I looked at Galanthophile amazing collection and I thought I could easily Id my snowdrops. But I am missing the mark. Then I looked at the SRGC forum and now my head is swimming. Who could know that this little beauties could have so many subtle looks. Some are stunning. Patti
Patti, this site may have your snowdrop, I have looked through them a couple of times and there are some with markings all the way to the top. Yours is very unusual so if it's there you would easily recognise it, I may have a look again some time. It does have very sturdy foliage too, nice!
http://www.snowdropinfo.com/gallery2007.htm
I will take a better picture. It has almost a double heart shape and bigger foliage than others that I have. Thanks for looking and the great site to search . I will let you know what I find. My Hebe are ordered! Patti
wallaby1, I am still looking through that site. Here is a better photo of the clump, but still not too clear. I thought this might be an aberration, but the whole clump is the same and different from the other that I have. Patti
There is another site I posted on another thread, I found it and have been wading through that. There are a few in the G. elwesii which are close, but I think this one may be it, G plicatus Sophie North. The heart shape at the top isn't quite as pronounced, but looking at the petal shape, the description of dumpy flowers, and importantly it produces 2 flowers per plant. I see in your first pic 2 flowers coming from the one plant.
http://www.judyssnowdrops.co.uk/Plant_Profiles/plicatus/sophie_north/sophie_north.htm
Some pics look to have a vague heart shape at the top, I think there has to be a little variation, everything looks to fit otherwise.
http://aolsearch.aol.co.uk/image?query=%27Galanthus+plicatus+Sophie+North%27
Now look at Fred's Giant, that looks spot on! I'm sure I saw one of those, or Fred's something which didn't match.
http://www.christiealpines.co.uk/index.php?page=bulbs
Wallaby1, sorry, I did look and I thought that the top heart shape green blends more into the lower heart in Fred's Giant, where as in mine there is a more defined point and slightly more separation between the two points of the upper and lower heart. I am going to go through my invoices from the last couple of years and see if I ordered some that I don't remember. The others were all planted in the fall of 1983 and I have no record ,so unless these were mixed in with the original one's, than they are a gift from the birds. Don't bother yourself with my confusion as I am sure you have better things to do than spending hours squinting at tiny green marks! But truly thanks, Patti
Hmm, I did enjoy squinting at those tiny green marks again! I think I found some of mine too, but couldn't be certain as they are not so different to one another, but are different. They must surely vary a little!
hi folks- I do think this is a g. plicatus form- they are so pretty, aren't they- Are these in a garden where they have naturalized over many years? In the woods where my grandmother once planted- say in the 20's to 30's- a variety of snowdrops, I have seen some very much like this with a sort of hour-glass or double heart green marking. She was a collector of all sorts of plants, though she hardly specialized in snowdrops- but she probably searched for a bit of a variety...anyway...there are just all sorts of variations at this point. I think they have just mixed and mingled, and come up with their own subtle variations. Its fun to see in a planting like that how many different forms there are.... and all unnamed!!
I'd also think it's either a selected form of G. plicatus ssp. byzantinus, or a hybrid, probably plicatus X elwesii (there are a lot of plicatus hybrids). I think it's most interesting that you have this growing in your garden here in the U.S., as any galanthus other than elwesii, nivalis, or nivalis flore pleno is rarely seen over here... you don't exactly find G. Fred's Giant on sale at Lowe's.
Don
sjms, I do a little plant shopping at Maple Hill in Keene. I planted snowdrops in 1983 and don't remember planting others. Most of them seem to be nivalis. But this is a bird of a different feather. I would never have noticed it until I saw http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/694392/ which I found fascinating. So I went out to see what I was growing among the bunch I found this odd patch. Wallaby_1 then gave me some amazing sites to poke through. All great fun and a nice thing to be doing while waiting for the spring show to begin in earnest.
Don, I thank you for the input. No lowe's, Wally or other box stores for me as a general rule. I try to buy from the little guys, coop's and some speciality online sites. My clump is still a mystery but it is charming with it's two little hearts. Patti
Hi I must have missed this thread! I've given up trying to identify some of mine! It doesn't help when I have bought named forms to then find out that they are not what I thought I had! There are over 500 varieties and some of the species like elwesii (which I think yours may well be Patti) can be very variable even from year to year. I had a flower of Sam Arnott in the middle of an established clump that was all white this year. I just enjoy them for the beautiful plants they are. However I'm so pleased with this one which has green markings and is called Virescens. Hoping to get some better pictures this weekend.
Galanthophile, I am glad you chimed in, as you are the one that inspired my careful visit and the subsequent find of my unnamed snowdrop. I am amazed that I paid so little notice of these sweet bulbs except as a mass for all these years. So if they are very variable from year to year, how can they be named varieties? I don't know how naming happens in the plant world. I should do a search to see if there is a posted thread about plant names or ask Baa. Anyway thanks for all the picture. I will be on the hunt for others offered for fall planting in the States. Thanks, Patti
The variable nature of snowdrops has given rise to many named forms of a particular species so you get Galanthus elwesii Magnus or Galanthus nivalis Chedworth for example. For it to be recognised as a named form it must be grown in at least 3 gardens and these days plants are propagated by twin scaling which allows much quicker multiplication of plants. I think most people are often amazed by the subtle differences in these plants and once you start to notice and desire more varieties you are on your way to becoming a galanthophile!
Galanthophile, Oh my, I could be well on my way to becoming one after seeing all you photographs, save I think there are far fewer sources in the US than in the UK. Thank you for the explanation. Patti
Yes there doesn't seem to be the variety available over there. Oh well, good luck in your search :) Ann
I'm glad our expert has contributed- I am reassured by your comments, Ann,that just enjoying them for their beauty is ok, too!
Well that's my philosophy anyway! There's too much emphasis sometimes on having to have that particular named variety that we forget to appreciate these flowers for their simplicity and beauty. Glad you agree :)
its funny- i have that philosophy too, and often quickly forget the specific names, but it doesn't stop me in the least from feeling i NEED all the different kinds. i think i have a bit of a Noah syndrome- 2 of each kind.....
We gardeners are always looking to the next flower, the next specimen we just must have... that's the fun of it I suppose!
