Snowdrops
Diane Whitehead (Sun, 18 Jan 2004 22:12:18 PST)

Ernie O'Byrne wonders about seedling contamination of clumps of named
snowdrops.

I don't see many seedpods at all. Out of hundreds of snowdrops,
maybe two or three pods, and they usually disappear before the seed
ripens.

Snowdrops that form big drifts tend to be sterile, I think. They've
traded in seed production for bulb offsets. The prolific common
double is sterile, of course, but also some species: the woronowii
that has been spread all over Victoria produces crowded clumps
quickly, yet I have never seen a seedpod in about 30 years. I get
the occasional seedpod start to form on a couple of my hundreds of
elwesii, but haven't managed to get a seed yet. One of my named
forms, Magnet, is sterile.

This year I have a couple of yearling deer that have decided to start
eating snowdrop flowers, especially the named ones arranged along my
front walk. I think bringing some potted snowdrops inside may be a
good way to try for seed on two accounts: flowers won't be eaten, and
maybe a bit of warmth will encourage seed production.
--
Diane Whitehead Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
maritime zone 8
cool mediterranean climate (dry summer, rainy winter - 68 cm annually)
sandy soil