The MGS Forum
Plants for mediterranean gardens => Bulbs (including other geophytes with corms, tubers, rhizomes etc) => Topic started by: John on July 11, 2011, 11:52:01 PM
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I would perhaps consider this a very marginally mediterranean plant as it grow in the very sheltered valleys principally in the Peloponnese. I have grown a lot of this species from seed and this one shows these subtle green markings on the sepals. Twenty years ago this would have been considered very exciting by the few Galanthofiles that were around then. Of course today there are better clones around and especially 'Fotini' which has really strong markings both on the petals and the sepals.
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It's worth noting that although most people think of this handsome species as an autumn-flowering bulb, there are populations at least in the southern Peloponnese which flower in February or even March, at what northern Europeans think of as "snowdrop time". They maintain this habit in cultivation.
Our Greek garden, at low altitude on the coast, is really too warm in early spring for this species. We had it growing there in deep shade by a water tank, which may have helped moderate the temperature, and it was reasonably happy, but when we removed the water tank it gradually died out.
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Very beautiful plant John! I would be very happy to find such a seedling.
Agree completly with you - 'Fotini' is a really spectacular plant (as some other G.r.-o. bred by M.J. are).
Galanthus reginae-olgae and some other species grow well here on the Balearic Islands (so far only G. nivalis and G. woronowii do not like the conditions, also G. elwesii ssp. elwesii could do better)- a friend of mine had a great looking plant in a batch of seedlings - meanwhile it is registered as 'Anmarie Kee'.
Here a last years picture
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Very handsome cultivar, Hans; thanks for showing us.
Do you grow G. elwesii in the Balearics? We haven't tried it in Greece yet but bake it mercilessly here in UK and it loves it.
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Alisdair, Hans manages to grow almost every bulbous plant in his garden, his Oncocyclus collection is something to die for... ;)
G.r-o is quite easy to grow even here in Israel as long as it is grown in a cool shaded area.
Galanthus peshmenii, its closest relative from Antalya region in Turkey, can survive even hotter and drier conditions. It grows in low altitudes not far from the Mediterranean sea.
Both are Autumn flowering species.
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Hi all. Are you saying that 'Anmarie Kee is an autumn flowering G. reginae-olgae? I assume you are. It is rather striking. I have a few clones of G. elwesii that are autumn flowering (one can be as early as my earliest G. reginae-olgae) and have produced a few hybrids with G. reginae-olgae. Early days yet though. I also have a clone of G. ikariae which flowers in the autumn. I believe that G. elwesii comes from a huge range of habitats and altitudes and therefor it is quite possible that some would be more med. garden friendly than others.
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Just to mention that the latest I ever saw a Galanthus flower in the wild was in Italy and it was in May in the Appenines south of Rome.
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Thanks a lot Oron! Wish you would be right - but some bulbous plants still resist ;)
Thanks Alisdair and John - yes, 'Anmarie Kee' is an autumnflowering G.reginae-olgae.
A few Galanthus elwesii monostictus also start to flower here at End of October/ November - it seems they like the mediterranean conditions much more than G. elwesii elwesii which generally are later (End of January/ February) and have a shorter vegetative period, they hardly produces any seeds.
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I thought I'd post a picture of one of the autumn flowering forms of Galanthus elwesii. This has an almost green petal but I assume it still to be a form of monostictus. They are already on the move and having re-potted them quite late a few already have rooted. Occasionally some of the G. reginae-olgae flower in September but most a little later.
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Having just mentioned that some clones flower in September here in cultivation today the first clone is up and the flower buds are already a few centimetres high.
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Here's a picture of the one I mentioned just starting on the 11th. Now in full flower and well extended. It was quite short when it came out.
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I thought you might like to see these. Pictures of twin scaling of Galanthus which were done in May. I recently took them out of their bag of vermiculite photographed them and then potted them. Though obviously treated with a fungicide they have a mould on them which hasn't harmed them, see in close up.
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John, you have tried the triplet scale method.
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Oops Ok.
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Any hero who feels up to making a pictorial lesson on scaling, and posting it in the Cultivation/Propagation section, would be very popular!! ;D
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I'm no hero! Besides currently I don't have a set of images to show the whole process. I do believe there are a lot of people out there doing this though so another member may be a hero.
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John, You are our hero ::) even without your scalpel!
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Yes, you are, John. Do you remember which fungicide was used in them? They look reasonably healthy and the fungicide did work or the bag would be filled with a rotting mass.
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I think I should say that it was one you can no longer purchase!
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As things go, it could be one in a list!
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My Galanthus reginae olgae's have started to flower in the garden and the greenhouse. When I say 'my' I mean the ones you gave me John :)
They are planted in a raised north facing bed so they don't open their outer petals unless its warm.