Twin scaling Snowdrops - ensuring success!

The moment of truth... The bags of twin-scaled Snowdrops are opened and not a green / furry failure in sight! I never fail to admire how nature ordains this means of survival into the Amaryllidaceae. For this sequence, a healthy bulb of Galanthus plicatus 'John Long' had been chopped into pieces and placed into a bag of fungicide treated moist vermiculite last June....

Everyone's a winner :-)

Despite all the fiddling and care at the incubation stage, it can all still go wrong!  I've evolved a belt and braces method against fungal losses.

The twin scales are place into a ziplock bag.....

Green Sulphur (the belt)  is added and the bag shaken / stirred.....

They are then potted into clean 3" plastic pots. A mix of equal parts JI No 2 / perlite and grit is filled to within 1" of the top - figs 1&2.

The sulphur treated twin scales are then pressed into this open mix (leave the dried scales attached) - figs 3&4.

More of the potting mix is then added until the twin scales are covered fig 5

A top dressing of coarse grit is added fig 6. Oh and DONT forget to label the pot as you go along!

The first watering of these pots is done using a systemic fungicide! (Thats the braces!)

Once leaves are noted, the pots are then watered with 1/2 strength general fertiliser on a regular basis.  The bulbs should then reach flowering size after two growing seasons.

 In three years time you could be staring at a clump like this :-)

I'm giving several talks this Winter on the theme of 'Special Snowdrops' including:

Wolverhampton Hort Soc 14th November 2012
AGS Essex group 29th November 2012
Stone Chrysanthemum and Dahlia club 10th January 2013
The Ashwood Snowdrop Day lecture on 3rd February 2013
Hardy Plant Society Snowdrops Group (Leominster) 17th February 2013

Contact me for more details or if you would be interested in a talk on the theme of Snowdrops (I have several) suitable for garden clubs or conference audiences

Glad you came up?

Isn't it nice when 'surprises' pop up in the garden? I'd discarded some 'dead' pots from the alpine house following the killer Winter of two years ago. Clearly not as lethal as I thought.....

This was the sight that caught my attention on the 10th September, gorgeous salmon coloured flowers over a fan of foliage merely 6" tall.....

The flowers lasted nearly a week before shrivelling up - only to be replaced by just as many new ones. The whole plant was less than 12" tall :-)

And pretty stunning they were too! Eat your heart Gladiolus flanaganii - I may have a new favourite?

I had suspected Gladiolus oppositifolius ssp salmoneus would be 'one for the garden' when sowing this amongst a dozen or so other species from Silverhill seeds several years ago. And of course I planted it there with that in mind ......

Now where's all the other surprises waiting to shoot up?

New England Primula Show

An invitation to my first American Primrose Society show was wonderful experience with 'Sowing Growing Showing - A Primula Triathlon' to be the conference talk. It wasn't all work however.....
In between photographing birds in the gardens of Tower Hill Botanic Gardens and eating rather well, I conjured up a basic studio to photograph a few of the Show plants.....

I like the way, the two premier award winning plants got their own podium!

Primula 'Belarina Butter Yellow' shown by Deborah Wheeler.

And Primula 'Spring Pastel' with its eye-catching two tone flowers

Ever popular for garden or showbench is Primula sieboldii - the white flowered form here with contrasting pink tubes, shown by Mary Molloy.

Primula 'Dawn Ansell' another of Mary's plants.

Three exhibits from Rodney Barker - 'Primula sieboldii alba and P. sieboldii 'Red Rover'

Followed by Primula veris.

A nice red form of Primula veris shown by Judy Sellars.

Primula vulgaris provides a few botanical curiosities. The leaf like green flowers of Primula 'Francesca'.

Or 'hose in hose' flowers....

Flowers don't come more striking than Amy Olmstead's Garnet 'Cowichan' followed by her Primula 'Gold Lace' and Primula farinosa.

Another nice display of 'Gold Lace'

I'll finish with this close up of this best auricula  'Fancy seedling' shown by Judy Sellars

I really enjoyed that - hmm, how about a UK Primula show next year??

AGS South Wales show

South Wales opened the AGS show season with many fine plants to be seen. The 'show stopper' was undoubtedly this perfect pan of Galanthus plicatus 'Sophie North' which scooped the Galanthus Goblet (best Snowdrop) and Farrer medal for best in show. Nice one Don Peace!


I've singled out one flower here of this stunning clone of Iris unguicularis 'Pelopponnese Snow', courtesy of Robin White.



Another outstanding exhibit from Don Peace and a certificate of merit for Colchicum kesselringii



George Elder's Crocus cvijicii was one of many fine specimens benched by him....



Crocus minimus 'Bavella' shown by Ian Robertson.



A bit of artistic poise from Robert Rolfe's Crocus reticulatus ssp reticulatus, a Serbian clone (AP 27952)


The above two may take some tracking down but No problem of availability where Crocus sieberi 'Tricolor' is concerned



Two views to enjoy the beauty of this pristine Crocus vernus ssp albiflorus.....





No surprise to see a certificate of merit awarded to Dave Richards for this evenly flowered specimen of Cyclamen alpinum forma leucanthum!



Other Cyclamen highlights for me - Cyclamen coum with white pink flushed flowers



Close up to show the 'different' shape and poise  of Cyclamen elegans flowers (Bonb and Rannveig Wallis)

Daphne jezoensis (Robin White)

Recent introductions of seed have ensured we can enjoy the diminutive Dionysia khatamii



Not too many Frits on display but here's a couple headed by Fritillaria karelinii (at least that's what it may be?) - Joy Bishop



Fritillaria uva-vulpis (Bob and Rannveig Wallis)

The green virescent flowers of Galanthus 'Cowhouse Green'



Evenly flowered pan of Galanthus ikariae



Iris 'Lady Beatrix Stanley' is still around, mass produced by the Dutch....



But you may need to search out Narcissus asturiensis (Eric Jarrett)



Search and wait even longer for this as yet unnamed fine cross of Narcissus cyclamineus x N alpestris (Bob and Rannveig Wallis)



Ornithogalum nanum (Ian Robertson)



Ian also had this wonderful Pleione humilis in his six pan exhibit.....

Finally - lots of discussion as to the legitimacy of Rebutia aylostera as a 'foliage exhibit. It certainly has effect!