The last of my snowdrops has just started to flower and will continue for another month. The original ones that started in the New Year are now over but plenty are still flowering. The late ones which have been flowering for a couple of weeks now start with Galanthus Wareham. A silver stripe is prominent down the centre of the pleated leaves.
Forming a lovely clump now is G.Samuel Arnott, a really good “doer”. It increases well and is quite tall. I have already put some of them into the front garden with the red stemmed Cornus, but I think I can spare more now, so soon I will take more for the front and spread them around.
Another snowdrop that has wide silver striped leaves is the species G. plicatus. The leaves are also pleated where they emerge from the ground. This one is taking its time to increase, but its getting there.
Another species, Galanthus scharlockii which has a split spathe ( the part where the flowers dangle from ) which is said to resemble donkey’s ears! It takes a bit of imagination but I think I can see what they mean.
Yet another species, Galanthus caucasicus. I’m beginning to think that most of my species are later flowering than most of the hybrids. This is a lovely dainty snowdrop and is increasing very well.
Always the last clump to start flowering is aptly named, Galanthus Baxendale’s Late, this should be flowering for another month.
Not a snowdrop, but Leucojum aestivum, the summer snowflake. This is very tall here in our moist soil, growing to almost 2ft. This is very late this year, last year it was flowering in January, or maybe it was very early last year!
Two clumps have come up “blind” this year, G. Sickle……
and G Jaquenatta, maybe they need dividing so that they will flower next year, I’ll put them on the “to do” list.
And now something which has nothing to do with snowdrops. Around September time when we were collecting all the Bramley apples from the tree at the top of the garden, I suddenly noticed that the ring that I usually wear on my little finger on my right hand was missing. It doesn’t have a fantastic financial value but was given to me by my husband about 50 yrs ago, so lots of sentimental value. We searched and searched where we had been, but no joy. Eventually I gave up, thinking that maybe I would find it once I was gardening up in that area again. Fast forward to last week when a friend and I were having a cup of coffee just outside the back door……
…….we were by a square in the paving that had been removed long ago and replaced with cobbles, for a bit of textural interest, when all of a sudden, he pounced on something between the cobbles. I couldn’t believe it, it was my ring, covered in mud, it had been under water for the last 3 months! But what was it doing there, it must have come off when I was hanging the washing out.
After a thorough cleaning it is now back where it should be!! The moral of this tale is – remove all jewellery before going in the garden!
Lovely to find your ring again.
You have so many lovely snowdrops, Pauline. It is great to have late flowering ones to prolong the season.
Are your sure your Leucojum is vernum? It looks like the summer flowering Leucojum aestivum to me. Confusingly, although it is called aestivum it flowers in spring. Leucojum vernum is much shorter.
Silly me Chloris, I’m always getting them confused, I should have checked. I will now correct it, many thanks.
Interesting to see your late flowering snowdrops Pauline and note your observations. Must look out for ‘Baxendale’s Late’ as it would be great to extend the snowdrop season. I have just one more snowdrop to open – the double ‘Richard Ayres’. It was new to me last year and I expected it to open sooner but it seems rather reluctant. You must be so delighted to be reunited with your ring!
It is lovely Anna, to have snowdrops flowering for three months instead of just one. The early ones for me, that start flowering at Christmastime show such promise of what is to come. The bulk of them are at their peak in February, with just a few starting to flower now. According to my book by Freda Cox, Richard Ayres is an early one, so hopefully he is gathering strength for next year! Yes, I am delighted to have my ring back, how many times have I walked past it in the last 6 months!
I love the thought of having waves of snowdrops flowering one after the other for weeks. I must try to achieve that here. And I like the idea of the donkey-ear snowdrops, too!
That is fantastic news about your ring – well done to your sharp eyed friend!
It is lovely Wendy, to have them flowering for so long in the woodland, they tempt me out nearly every day.
It was amazing that our friend saw my ring twinkling at him from the muddy stones, that part of the patio is always under water when it rains a lot, so as you can imagine it has been under water for most of the winter!
Lovely snowdrops, Pauline. Thanks! My own little ‘Wareham’ investment is still going strong here, but the others are over. Something happened to the G. nivalis flowers (slugs, perhaps: there were pods and tattered flower remains, but no flowers really – foliage fine, so hopefully will recover next year – and I will take your advice about incorporating leafmould). I must try G. caucasicus – very graceful. Funny to think that some snowdrops come from the Crimea, isn’t it?
Great news about the ring – I would have been in tears when I found it!
Cathy, do you have pheasants or something similar? They could be your culprit, such a shame when that happens and you have to wait another year for them to flower. I find the species are much daintier and graceful than a lot of the hybrids, some of which look as though they are on steroids! We have to be very grateful to the soldiers that brought back the first snowdrops from the Crimea, without them, we would have missed a lot.
I am delighted to have my ring back, but I have learned my lesson, no jewellery when gardening!
I think I have had a bit of a lightbulb moment … well, more of an anorak moment actually. I didn’t think I ‘got’ snowdrops, until your post, but I have started to see them with new,excited eyes. What is the best way to acquire different varieties, Pauline ? All I know is that they are best bought ‘in the green’. I also covet your plant labels !! Are they slate and are your markings permanent ??
I’m thrilled Jane , that I’ve managed to convert you! I think the best nursery that I order from is Avon Bulbs in Somerset http://www.avonbulbs.co.uk. They have a very good selection of different bulbs, I usually just buy one bulb as some of them can be quite expensive, most of them soon bulk up quite quickly. The plant labels are just plastic I’m afraid but the markings are permanent and can only be erased by scrubbing with turps! My pens are oil based not water based so they don’t fade with the weather.
It has been lovely to see all your clumps, Pauline. Your post is a timely reminder to think about having some early and late snowdrops too – I am still waiting for Fluff to open, but part form that all those of mine that are going to flower this year are in flower. I have no especially early ones (yet!). And interesting to read yours and Chloris’ comments about the leucojum – I think I might have got both but I shall have to check them out. One is certainly very much taller than the other.
Early and late snowdrops Cathy, do extend the season nicely don’t they? I don’t really want any that flower before Christmas or even in the autumn, I don’t think I would see them amongst everything else that is in the garden then.As far as Leucojum are concerned, sometimes my summer one flowers well before the spring one, no wonder I get them mixed up! The tall one is the summer one.
The Jacquenetta that I bought new this year as a bulb in bud came to nothing, probably no link. Now that my feathered friend has no flower to peck off I will plant it outside and hope it does the business next year.
Great news on your ring! It’s awful to lose something like that. I hope its exposure to our lovely winter weather has done it no harm.
Jessica, my Jaquenetta has flowered beautifully in the past and also it has had far more leaves so I think it’s telling me that it isn’t very happy.
My ring is fine thanks,no harm done at all, once all the mud was washed away! It is a topaz set in gold, when I think of how long Anglo Saxon gold is in the ground, mine was out there for just the blink of an eye!
Hi Pauline,
Lovely Snowdrops, definitely worth having so many different species to extend their bloom time!
As for jewellery and gardening… Oh yes. Tell me about it. I lost the diamond out of my engagement ring. Still haven’t replaced it and haven’t worn my ring for a few years now… Deciding whether to melt the ring down and have a new design or just a new stone. In no real rush to decide though, as you can tell.
Yes Liz, being able to have snowdrops for 3 months is wonderful.
Such a shame that you lost the diamond from your engagement ring, that must have been so upsetting for you. I think I would probably go for a new stone, but then, that is just me. You can’t put a value on sentiment and what the ring stands for, I can understand that you are in no hurry to make a decision.
It is amazing and very lucky that your friend saw the ring. It could easily have been crushed and brushed away.
You have a very nice snowdrop collection. As for Leucojum aestivum, as Chloris says, it is a very confusing name. For years I would have to look it up as my first reaction was always mine cannot be aestivum, as it blooms in spring.
It was lucky Alain, wasn’t it!
I find the Leucojum family very confusing as quite often the summer one flowers before the spring one, but not this year.
Snowdrops are such lovely little things. I’m so glad you found your ring! Blessings, Natalie 🙂
I love snowdrops too Natalie, they are so beautiful when everything else is dull and grey in the winter.
The snowdrops do seem to last here longer than I remember in the past – mine have been lovely too, but only unnamed specimens! The ring story is amazing – I also lost a ring when gardening at our last house… never found it, but perhaps the new owners will get a nice surprise one day!
Ours seem to have lasted quite a while Cathy, but I think that is because of the winter we have had.What a shame you lost your ring at your last house, imagine how excited the new owners would be if they found it!
Lovely snowdrops! Your last advice is very sound, I’ve lost an earing (must not have been closed properly) and the stone from a ring. But on a more possitive note when I was a very young child I was taken to see some football being played in a park; not being very interested I was looking at the ground and found a ring. Amazingly it was the engagement ring my mother had lost the previous year. What about that for a coincidence!
It seems Christina, that we have all lost something in the garden, all that treasure just waiting to be found! The story about your mother’s engagement ring is truly amazing, I wonder what the odds would be on you finding it?
Sam Arnott is one of my favourites, he looks just so healthy and well proportioned. I had a few coming up blind as well but do hope they’ll change their minds next year. I’m glad you found your ring again, Pauline. It has nothing to do with financial value, it’s the connections we have with these things.
S. Arnott is such a good reliable snowdrop and it increases well too, which is important when you want drifts under trees. Hope all yours flower for you next year, I’m just wondering if yours have been in place a long time, maybe they need splitting if they aren’t flowering?
I was so pleased when my ring was found, it had so many memories connected with it which made it very precious.
I don’t know if I should admit this – but all the different snowdrops look the same to me! Lovely – but I can’t see the difference … Beautiful ring, so lucky to find it.
The difference in this lot are quite subtle Catmint, but some are much smaller than others and the leaves are also different. I was so glad to get my ring back, I had missed it since I lost it!
I only have one variety of snowdrop so I really need to get some different ones to stagger the season. I’m always put off by the price of some of them. Can you recommend a supplier? I’ll probably wait until we move but my current ones all flower and go over at the same times so it would be lovely to have them in flower for longer. So pleased you found your ring. It’s funny how things happen like that. 🙂
The main nursery that I buy from is Avon Bulbs at http://www.avonbulbs.co.uk. Some of them are expensive, that’s why I always mention if they increase quickly, then if you want to sell a few, you can get your money back! I always set myself a limit, otherwise it is so easy to get carried away! A few early ones and late ones extend the season so that you can enjoy snowdrops for a good three months.
I’m so glad you found your ring! studied the Galanthus scharlockii, and I definitely see the donkey ears! I love plants with interesting names or stories. You really have a fabulous collection of snowdrops. I see you have name tags by them. I have never labeled my plants, and now that my memory is not so good, I wish I had!
It’s just as well Deb, that I have labels as I would never remember them all! I have a few where the labels have disappeared and it is almost impossible to identify them again.I also use labels so that in the summer, I don’t go and plant something in all those seemingly empty spaces!
What a nice find! Spring always brings new surprises, doesn’t it? Those clumps really are doing well, and it was nice of you to share your snowdrop season again this year. I’m already looking forward to your frits and primula!
Each season has its own special plants Frank, and when I find a plant that likes my garden, I tend to go overboard increasing it! The fritillaria meleagris are growing day by day, no buds yet but it won’t be long!
Yes, it is very interesting seeing all your different snowdrops, especially as there really is only one or two kinds for sale here. I have the bog standard one, G. nivalis, and it also got eaten, it has to have been slugs as we don’t have deer in the garden. There seems to be nothing they don’t eat, does there!!
What a shame that your snowdrops have been eaten, it doesn’t seem fair does it! G. nivalis is lovely in drifts under trees, maybe if you split yours and spread them out, the slugs might not find them all!
What a wonderful finding! If you would have looked for it you would not have found it or at least that is how my luck seems to be. Lovely range of Snowdrops! If you had to pick what would be your favorite/top ten Snowdrops?
Hi Erica, nice to hear from you!
I certainly was lucky to get my ring back, it had been under water and mud all winter when we were flooded a bit, but after a good clean, it was as good as new!
It’s difficult to say which my favourite snowdrops are, but Wendy’s Gold, Magnet, Merlin, Angelique and Robin Hood must be up there. I see from your blog that you went to a talk given by Matt Bishop, he is the head gardener just an hours drive from us here in the SW of the UK!
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