Thursday, November 09, 2006
Lost Lamb... Snowdrop In November
Being a pioneer is always risky; in the plant world following your own pathway can be fatal. I was quite surprised, therefore, to find a snowdrop blooming in our Iowa garden today. It obviously is the same snowdrop that I found blooming early this year right after New Year's Day... I guess that wasn't startling enough for this little bulb, so now it's blooming in the fall. At first I thought it might be one of the species of fall blooming snowdrops, but with its blue-green leaves, prominent white stripe on its spathe, and single, upside-down green heart on each white petal, it surely is Galanthus elwesii; an early spring-blooming snowdrop. A slight bit of research amongst the galanthophiles revealed that there is apparently a strain of elwesii that blooms very early, and in falls where there is a cold snap, followed by warm weather, it may bloom in November... Bingo! We had unprecedented cold at the first of the month, then warmed up to the sixties. Unfortunately, this little bulb thinks it's still growing in a protected nook in the mountains of Turkey; I must break it to it gently that it now faces an Iowa winter, coming on like an icy freight train! One good thing... if Kathy, of Cold Climate Gardening, has a first snowdrop contest again, I'm in!
// posted by IBOY @ 7:14 AM 
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While Judy does occasionally contribute, I am the one who always had the snowdrop contest. However, I'm not sure you are in a cold enough zone to qualify. I suggest you build up stocks and start selling to them there galanthophiles. Failing that, I wouldn't mind getting a few in the mail early next spring.
Do you recognize a hint when you get one?
Do you recognize a hint when you get one?
Kathy... you're right, of course, it was you, not Judy, that had the snowdrop contest. One of these days I'm going to have to try this new thing I keep hearing about: proofreading. As it is now, I'm kind of the Grandma Moses of the blog world: colorful, but pretty rough around the edges. You would think I'd be on good behavior with you, since I had your blog labelled "Cool Climate Gardening", I think, for months in my links list, then called you "Cathy", for good measure.Well, anyway, you're off the hook on the snowdrop blooming contest, since mine actually was the LAST bloomer of 2006; not bad to have one bloom twice in one year, though.
Don
Don
Don, I learn about so many new plants from your blog I easily forgive any lapses . . . I just don't want people going over to my blog and getting confused. I was wondering where you did your galanthophile research? Somewhere on GardenWeb? Or is there a message board somewhere devoted to galanthus?
Kathy... I looked two places: Gardenweb's bulb board, and Alpine-L; the latter will provide you with hours of reading about snowdrops (or about any other small plant).
Don
Don
I am a gardener in Georgia and I have up rooted a cute little plant that for years I called "TinkerBells" Then this year I read an article in one of the seed catalogs that Sayz it's name is "Lilly of the Valley".
Anyway, I have moved the plant to 2 new homes here in Georgia and to several sons and daughter's homes.
I shall try to get you a picture, if you are interested in a trade for some of your "SnowFlakes"???
Please respond to this post eighter way. Thanks in advance, Kiee
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Anyway, I have moved the plant to 2 new homes here in Georgia and to several sons and daughter's homes.
I shall try to get you a picture, if you are interested in a trade for some of your "SnowFlakes"???
Please respond to this post eighter way. Thanks in advance, Kiee
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: February 23, 2009
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