Saturday, March 29, 2008

Snowdrop Magician

Snowdrop 'Trotter's Merlin' is thought to be a hybrid of Galanthus elwesii x plicatus. It is noteworthy for having the inner petals completely covered with green, except for a dainty white edging at the bottom. I assume the Trotter in this case is Dick Trotter, a well known gardener who has one of the most beautiful, deep colored colchicums named after him, and also a strain of hellebores. Now the next question is, why did he name this snowdrop cultivar Merlin? Was it because it was so magical that a snowdrop would pop up in his garden with all-green inner petals? I've alternatively tried to talk myself into thinking that the shape of the green spot resemble a magician with his arms extended, casting a spell. Maybe Dick's dog was named Merlin.
One thing I do know for sure, is that Trotter's Merlin is quite lovely on a bright spring day; now if I could just wave my magic wand and make my tiny clump of these bulbs turn into a thousand!
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Comments:
Maybe he was a fan of Merlin Olsen. The contrast of the green with the white petals is quite striking. Could you post a photo of what this plant looks like from a distance. I'm wondering if it has more of an impact in the landscape than other Snowdrops.
 
Wow, how many varieties of snowdrops do you have? Of course we're envious, but to my mind, it's hard to not to love elwesii! We'll be quite happy for them to take over until we're ready for the more exotic ones. :-)

Have loved seeing yours come into bloom this spring and look forward to more beauties to come (and not just Galanthus).
 
MMD... you know, right now it has no impact because I only had one little bulb planted two years ago, and now have three little bulbs; it'll take another couple of years for the plants to reach their full size, in my experience.

Nancy... they're all nice.

IVG... off hand, I've got seven species and maybe twenty named varieties (hybrids and named cultivars).

Don
 
A delightful photo ... 'as good as it gets'!
 
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