This post is for our daughter Rachael who says that she thinks a snowdrop is a snowdrop is a snowdrop and wonders why I would want to order any more as they are all the same. Sorry my dear, but I’m afraid I have to disagree, there are early ones, mid season ones and late ones, spreading their flowering over 3 or 4 months, more if you count the ones that flower in the autumn. Then there are the markings, so many different ones, some all white, some with all green inners, some with spots, some with green on the outer petals, some tall, some small and of course we mustn’t forget the yellow ones or the doubles! I’m hoping this post might change her mind and explain why I’m so keen to wander round the garden in the cold and wet of January and February!
Galanthus Little John, very tall for a snowdrop.
G. Mrs Macnamara flowering at last, she should have been out at Christmas.
G. Midwinter.
Dainty little species G. gracilis with the twisty leaves.
G. Hobson’s Choice with an upside down heart.
G. Diggory with seersucker petals puffed up like a balloon.
G. woronowii. Another species which I love for its bright green leaves and the fact that it seeds about when the flower stalks lengthen after flowering. The seed case bends over and drops its seed away from the original clump and in a few years you have a new clump. I started with just one bulb and now have about 12 clumps. I must try growing a couple of seed cases in pots and see what happens.
These are some of the clumps of G. woronowii, spreading down the little slope.
Oh dear, I think a name change is needed, this is Galanthus Trumps! Love the markings though.
G Magnet has formed a really large clump, I must split them so that they have more room to develop.
Close up of Magnet showing the extra long pedicel, the bit that holds the flower.
G. Lapwing showing it’s very distinguished markings.
G. Wendy’s Gold showing her first flower. Her inner markings are gold too and last year each bulb put up 2 flowers.
I think this is double Galanthus. Ophelia. At one time I had quite a few of the double Shakespeare ladies, but one by one they have dwindled away. Not this one though she is still going strong.
G. Angelique with just 2 tiny dots of green.
G. Sprite with all green inner and green on the outer petals.
Very dainty G. St. Annes with two inner markings.
G. Anglesey Abbey, inner and outer petals are all white.
G. Wasp with its striped markings, and with a bit of imagination, looking like a swarm of wasps when fluttering in the wind!
The wild doubles are now flowering, soon, in a couple of weeks the wild singles will join them.
These are just a few of the snowdrops flowering at the moment, there are plenty more to come. Just a couple of degrees rise in temperature makes the snowdrops open their flowers and make the pollen available to the bees. Apparently bees fly at 10 C and above and snowdrops know to open their flowers when this temperature is reached, isn’t nature wonderful!
I have to admit that from a distance they do look similar,but only from a distance. Knowing they are all different makes sure that I venture out each day to see which new ones have opened overnight. Last year I bought one with the same name as our son in law, Jonathan, I’m sure you would like this one in your garden Rachael, when it has multiplied a bit!
You made me smile reading the title of your blog post and I’m sure your daughter will see the uniqueness of your collection now. I loved seeing them all like that so you can really see the differences between them. ‘Diggory’ is really unusual isn’t it and I like ‘Trumps’ but agree with you about the name! The temperatures are up a bit the last few days so I’m sure they will all get going now.
Lovely post.
Many thanks for your lovely comments Annie, but I don’t think any more will open up this weekend with the gales and torrential rain that we are having! I’m so glad you agree that they aren’t all the same, some are so different with their beautiful markings.
Looking at your well composed and beautiful close ups, I think the differences of these tiny flowers are enchanting, Pauline. Sometimes they are so very subtle and might escape notice unless connnoiseurs like yourself brought them to our attention, so thank you for the intriguing object lesson – I hope your daughter is won over too.
So glad you agree with me Kate, they are delightful, aren’t they? I’m certainly no expert, just a very enthusiastic amateur, but I do like to find snowdrops with different markings if I can.
They are delightful in their diversity. Non gardeners may never understand our admiration of subtle differences in plants or our collections of certain families of growing things.
Yes, they are aren’t they Peter! I think to non gardeners we are all a bit strange, loving certain flowers so much, but then, they have their hobbies too, everyone to their own.
Lovelies one and all Pauline and wishing you good luck with the mission to convert Rachael. I hope that all your ‘drops are not getting too battered about with today’s wind and rain. Poor ‘Trumps’ had an unfortunate name before but now even more so. What a shame when it’s such a beauty. Have you treated yourself to any new ‘drops so far this year?
Thanks Anna, glad you like them. I think once Rachael sees the different markings on Jonathan and compares it to the wild snowdrop, she might, just might be converted! Shhhh…yes, I’ve ordered 3 more snowdrops, but no silly prices, you can still get good ones that aren’t too expensive.
I ordered some golds this year and am very excited. I think ‘Magnet’ proves your point as I was amazed at how unique it looks with that long pedicil the first year I grew it. You have a lovely collection.
Last year was a really good year Linda, for Wendy’s Gold, with 2 flower stems from each bulb. I hadn’t realised she did that when I bought my original bulb. Magnet is a super snowdrop, it increases so quickly and is very reliable. Many thanks for stopping by and leaving a message.
No, they’re not all the same. The squirrels, or the mice, definitely know this. They’ve had the blooms off the only ‘special’ I’ve planted in the garden (Jacquenetta) and yet left all the wild ones alone.
That’s strange Jessica, I was only reading the other day that if you can’t grow tulips because of squirrels and mice, then grow snowdrops as they are left alone and this is what I’ve found. Tulips all get eaten here, but snowdrops don’t and we have plenty of squirrels, mice and voles. Sorry to hear that yours has been eaten, the information says to plant them nice and deep, deeper than they can reach!
Jacquenetta is planted in a wire mesh cage. They wait for the flowers to form above ground then snap them off! Last year I had a cage above ground too, but of course this year we were away at the crucial time 🙁
It’s slugs that seem to eat a few of mine Jessica! I bought a very special one last winter that I had been looking for for a long time, up it came this winter with just one bud, but before it could open it had been chewed away, but the slime trail told me who the culprit was. Oh well, there’s always next year!
Some lovely snowdrops and some fab photos of them too! I really do ‘get’ them, but I am still waiting to feel the magic! I love the subtle differences between them, and feel that they are the true heralds of a new season, but am still waiting for them to tug at my heart strings, as auriculas, roses, dahlias and salvias do. Good job we are all different 🙂
One day the magic will hopefully strike, what else can tug at the heart strings in January and February?! I wouldn’t want them in the summer, there is too much else in the garden to admire, but in the winter they get all my attention.
Snowdrops did not like my sandy soil in Surrey, but here they thrive. I’m trying really hard not to get too smitten with them although I have added a few different varieties to the doubles that were already here. I really enjoy your Snowdrop posts – they are looking lovely despite the weather.It’s lovely to see them growing in your garden setting Now – where were those catalogues?
I think your soil is similar to mine Sue, so I’m not surprised that snowdrops are doing well with you. It would seem that you have already started on the slippery slope, there are so many beautiful ones at reasonable prices, they don’t have to be horribly expensive, I have found Avon Bulbs at http://www.avonbulbs.co.uk to be very good.!
I did laugh when I read the title of this post Pauline! I knew what you were referring to. Your collection is wonderful and they are all beautiful, yes, even Trumps! I am gradually learning more but have a long way to go. Last year I was given Samuel Arnott and Blewberry Tart by my friend. I am so looking forward to seeing them flower this year. Lovely post Pauline.
I’m so predictable Denise! I wonder if sales of Trumps will decline now that there are others similar? I started with just one or two and added a couple each year, that way leads to a slippery slope! Enjoy your specials.
Although I can’t get as some about the differences in the snowdrop flowers; I can appreciate that having different varieties stretches the season of flowering considerably, and that is worth while!
Early ones are starting to go over now Christina, but they have flowered for about 6 weeks. Late ones are only just showing a bit of white in their buds, they won’t open for some time yet, so we should still have snowdrops until the end of March, by then something else will be waiting to take over. Without snowdrops, winter would be very dull indeed.
It’s always a treat to see so many different ones! Lovely post Pauline!
Thanks Cathy. Soon all the wild ones will be flowering, that is when the woodland turns white!
I paused when I mentioned ‘Trumps’ on my blog today, for the same reason, but decided to let it pass and not make a comment 😉 And isn’t it strange about the Greatorex doubles? I have tried several times with Jaquenetta to no avail and will not try again 🙁 Really enjoyed seeing your snowdrops today and was interested to read about the 10 degree breakpoint – mine certainly seem to have suddenly come on a bundle as temperatures have risen, albeit only slightly
I wonder if sales of Trumps will increase or decline Cathy? There are so many now that look similar, maybe they will be chosen instead! I’d forgotten about Jaquenetta, she is increasing nicely but just not flowering yet here. We had a lovely sunny day just after my post and what a difference it made, I should have waited to take my photos, they were all wide open to any passing bee, I feel another post coming on!
Such a wonderful variety! Thanks for showing the close-ups. I think I like G. Lapwing best! They look like albino bees. I wonder, with all the different kinds, if they will intermingle to produce some new varieties?!
Thank you Deb, I do enjoy the slight differences. Lapwing is my favourite at the moment, increasing ever so well and making quite a sizeable clump with lovely markings. Not many of them seem to produce seed, so far nothing of merit has turned up, but you never know!
I have some sympathy for your daughter’s viewpoint. Of course, they’re not all the same, but the differences tend to be very subtle. Appreciation of those subtleties is what makes one a Snowdrop lover.
I know lots of people think the same as my daughter Jason, but I can always hope to convert them can’t I! I think it is the fact that there isn’t much else flowering in the garden in Jan/Feb to keep our gardening interest going, in another month the garden will be waking up properly and we will hardly be able to keep up with it.
Thanks Pauline, for this rundown. I needed it as much as your daughter, I think, and I learned a lot from it. Oh, and I DO agree with you about the name change. It’s hard to even consider the two namesakes side by side….. sheesh!
I don’t know that I managed to convince my daughter Anna, but I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’m now finding that a certain snowdrop whose name begins with “T” is muscling in on smaller Spindleston Surprise next to it, making a take over bid, think I’ll have to move him to a spot all by himself!