Galanthus in the green

I would accept snowdrops any time of the year they always grow away as long as they are not cooked as John Grimshaw says in transit or squashed or kept dry for too long.Results from dry bulbs are never on a parr though with freshly dug plants.All growers of Eranthis know this too.As long as they are fed with a general purpose organic fertiliser directly onto the roots and then watered in they just romp away.Water during growth and rich balanced feeding are the key to succes along with frequent division of the clumps.I failed miserably with galanthus reginae-olgae for years because I listened and obeyed that old saw that this species neede a hotter drier position than other species.I always ended up loosing it until it got put in ordinary soil as the others.Now I have great clumps! Only G.cilicicus and G.fosteri perhaps with G.peshmenii ,but even the latter seems not choosy,do well in drier sites in the garden.G.elwesii 'The Bride' is said to need dryish and hot conditions.I will try it in wetter soil from now on as stock is slowly building up.
Mark W. Brown
P.S.
The Hyacinthus orientalis form that I spoke about earlier is in full bloom now and I have some good photos of it if anyone is interested?Any suggestions to it's identity would be very welcome.Could it be ssp.chionophyllus?But it is white and very delicate.Stock originated at the Correvon swiss nursery near Geneva.

Message du 27/01/08 23:33
De : "John Grimshaw"
A : "Pacific Bulb Society"
Copie à :
Objet : Re: [pbs] Galanthus phyto requirements

Jane McGary wrote > Galanthus bulbs, when stored dry, often deteriorate.

It is, however, quite feasible to ship the bulbs dormant in late summer,
as
long as you keep them slightly moist (I use very slightly moist
vermiculite
in plastic bags -- I think plastic didn't exist when the "in the green"
rule was made).

Galanthus bulbs 'deteriorate' only if kept in conditions of high
temperatures so they 'cook'. They will keep perfectly well in a cool shed,
either as loose bulbs or packed in dry sand etc, but they must be kept dry.
Any moisture after about August (as nights cool) will immediately result in
root formation - and I mean immediately. Washing bulbs for export last
summer, and subsequent storage in a plastic bag for 2 days, led to root
appearance that fortunately didn't quite jeopardise the shipping of
'dormant' bulbs, but was not far off. I would certainly not recommend moist
vermiculite for shipping unless the presence of roots was not a problem at
the other end.

Snowdrop bulbs stored dry all last summer and planted out in the garden in
November are now coming into flower, only a few days after the established
clumps, to my mind totally debunking the myth of the necessity of planting
'in the green', which to my mind is a most deleterious practice that
thinking gardeners should not condone.

John Grimshaw

.
Dr John M. Grimshaw
Sycamore Cottage
Colesbourne
Nr Cheltenham
Gloucestershire GL53 9NP

Tel. 01242 870567

COLESBOURNE PARK SNOWDROP OPEN DAYS 2008
January 26/27 and every Saturday & Sunday in February
Gates open 1pm, last entry 4 pm
website: http://www.colesbournegardens.org.uk/

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