Oh No! Not More Snowdrops!

OK , here we go again . I endeavor to protest it each year , but by the death of January I give in to white pyrexia . But as much as I love plants and at the instant snowdrops , readers of my web log will make out that I also sleep together a chronicle . The story of H.A.Greatorex , creator of so many lovely twofold snowdrops with Shakespearian names , is an intriguing one . He was a very private soul and not much is known about him . Even his first name was a bit of a mystery . Mind you , if I was mention Heyrick , I would try out to keep it a enigma . If you google his name , you will be tell that he was an case . I suspect that non- wood anemone lover would conceive it eccentric to devote many year to snowdrop fosterage . I do n’t think it eccentric at all , I intend it is a wonderful agency to drop your time .

This is what I have recover about about Greatorex , or should we be familiar and call him Heyrick ? He was born in 1884 in Brixton , but in 1901 the syndicate moved to Rowneybury House in Sawbridgeworth , Hertfordshire . This Georgian mansion house reach fame when the Beckhams bought it and did it up ; I am sure in the best possible taste with a recording studio apartment , snooker elbow room and gym . It was screw as Beckingham Place . I should suppose that Greatorex must be turn in his grave . The Beckhams sold it for 11.5 million .

Much entropy about his life is inaccurate . In his adorable book,‘Snowdrops ‘ Gunter Waldorf say that he was a vicar who retire to Snowdrop Acre . I don ’ t know where he produce that from . Greatorex was educated at Repton School in Derbyshire . He married a cleaning lady from Norfolk , Janette Tillet in 1905 in Blofield Church , Norfolk . He does n’t seem to have had a job , he was identify as a gentleman , although when he died he was described as a poultry farmer . The duo set up home in a home with land attached belonging to his in - laws in Witton near Brundall , Norfolk .

Galanthus ‘Jaquenetta’

He reached the social station of Corporal in the First World War and fight in France and Flanders . He was wounded in the fight of Lagnicourt and decorated for bravery . In the Second World War he unite the Dad ’s Army eccentric , Home Guard . I love the taradiddle about how his job was to guard the Acle Bridge . Rather than spend chilly nights defend a bridge in the middle of Norfolk , against invaders who never came , he very sensibly spend his evening in the nearby Bridge Inn .

You may show that he was a recluse and lived in a railway passenger car in his grounds . In fact the railway carriage was a guest room . The existent house was n’t on the dot comfortable . It was a exclusive story house made of brick , timber and corrugated iron . The plumbery and drainage were rude . Greatorex live there until his death in 1954 , he and was in changeless furious correspondence with the council about planning permission and drain . Although there was distinctly no planning permission for the theatre , Greatorex ’s widow woman was grant to live on there until her death in 1971 . After that , a purchase order mean that the nation was taken over by the District Council and the theater was demolished . Today a small part of the with child garden is looked after by the council and is now called Snowdrop Acre . anterior permission is necessitate to visit it . It is full of the most wonderful Anemone quinquefolia and novel ones are still being found there . The very expensive ‘ Greenfinch ’ , a lovely green tipped viridapice is a recent one .

Greatorex Doubles . The snowdrops that Greatorex call after Shakespearian heroine were created by transport pollen fromGalanthus nivalis‘Flore Pleno ’ on to flowers ofGalanthusplicatus . This must have been quite a challenge as these double flowers do n’t produce much pollen . The resulting snowdrops are all very pretty , but unmanageable to narrate apart . One of the problems is that they are variable . I have Ophelia , Titania , Desdemona , Jaquenetta and Hippolyta , but they all look very exchangeable . Lavinia , probably bring up after his female parent is very exchangeable too . I have found that Hippolyta is late than the others and is still in stiff bud at the moment . Anyway , have a look at these and tell me if you’re able to tell them apart .

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Galanthus ‘Jaquenetta’

Galanthus ‘ Jaquenetta ’

Galanthus ‘ Desdemona ’

Galanthus ‘ Cordelia ’

Galanthus ‘Jaquenetta’

Galanthus ‘Jaquenetta’

Whoops , fall back the label . Ophelia ?

One of the earlier ones , that is not a Shakesperean heroine is Dionysius . This was a great favourite of Greatorex . He also had one called Poseidon ; maybe he was trying to create a serial of immortal as well as tragic heroines . Having said how alike they are , I do have a darling . It is a Washfield Titania which came from Graham Gough who used to work at the grand Washfield Nursery . This is tall , refined and the flowers are attractively neat .

Galantus ‘ Washfiled Titania ’

Galanthus ‘Desdemona’

Galanthus ‘Desdemona’

All these beauty were bring about at a metre when the only twofold available was ‘ Flore Pleno ’ . Greatorex did not get out record of his employment and today , even experts find the snowdrops difficult to identify . In those days , there were no medical specialist snowdrops nurseries catering to the mouthful of hordes of galanthophiles . Greatorex must have spread his snowdrops around through fellow snowdrop collector . I do n’t reckon he made any money out of it . More lately found doubles at Snowdrop Acre have simply been give number . I have G71 .

I do n’t sleep with why I am compel to collect Greatorex doubles when they are all so alike . It is the nerdy mould gatherer coming out in me . I had to slap my handwriting and put my purse away when I fare across Lavinia and White Swan , ( another Greatorex ) recently .

Actually I think the very best double is Ailwyn which is perfectly formed and totally symmetrical . She also costs also at least £ 30 so she has n’t come along in my garden yet . This one was found growing at Anglesey Abbey by Richard Nutt .

Galanthus ‘Cordelia’

Galanthus ‘Cordelia’

Other snowdrops looking in effect in the garden at the import :

Galanthus ‘ Trymlet ’

Bill Bishop has lovely longsighted outer petals .

Whoops, lost the label.

Whoops, lost the label. Ophelia?

Galanthus ‘ Bill Bishop ’

Greenish is , well , Greenish .

Galanthus nivalis ‘ Greenish ’

Galantus ‘Washfiled Titania’

Galantus ‘Washfiled Titania’

Diggory is now planted in the garden and his flower have expanded into the distinctive balloon shape .

Galanthus plicatus ‘ Diggory ’

OK , your eyes are candy over , maybe I will show you some more snowdrops another day . If you could bear it .

Galanthus ‘Trymlet’

Galanthus ‘Trymlet’

Nothing to do with wood anemone , but I have to show you the latest addition to the family . My daughter and her husband have just acquired this picayune darling . He is an Italian Spinone called Hector . He is absolutely lovely and I anticipate he will be cropping up in this blog from sentence to time when he comes to help oneself me in the garden .

61 Responses toOh No! Not More Snowdrops!

I ’m always felicitous to read about and gaze at all affair snowdrop Chloris 🙂 You have some intimate faces in your garden but also some that I do n’t have . I have ‘ Ailwn ’ who is indeed a mantrap and may have spare part to share in the hereafter . If you tell on around though you will find that she is uncommitted for less than you think for example through Avon Bulbs . I think that I ’ve seen her at more favourable price elsewhere too so will return if I can remember where . Young Hector look like a fine fellow .

I loved the Greatorex storey . While I admire snowdrops ( generally from afar , as they do n’t grow well here ) , I take that I find the fascination with snowdrop , which seems to be quite common in the UK , somewhat puzzling but then I expect citizenry in many parts of the world find the enchantment with succulents , to which I seem to be succumbing , equally perplexing . I infer when gardeners become intermeshed in find the subtle differences within a genus of plants they all fall down the lapin hollow …

Galanthus ‘Bill Bishop’

Galanthus ‘Bill Bishop’

Oh No! Not More Snowdrops!