Abbey just has 2 very tiny dots. I think trying to sort out snowdrops is a minefield, I’m tearing my hair out over 3 or 4 that have lost their labels!
So glad they escaped damage Pauline, I was relieved the storm didn’t seem as bad here as the previous one. You certainly have a lot of snowdrops!
I’m glad Jessica, that the branches weren’t bigger! I split G.nivalis singles and doubles whenever the clumps get to a reasonable size, we are beginning to get the drifts that I have been after, but I really haven’t much room left for many more specials!
So many little treasures Pauline… how many different ones have you got altogether? I am amazed at all the variations, which I have never seen in person. You must have the perfect spot for them – glad they all survived the storm.
I dread to think Cathy, how many varieties I have managed to collect over the last 20 yrs, my husband would say- far to many! More varieties come on the market every year, but I must be firm with myself, I’m running out of space for them! Thankfully they like a woodland situation, so seem very happy there.
I need to study this blog and take good notes Pauline – I’m off the the SRGC early bulb show at the weekend and it would be a sin to come home without a couple….at least 🙂
They are all wonderful and there would be no way I could choose a favourite – even the hoverfly on G. viridapice is enjoying them.
Angie, you must come home with some and do let us know what takes your fancy! I love them all, it is so difficult to choose between them, I would just say – choose something that has been tried and tested and you know will multiply well. Sometimes the more expensive, new ones vanish after a year or two unfortunately.
Very pretty and such a treat to have flowers this early. I’m amazed you can tell them all apart, some are easy, even to me, but after having scrolled up and down several times now, I cannot see any difference between G. Lapwing and G.Modern Art – what does one have to look for specifically?
Hello Helle, to be able to have so many little flowers out at this time of year is pure joy! Some snowdrops are very difficult to tell apart, but the two that you have mentioned, to start with are so different in height. Lapwing is small and Modern Art is twice the size, plus the markings on the inner petals are very different from each other. Also the outer petals on Modern Art are very long compared to the inner petals whereas on Lapwing, they are more in proportion with each other. Sometimes there is a difference in the leaves, as in G. woronowii where they are bright green and most of the others are blue/grey. There are lots of other differences too, but I don’t bother with those as it gets too complicated, no wonder I have difficulty naming them when they have lost their label!
I think you are beyond help, whoever is on the other end of that phone line Pauline! I am glad you didn’t discover any damage from the storms, that is a lovely collection there, and your photos clearly show the differences between them all. Smart labels too, hope they baffle the birds, squirrels, cats…
I think I have to agree with you Janet, there is no cure! When snowdrops that would never meet in the wild, come together in private gardens, new varieties will be found all the time, but will they be any better than the ones we already have I wonder? Hopefully the new labels will stay put, no matter what is scratching about in the woodland.
So glad that none of your special babies were damaged in the storm!
Thank you Peter, I suppose that if the worst had happened, they would still come up again next year, but it was nice to see them undamaged!
Thank you for the explanation, Pauline. I can see it’s not an easy hobby/obsession 🙂
A pleasure Helle, I would definitely say that it’s an obsession, with no known cure!
Glad to hear the garden survived the last storm. Hope it’s standing up to this one. It’s all a bit relentless isn’t it? But your snowdrops are stunning and bring a ray of sunshine to my gloomy study. 🙂
The wind is getting up again WW, but hopefully we won’t hear any loud cracks in the night and find any casualties in the morning. Today I haven’t set foot outside, it has been torrential rain all day, but I can see some of the snowdrops from the house and they’ve been dancing all day!
You have it bad, that is for certain! But it could be booze or expensive shoes, so I say just give in. Your garden will love you, and you will love your garden. I also appreciate the effort it took for you to get such excellent shots!
OK Deb, I’ll just give in and enjoy them all! The latest storm passed in the night, no wind at all today, so I should be able to get into the woodland today and check everything once more.
Such an excellent post Pauline. All your comments about how each variety multiplies is invaluable to anyone just beginning their passion for snowdrops, I can see that you have been addicted for some time! Your photos are fantastically clear and a great guide to all the different varieties you have.
Thank you Christina. Some of the snowdrops multiply so well and some just sit there doing nothing, years later there is still just one bulb, and they all get the same treatment at planting time. I realise that I am an addict, there is no hope for me, but I am running out of space for any more!
I love G. Diggory! Forget restraint; buy more! Think of the vicarious pleasure you give to others. It would be a crime to deprive your gardening friends.
He is gorgeous Marian, isn’t he. Oh dear, you are just encouraging me to buy more! I’ll just have to, if I would otherwise be depriving my gardening friends! I think I must set myself a firm limit on the number of bulbs I buy in future though.
You aren’t going to get any help from me! I see from the labels that you have many more that you haven’t shown so I hope you will photograph them. Another photo of ‘Modern Art’ and I still don’t get it. Love your new ones but don’t know ‘Excelsis’–I have never seen it mentioned before. You should post your photo of the missing label plant on the Scottish Rock Garden Club forum Galanthus thread: http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?board=25.0. If you don’t know about it, you will love reading it.
Strange Carolyn, I had a feeling you wouldn’t be the one to stop me buying! There are quite a few that haven’t started flowering yet, so at least one more post will be done about snowdrops. Excelsis is one from your friend, Alan Street at Avon Bulbs, lovely markings on the inner petals. Many thanks for the link, I will go and have a look at it now.
Why wouldn’t you buy more? They are so pretty and dainty! Seeing your labels and how close some of the flowers are to other varieties I wish I had now labeled mine. I love the ones with the dark green inner flower and the ones with the seersucker texture. You have such an amazing collection Pauline!
I know they’re lovely Jennifer, but I’m fast running out of space for them, plus the special ones can be rather expensive. When the catalogues arrive to tempt me yet again, I find it very difficult not to order yet more! Mine were all labelled when they were planted, but labels seem to go missing, is it the blackbirds, crows or the pheasant and what do they do with them?!
What an impressive collection of Galanthus! I am trying so hard, to not collect them yet, but your images are wearing me down!
Lovely to hear from you Matt, you sound like me 20yrs ago! I did try very hard not to start collecting them, but having visited a local garden that was selling some, I bought two and that was that, hooked for life! They are beautiful little flowers and some are so very different from each other, it is a joy to watch them opening up at this time of year when there isn’t very much else to bring me into the garden.
Pauline, I somehow missed this when you first posted it, I think I must have been travelling. What a wonderful snowdop collection you have and great photos. I really enjoyed it.
I have many of these snowdrops but not Angelique or Diggory which are absolutely gorgeous.
You have the same problem as me with labels which go missing. That is why it is so great to see photos on blogs like yours.
Chloris, where do the labels go to, are there crow and magpie nests decorated with them? I try to photograph the snowdrops to show their differences, photographing them all closed up doesn’t help anyone. I’ve had Angelique for some years now, so I know she is a good “doer”, Diggory has yet to prove himself!