Aw.....so adorable! I love fall blooming bulbs. Do these increase outside or need special treatment?

Also, please define sane. I find it rather crazy there is so much awesome variety and people just buy the same stuff. :)

Is it definitely G elwesii? That species is an early Spring bloomer here. Are you keeping it in a cold greenhouse?

Floral I am so glad you asked that question, I'm dying to write the full name for this snowdrop!

It in fact an elwesii, to be specific it's.... Galanthus elwesii var. monostictus Hiemalis group ex. Montrose. I feel so smart whenever I can tell people that, but the looks I get back are rarely looks of the impressed. For those not up on their Latin (not that I am) It's a Galanthus named after Henry Elwes, it has one (mono) spot rather than the typical two, it flowers in winter (hiemalis) unlike the typical spring bloomers, and it comes to me via Montrose Gardens where Nancy Goodwin has planted thousands across the grounds of her N. Carolina property.

More than you wanted to know? Probably, but that's where I hope to go with this :)

It's in a pot on my driveway until things get cold, then I'm taking it into the garage and under a growlight until civilized weather returns. I know a few people who grow theirs outdoors, but they have either more reliable snowcover or are a zone or two warmer than my garden. Maybe someday I'll try one outside, but until I have more than one I won't risk it....

Posie I'm not sure if I can even recognize sane anymore. I think there's a line somewhere between growing a few tulips and crocus and then going off the deep end with dozens of different small bulb types. Unless they're going around cutting off ears for girlfriends I think a little crazy makes for a lot more fun so I'm ok with it.

Katob, that is so special! I understand you not wanting to lose it, and so keeping it in a pot, but would you expect it to be more tender to cold than the spring bloomer?

Katob, I have friendly conversations over my fence with neighbors who make innocent comments about my garden. Their eyes then cross as I do my best to show them all the "fascinating" things happening at that moment and talk about my "exciting" plans for next year. Haha!

I'm trying to convert my children but mostly they want to collect worms as I dig.

I don't think it's much more tender to cold than the regular spring bloomers, it's just that after flowering the leaves begin to grow and the leaves take a beating in the cold and ice. When the regular spring bloomers come up too early they suffer the same way here, so I try to put them in protected spots as well.

Posie I'm torn between trying to convert my kids versus wanting to keep the whole garden to myself. I've become so used to not sharing it's tough when someone else wants to do their own thing and no amount of distraction will get them away from planting orange impatiens in your pink flower bed....

The neighbors on the other hand just like to mention how it all looks like a lot of work.

For sure it isn't the autumn species I am most familiar with - the dainty reginae-olgae. I love these little autumn surprises, patiently growing the autumn leucojum/acis (only to lose it during an infrequent clear-up of 'empty' pots.

I have converted the offspring...but only when I had managed to secure some extra space for myself which still remains inviolate from fuschia and hydrangea.

The reginae-olgae are much daintier but also risky in this zone. If pressured I might possibly admit to killing mine off, but in the interest of my own gardening self-esteem I like to quickly forget about such things.

All the snowdrops are frozen solid outside but I couldn't risk this one out there. It was up about an inch and a half at the start of December so I figured I'd dig it up and put it under the garage growlights to keep it safe. It's named 'Flyfishing' because of the extra long parts connected to the flower.

This week I had the opportunity to visit Dr. John Lonsdale and Edgewood gardens. John specializes in snowdrops and cyclamen (and many other things) and seeing his greenhouse full of these winter bloomers was quite a treat. It's a grower's greenhouse and was packed to the gills with bulbs and I have to say I've never seen so many in one place before!

They're all either named varieties or selections out of the species and almost all are nearly impossible to see anywhere else on this side of the Atlantic. This is one with a distinct curled-up shape, it's 'Diggory'.

He also grows hardy cyclamen.

Besides being an all around great guy John is also a bit of a collector. My pictures don't do justice to the range of flower forms and variations.

Being a bit of a nerd I was excited to see 'Green Tear' which for a few weeks held the title of most expensive eBay snowdrop when a single bulb sold for about $500. Sorry, but I didn't get a picture of his other potful which had a dozen or so flowering bulbs in it.John travels up and down the East coast visiting many of the plant shows and this gives an idea of where all the little cyclamen come from!

I won't even mention the many snowdrops which were already flowering outside. Early February is crazy early even for the warmer spots around Philadelphia PA, but there they were!

What a visit. Maybe once the 9 inches of snow melts here I can see some of my own snowdrops again.

Beautiful and I appreciate your taking us on the tour with you. I've tried twice to grow cyclamen, both times being a total bust. I'm so jealous of all those pots!

That's quite the clump - hurry up Spring!

It coming! We had about nine inches Thursday and a drop to 12F the next night, but today sun and 40s were melting it off fast. It was weird though. There was next to no runoff on the street, then i realized it was because the ground isn't even frozen and all the runoff was soaking in... I think it's going to be an early spring again.

Katob, thank you so much for sharing your trip to Edgewood Gardens. I have no idea such a beautiful snowdrops garden is only half hour from me. I have to visit his garden someday. I wonder if it is too late now to go see his snowdrops this week? Do you have to call ahead before visiting?

Oh wow, you're so close! ...and that means you're close to Chanticleer, Longwood, Morris and Scott arboretums :) you have plenty of options!

It might be kind of late, but if you're going to make a visit May is even better! There are hundreds of trilliums, trout lilies, phlox and other woodland flowers along his hillside.

You should try contacting him through his website, but I guess it's not that obvious from my post that this is his own private garden and not at all a retail nursery. He does host plenty of group tours, and I've heard of ones through the Mid Atlantic HPS and several other local garden groups. Do you belong to HPS?

Katob, can I ask what does HPS stand for? I live in Lancaster so Exton is about 30 min away depending on traffic. May sounds wonderful! I may check out Edgewood Garden then.

You're in a great spot for gardening and visiting gardens... I'm up by Wilkes barre so only get down here and there.

HPS is the hardy plant society. The mid Atlantic chapter runs out of the Philadelphia area and does plenty of tours and member gardens and special nursery trips so it's a great way to meet local gardeners and see local gardens you wouldn't normally.

This weekend is supposed to be well over 50F and sunny. Fair warning that I'll be showing even more photos and I'm hoping others will share!

The weekend did bring up a bunch of drops. Here's one with yellow instead of the usual green (Wendy's Gold).

My earliest double, 'Richard Ayres'

And the regular, plain old-average, common snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis).... still one of the best :)

I kind of hope it stays on the cool side so things don't come along too quickly, but on the other hand love having them out so early.

Snowdrops sure do beat actual snow!