I love all those Cyclamen! My collection is in the seedling stage except for a couple of mature hederifolium and purpurascens.

Interesting how your coum flowers have kind of a propeller shape, and what a nice silver leaf! Mine seem to have stubbier blooms, but who knows if they'll all turn out that way, hopefully spring will bring an answer. I feel a bit better knowing that they can handle much tougher weather, but maybe I will cover them a little with some evergreen branches just in case. They do get some winter sun where they are and maybe that'll be helpful.
The narrow leaf is nice, I like the shape and pattern. I'm hoping for something like that in my mix, so far it looks like I might have a couple that are different too.

Here are some baby pictures (the grow light last winter). I don't show too many people these pictures since I guess I'm a little in denial over the cyclamen collecting. I blame my self consciousness on my friends, they just give that not-understanding look when they ask about all the pots and I start to explain. I guess I could get new friends but it's slim pickings around here, and most are related by either blood or marriage.

It probably didn't help things when I potted up most of the c. hederifoliums into seperate pots rather than plant them out, but I didn't want to be too hasty in where I planted them out to.... better to get to know them one on one for a couple months first. Plus they handle drought well, a good trait considering my abyssmal watering record.

Kato, was there a name on the seed batch that produced the dark green hederifolium with silver center? That is a gorgeous leaf!

Carol, I got a few like that, I think some were labeled fancy leaf mix, others were in a generic mix. They were from Green Ice nursery though, so it was a really good source. I liked them too, but can't put my finger on why they are special. There are many more with fancier patterns but the ones with the silver center stand out.

Now I'm nervous again about having left them outdoors to fend for themselves. I hope I dug in the pots well enough.

Goodness...so many drop dead gorgeous pics on this thread. I'm impressed!

Kato...we might have to talk 'trade' once you see what you have multiples of.

Sue

Kato; my eyes were also immediately drawn to the hederifolium seedling with the broad green margin and silver "oak leaf" in the center; that's a very unusual, distinctive, and attractive leaf. Baby that one! By your pictures, you're far too modest in your description (I see tons of little seedlings in the ground). Believe me, these small plants will, in a few years, be two feet across and spreading, and you;ll be looking for places to plant them: My plants are coalescing into big patches of cyclamen foliage (below purpurascens):

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Here are several hederifoliums and one coum around the trunk of a Japanese maple. Planting the cyclamens around the base of small trees and shrubs, where there is no competing ground foliage seems to work particularly well, and fills in spots that otherwise wouldn't be utilized very well.
Don

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Kato, I save Hitch's catalogs. Last year's most expensive was nivalis 'Walrus' at $50.00. In the elwesii group (only 2 offered last year) was 'Kite' at $40.00. But most of the rest - plicatus, single and hybrid doubles went from $15. to $25.00. The rest were 'specials' (= expensive) of 7 , highest $45.00, lowest $30.00.
The popular 'Scharlockii' he sold at $15.00 ea. All of the snowdrops are usually only 1 bulb per order - with the exception of nivalis ('still the best' he says) - 5 bulbs @ $15.00 and nivalis 'flore pleno' (nice to pick) - 3 bulbs for $18.00. Even with half success from stored bulbs for fall planting you may want to buy those 2 from bulb companies. Ditto the 'Woronowii' - mistaken for 'Ikarie' often, especially by Van Engelen.
If you're patient ;-p, you could build a collection from Hitch over time without breaking your bank, and there is no minimum for orders.
His new catalog should be coming soon, I will try to practice restraint ;-)

Hitch's snowdrops ALL grow, usually like rabbits, so it's not a bad investment. Almost every bulb I've bought from him has been 2-4 bulbs the next spring, and soon is a clump.

It was an excellent day in my muddy snowy foggy garden. The cyclamen were busy sending blooms up under the snow and look great as they thaw out (hmmmmm have to remind myself it's not even mid January), I spotted a few snowdrops (elwesii) poking out their green noses, the potted hederifoliums look great (still I threw a few evergreen branches on top)..... and the Temple Nursery catalog was in the mailbox.
Paula, I saw a price much higher than the $50! but for the most part they're as you described. I can still do a $15, and as long as I don't go on about it too much I'm sure I can sneak in one or two others without raising any eyebrows around here (I know what a new pair of UGGs cost and if it gets ugly I can always pull that card). In fact I bet if I promised not to talk about snowdrops during dinner, I could probably get another $20 approved for the budget.
Frank

Looks like all that talk about being responsible and taking it easy and trying things out first was wasted on me. I of course apologize and still want to say thanks, and although I may still back out I promise to at least cover anything I get with screens so I'm not throwing money away.

In fact I bet if I promised not to talk about snowdrops during dinner, I could probably get another $20 approved for the budget.
If tempted to talk about them during dinner, just wait a bit and call me and talk about them after dinner.

Today I discovered 2 little snowdrops in full bloom in 'the weed patch' bed, that has been slated for destruction for a couple of years now. Luckily I can move them a bit later while 'in the green'. They are labeled Flore Pleno, but are clearly a single, thus labeled wrong. I love them just the same though.

Sue

I know what a new pair of UGGs cost and if it gets ugly I can always pull that card).
You are sure right...see link. YIKES!

Here is a link that might be useful: $135-$325 for a whole lot of UGGly

This post was edited by chemocurl on Sat, Jan 12, 13 at 15:04

Got my catalog today as well. Of course....it's mid 50's, sun is out, and what better timing! Kato I see that one for $75.00 :-O

I found most of mine are pushing through the ground, or up an inch or so. A few just about to bloom. A few are no shows so far. I'm hoping it's just the delay that is typical first season after planting.

Strike that.....i missed the $100.00 'Flocon de Neige' in Hitch's cat.
Not going there!

I'm not picking up the mail!!

Wonderful thread on snowdrops and cyclamens! Just love all those great pics. too. Better than a book from the library.

Wonderful thread on snowdrops and cyclamens! Just love all those great pics. too. Better than a book from the library.

Wonderful thread on snowdrops and cyclamens! Just love all those great pics. too. Better than a book from the library.

A few more

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I'm also a big fan of "yellow" snowdrops; they seem more delicate. Unfortunately they tend to be quite expensive and not easily obtained. This is perhaps the most commonly seen and cheapest, the double Lady Elphinstone.

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And the pictures get even better! ontnative is right in that this thread is as good as a book from the library. I just re-read the entire thing and it's also full of great information.

I guess at some point I should mention that my wallet is considerably lighter, thanks going to Mr. Lyman. The big plus in this (other than the new varieties) is that I'll have a couple new ones settling in a whole year earlier than if I had waited until the fall planting season! My list is all white snowdrops (except for one double with green tips). All were "easy to please" or "clumps up fast" so I'm hoping this works for me. I'm hoping for a good range of bloom from early to late.

"I don't think I can justify spending 20 or so dollars on a little bulb that still just kinda looks white"..... obviously I got over this.

Just a couple more weeks and I should be able to see some of the plain old common drops already growing here. Prior to the snow and cold last week I was able to see sprouts and buds coming and it looks like it will be a good year. (January is always a month of optimism with it's seed and plant catalogs.... late freezes, drought, flood and insects will temper that feeling soon enough)

hmm, a nursery friend of mine (Joe Sharman of Monksilver) actually sold a single snowdrop for......347pounds - a record price. Madness.....but then, I know that it is possible to spend 400 pounds on a paeony.

Not only did I place an order, but on the 16th of March the Temple Nursery had an open day and I took a drive up there. It was a 2 hour drive and it was cold but I saw a few nice snowdrops so for me the trip was worth it.... 40 degrees would have been a whole lot nicer though, and sun sure would have helped more than the snow flurries!
This was labeled Naughton, I couldn't find anything online about it...

I thought this one was perfect. No label, but two blooms per bulb and it just looks so healthy.

This was my first chance to see "fancy" snowdrops in the flesh and I did see a lot of nice ones but for now I think my wallet will be safe from getting too many all at once. There were plenty I couldn't tell apart..... but that doesn't necessarily mean I don't need them ;)

There were also several yellows. Look at how nice this one was, all fresh and springy in a dead winter landscape. How can you not love snowdrops?

duplicate post

This post was edited by kato_b on Tue, Dec 24, 13 at 14:05

What? I've given Hitch lotsa $ and he didn't tell me about the Open House! Oh well, I couldn't have gone any way, something else I had to do,,,dang it.

So Kato, did you pickup your order while there, and was he selling drops that day?

Naughton... wasn't that Jackie Gleason's sidekick??

I don't really remember how I found out about the open day, somewhere along the line I must have stumbled upon something saying he does this through the garden conservancy..... then I checked out the g. conservancy's website and found the date.

No and no, I didn't pick my order up and there was nothing for sale. It was still mighty cold so I guess digging wouldn't start for another couple weeks at earliest, but I would have really been tempted if there was anything with a price tag! (actually I made sure my wallet had a little extra in it before we left just in case) I really got the impression this is his personal collection and the nursery deal was just a way of passing on extras.

I thought Naughton was tall and skinny! this snowdrop looks awfully short and plump :)

Is it too early to talk about snowdrops?
I added a few last year and can't wait to see them bloom this spring, in fact I've already looked at their planting spot a few too many times..... it's going to be a long winter!

Is it too early to talk about snowdrops?
Since you asked, I went out and checked to see if one little clump had emerged yet. They are up about 1/2", but sadly there are weeds growing in among them. When the soil is good and thawed out, should I try and dig and move them in the green? I think the weeds are perennial ones with established root systems that probably wouldn't pull out very easily.

If I get them dug and moved to a weed free area, I hope I don't lose the bloom for this spring.

I'm looking forward to seeing your new ones!
Sue

Hi kato_b! Great minds must think alike, since my thoughts have also been turning to early spring flowers like Galanthus, Helleborus, Eranthis, Adonis and Cyclamen coum. I believe I also have a few Leucojum vernum bulbs, given to me by a very kind and generous gardener, that are tucked away in my frozen garden. I am curious to see how fast they will settle in and start to bloom.

This past spring, I purchased a 'Potter's Prelude' from Carolyn's Shade Gardens. This autumn-flowering selection of Galanthus elwesii did indeed sprout and produced a single perfect bloom around Thanksgiving. I enjoyed it for less than a day before some unreasonably early snows started and it has been buried in snow ever since. The bloom is probably mush by now but I hope the plant survives and multiplies and is able to show off during the next mild fall.

I also put in two small Helleborus niger clones this past spring--'Josef Lemper' and 'Jacob'--which were also starting to form tiny buds just as the snow hit. Hopefully they are holding up well and will produce flowers as soon as temperatures moderate a bit.

There is something about winter that makes me absolutely obsessed with snowdrops and hellebores!

I went to check on the patch in the park which is always first around here. They're the other side of some railings and it was getting dark but I don't think they're budding yet although they are certainly showing.

Ahhhhhh to be in England where the snowdrops bloom in what to me seems the middle of winter!
The darn holidays are keeping me from my snowdrop obsession - which is probably a good thing since there's still a long way to go until blooms show up here. Sue, I'm sure you could move them anytime it's convenient (dormant is best). But i move stuff all the time, even when blooming, since I feel like they're easier to work with then instead of after I've forgotten where they are. I've sliced too many bulbs with shovels to trust my dormant season memory Any more :(
Ispahan- I wonder if snowdrops and their companions would be just as popular if they were summer bloomers. Maybe..... All I know for sure is I think about it way too much. No one else seems to show much interest when I've been asking them about snowdrops this week. I usually hold a pretty high opinion of my family, this lack of interest is confusing me! How can they not be interested in talking about all the different forms of green tipped galanthus?
I'll be interested to see how potters prelude does for you, I think our winters are milder and if you have decent luck up there in your Icebox I might give it a try outside down here. I got lucky and had a fall snowdrop mixed in with some lose bulbs that I bought. It's planted indoors now but I'd like to move it outside in the spring.
Since last spring I've added a few of the easier to find named varieties and then some named ones from the Temple Gardens. Hopefully they will do well enough this spring for me to decide if I "need" any more.... Price says no but in weak moments I've been known to click carelessly or slap a stamp on an order before I realize what I'm doing!
Come to think if it even if I avoid snowdrops I could really use a few more hellebores, a nice yellow tipped snowflake, some brighter red stemmed dogwoods, some pale yellow aconite..... Hmmmm. I need to get back to work to get away from these ideas.

I fired up the winter garden light this past weekend to give some brighter light to my first winter bloomer. These were supposed to be g. woronowii but I don't think too many of them will be since they should have much brighter green leaves.... Normally it's annoying not to get what you pay for but in this case I'm happy anyway since they seem like an interesting bunch.
Any ideas?

OK - here we go..... I checked the park again today. These are just plain old Galanthus nivalis. Sorry for the picture quality. I don't have a fancy camera and I had to take it through the railings in very low winter sun. But here's my first sighting of 2014.

I confess to desperate excitement since buying some Norfolk woodland. Some rather famous snowdrop recluse (Greatorex) lived practically next door (in crazy isolation in an ex-railway carriage) who bred some famous doubles after WW2 (Hippolyte is one still about) and planted them all over my area....and in fact, we did spot many on the edges of our woods, last year, and having been on a bramble removal spree, I am hoping to find more, from seeds carried by ants.

That sounds fun Campanula. I have only the old fashioned doubles in my wood where people dumped garden rubbish in the past. They are also responsible for my wishy washy pinky/mauvy/purply primroses, clumps of double daffs and the Japanese Knotweed.

Ho, primroses - nothing so easy to sow - completely foolproof. Have got 100 or so to start a little colony (just common pale yellow vulgaris). And a heap more foxgloves, campanulas and so forth.

Look at those little guys sprouting!
I also have a few, but just green tips, nothing more. I'm glad they made it through our arctic blast though (I hope).
Campanula- that's an amazing story! I hope you do find some special blooms showing up in your woodland. I bet just clearing a few things out and mowing some of the growth will go a long way in bringing all kinds if small bulbs and wildflowers back.... Maybe not this spring, but I bet with each year they will gain strength.

Hi everyone, checking in for the new year. I'm buried under 8 inches of snow now with no extended warm up in sight.
It's comforting to know that my drops are well insulatedagainst the even more brutal temperatures coming Tuesday :-O

If anyone (in USA) wants to trade this spring I'm throwing my name in the ring :-)

Last year's snowdrop season was so exciting I guess I forgot to check back here. As usual I seem to be getting way too interested in snowdrops again, and in fact got myself into a little trouble over the past few months with named snowdrops.
They've been doing well though and I'm quite pleased. With my bulb fly issues under control the plain old unnamed snowdrops have been clumping up and I'm already looking forward to seeing these out again this spring. Here's a picture from Late March of last year.

Very pretty! I've always loved snowdrops. Only had a few flower last spring. It was disapointing after planting so many. Hopefully there will be more blooms next spring.

Sorry to hear about your bad luck southern23. Snowdrops are notorious for being hard from dried bulbs, and depending on the variety and where you get them from your success will range from great to complete failure. I've had quite a few 'dud' batches along the way too.....
I hope the ones that grew last year will settle in and do well for you, they're such a nice way to start spring. Do you remember what variety they were?

I have no idea what variety they are and don't remember where I ordered them from. It was late in the season and it took me a while to find a site that was not sold out of them. Snowdrops were always the first to bloom when I was growing up and I remember getting some in a little bouquet on my birthday from family each year.

I'm sure they'll settle in now and do better each year, the first is always toughest. That's a nice snowdrop memory, I hope you'll be able to fill a bouquet of your own this spring!

After another mild Autumn and Winter so far my bellwether patch of G nivalis in a local park is up and showing white. Maybe there'll be open flowers for New Years Day?

This year's snowdrops signing in. They've been fully out about 10 days now.

Look at that! I guess there is some hope for those of us surrounded by a different kind of white.
All the green ground cover doesn't hurt either. It will still be several weeks before there's any hope for green leaves and white blooms here! Enjoy your mild weather :)

Thank you for that picture, Floral. So beautiful and must lift your spirit to see something so lush in the winter. I have a forced tete a tete sitting on my windowsill, not the same but slim pickings here!

For the cyclamen, I added two to my garden this year. Love them...but they are so small definitely need a drift to make an impact. The seeds are very cheap compared with even just one plant. I would prefer to imitate nature and just sow in the ground under my fir tree and cross my fingers. Anyone have advice on when to do this?