First Snowdrops to Flower: Selected Seedling & Galanthus plicatus 'Three Ships, 1st December 2015

The unseasonably mild weather has triggered two snowdrops to flower rather earlier than normal, certainly in my experience. First up is a seedling I moved to a stone sink from the seedbed last year. It flowered for Christmas. This year it is some 25 days earlier. There is at least one more budded shoot. A named snowdrop that looks very like my own is Galanthus reginae-olgae "Alex Duguid". As with all snowdrops there are many very similar bulbs. I'd need to see the two side by side!

Selected Seedling
The second snowdrop is Galanthus plicatus 'Three Ships'  in a somewhat bedraggled state I'm sorry to say, a consequence of a trauma involving me planting a choice hepatica in the same large pot. "Three Ships" seems to have lost its (their) moorings according to my plant label regime, although I do remember there was a floating smaller bulb or chip last year. As for trauma, this is nothing when compared to the mistreatment afforded to the goodly "Mrs McNamara". Injudicious planting of narcissus and sharp spade will make for anxious times in a few weeks as my burgeoning clump will either do a phoenix act. Or not. "Three Ships" is a distinctive snowdrop with rounded, thicker outer petals.

Galanthus plicatus 'Three Ships"
And finally a very early riser indeed as a solitary Narcissus 'Atlas Gold' sticks its yellow, undeveloped head out of the soil to enjoy the daylight. I purchased a number of choice narcissus in the autumn from the delightful and innovative Anne Wright at Dryad Nursery. The full name for the seedling is Narcissus romieuxii Atlas Gold AW 3126 seedling.



The close-up was taken on the 5th December.

 

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And remembering .....

Galanthus 'Mighty Atom'