In reply to Ernie O'Byrne's question about deadheading snowdrops here at Colesbourne Park. The answer is No, we don't attempt to deadhead anything. A) it's impossible and B) we want them to seed! Some clones are sterile, especially the hybrids, which helps. Among these are the triploids 'S. Arnott' and 'Magnet'. Of others, some are fertile, some are not. In many springs very few seeds are set anyway, which is disappointing - it all depends on how warm it is and how active the bees are. But there are pods on some most seasons and we do get lots of self-sown seedlings. In the wild garden this does not really matter, and there are masses of seed-grown G. plicatus ssp. plicatus and ssp. byzantinus. Most of others, especially G. nivalis, while forming big patches, have all actually been planted and give very little seed, sadly. In the new Spring Garden, where the majority of the collection of specials is now grown, the patches are quite discrete and seedlings appearing between them can be observed and removed as appropriate. The thing that makes it quite easy to recognize a seedling is that the established clones nearby will have formed clumps,while a seedling will be on its own as a small bulb. Danger comes when the seedling occurs in the middle of the established patch. Here one can only tell that it is different when it flowers. It is not difficult to spot such interlopers in most clumps, once one's eye is in. They are very seldom closely similar. Once again, it will need removing and again, the single bulb will give the game away. Vigilance is certainly necessary - if in doubt, remove it. The good thing about seeding snowdrops is that it gives the opportunity for interesting seedlings to arise, giving occasionally a nice one, or perhaps even something really special. But if I did see pods floating about dangerously I would be tempted to remove them to somewhere else; there is no point letting clumps be contaminated when the seed can be deployed elsewhere. For excitement in seedling snowdrops I suggest using G. plicatus 'Trym' as a parent; the strangely shaped and marked flowers are transmitted to its offspring with several other species. I know several galanthphiles are going for a yellow 'Trym'! John Grimshaw . Dr John M. Grimshaw Garden Manager, Colesbourne Gardens Gardens Cottage Colesbourne Nr Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 9NP Tel. 01242 870567 Mobile 07 919 840 063 Fax (Estate Office) 01242 870541 Website: http://www.colesbournegardens.org.uk/ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ernie O'Byrne" <nargsbs@efn.org> To: "Pacific Bulb Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2004 3:47 AM Subject: RE: [pbs] TOW N.H.Do in May - Garden > John, I am rather surprised to hear you say that you are not a proponent of > deadheading. You were probably out of town when I asked, some time ago, how > you handle the potential problem of seeding among the large drifts of one > cultivar of snowdrop at Colesbourne. I never saw a reply to that inquiry, > unless, for some reason, I missed it (always possible). I would think that > that would be a potential for genetic drift in an established stand. Surely > you would never save seed intentionally, sow it, and then sell it as the > cultivar. So, what do you do? Surely, most of the cultivars not sterile, are > they? > > I imagined that you must deadhead, but having seen the extensive drifts at > Colesbourne, I also couldn't imagine a more daunting task, especially since > snowdrops don't hold their seed heads conveniently upright ready for > snipping, but flop over to better spread their seed about. So, if you don't > deadhead, how do the clumps remain pure. Is it by constant rogueing? That > would presume that whoever is doing the rogueing (over the many years at > Colesbourne) has an idea of the "perfect" form for that cultivar. Please > assuage my curiosity. > > Ernie O'Byrne >