It was a bit of an early start, well for me any hows! I didn't finish work until a little after 3am and I was getting picked up at 8.15 for the journey to Dunblane. Ordinarily it would have been a real struggle to get out of bed after only 3 and a half hours sleep - but not today. I was really looking forward to our outing to the SRGC's early bulb show in Dunblane, Scotland.
The journey to Dunblane is around 40 minutes from my house and as I was being picked up last, it was directly onto the motorway from here. The reason for the early start was that both my companions had pots of spring bulbs to take to the show and plants to sell at the member's table. The Early Bulb Show in Dunblane is not run on the same format as other shows and although there appeared to be some sort of judging going on, it was not on the same level as other shows I have been too. SRGC members had been asked to take along pots of bulbs and spring flowering plants to put on a good display as a crew from the BBC's Beechgrove Garden (a popular TV gardening show here in Scotland) was filming an article on the show. Luckily we managed to get parked very near to the door and thus didn't have far to haul those boxes of plants.
For me, a complete newbie to this show, it was great to get in so early. After helping Sheila and Susan put their pots out, I took the opportunity whilst the room was relatively empty of bodies, to have a wee nosy. It didn't take long for the benches to fill up.
One couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the aroma from this bench. It was the first bench coming through the door. A Galanthophile's dream! Until that very moment, too me, a snowdrop was a snowdrop, was a snowdrop! It was a spring flowering bulb that produced a tiny white flower, with blotches of green on it's petals. I mean the snowdrop no disrespect believe me. I could clearly see the different markings and shapes of all those named varieties many of you grow but until that very moment I just didn't get it! It was a kind of eureka moment.
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The sheer difference between the species and the varieties had been something that had escaped me until now. Size, height, leaf and flower form - I truly had no idea!
Those white sheets covering the tables and used as a backdrop provided far too much of a glare to get decent pictures - I took hundreds to share with you all as I know many of you have a snowdrop thing! The best of the bunch and it's not a terribly big bunch I'm afraid.
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| Galanthus Fred's Giant |
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| Galanthus Brenda Troyle |
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| Galanthus plicatus |
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| To the rear Galanthus Lavinia |
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| Galanthus Augustus |
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| Galanthus Wasp |
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Labelled as Galanthus Rozella
I can't find any other reference to it online |
I did not expect to be so impressed with the special Snowdrops but had G. plicatus Diggory on my want list. I immediately fell for G. plicatus Augustus, sadly neither was available on either the trade or the members tables for sale. I had more of a drawing towards the plicatus type of Snowdrop, I suspect it's because they look like sturdier plants. Which one/ones did I buy? I'm keeping you in suspense just a wee bit longer - I've a bit of a story to tell about my choice and I know you'll all want to read about it.
It wasn't all about the Snowdrops - there was lots more to see. Please join me for a wander around the room.
Primulas are a favourite here in my garden - they grow well here and no matter where I go I'm always attracted to them. This show was perhaps a bit too early in the year to have a lavish display of Primula but those that were there were lovely healthy plants.
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| Primula on display |
I like how these has been displayed - this I think, could easily be replicated in a larger trough and make a lovely display on a patio. I've no doubt I'll give it a try sometime.
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Primula allionii
A selection of wild collected specimens displayed
to show the natural variations in the plant |
Cyclamen are easily recognised - in varying shades of pink and even more variable markings on their leaves, a very pretty display indeed.
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| Cyclamen display |
I liked this delicate pink coloured one but I forgot to take a note of it's name and can't make it out on the label.
As we moved around the room, it was by this time getting a wee tad busier. It was getting harder to get up close and personal to admire the plants. The Crocus display was vibrant to say the least. It's not until you see them all grouped like this can you appreciate just how different the species are, just like the snowdrops.
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| Crocus display |
One of my favourites was Crocus cvijicii, a native of Serbia, Albania and Macedonia according to the
Alpine Garden Society. ![]() |
| Crocus cvijicii |
and one of my not so favourites - Crocus angustifolius. To me they look rather plastic and resembled those foil bows you buy at Christmas time. Each to their own I suppose - beauty is in the eye and all that!
The Narcissus on display were not in their masses either. In fact when I was taking pictures early in the day there was only 3 or 4 pots on display. Luckily I popped back in at the end of the day. Until a couple of years ago a daffodil would never have seen the light of day in my garden. White and dwarf Narcissus now grow in the garden as I have learned to appreciate their value in the spring garden. These species Narcissus are little treasures - I haven't really done much research on these yet but think one or two would make a lovely addition to the miniature garden I grow in a trough.
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| Narcissus display |
I was particularly drawn to this Narcissus cantabricus - a white hooped petticoat daffodil, so called because of the characteristics of it's flower. It's delicate and very pretty.
Another I like but didn't get it's name, of course if you know do tell. The scent around this table was every bit as pleasant as the snowdrops. I took a wee fit of sneezing soon after I bent down to take a closer sniff!
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| Suggestions of ID of plant to the rear please? |
No early bulb show would be complete without the Iris would they? They were out in their masses on Bloom Day Posts this month and as many of us grow them, I thought you'd like to see more.
It was love at first sight - you could not fail to be bowled over by this beauty. There is very little information out there on this particular Iris but according to the American Iris Society it is a cultivar of Iris histrioides, there after it all gets far too technical for my beginners brain. If added a link here for the
American Iris Society should you like more information.
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| Iris Reine Immaculee |
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Iris Reine Immaculee
close up |
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| Iris Sheila Ann Germaney |
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| Iris Pauline |
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| Iris Display |
The pot of Yellow flowering Iris in the middle was gorgeous - of course guess who forgot to get a close up and a note of it's name. It could be I. danfordiae - if you know and can tell from this picture I'd be grateful.
A few individual plants that really caught my eye - as they do!
Eranthis schwefelglanz, the camera did not pick up just how apricot coloured these were. Apparently the name schwefelglanz means sulphur gloss in German. This would make a lovely change to the yellow ones we are used to.
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| Eranthis schwefelglanz |
Another plant on my shopping today was a pink flowering Corydalis - I immediately fell for this little beauty. I aleardy grow C. Beth Evans in the garden but wanted something a little different. Sadly, the only Corydalis I could find was the yellow flowering variety or C. malkensis - which I also grow. Corydalis shanginii is quite rare therefore I doubt I'll be sourcing those sometime soon! I love dark tips on the flowers.
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| Corydalis shanginii |
This next plant was a complete new one on me - from a distance it actually looked like a wallflower - however as I got closer the resemblance got less and less! I do hope I haven't hurt it's feelings! I found information on the
Alpine Garden Society website if you want to know more. These are herbaceous members of the
Berberidaceae family and native to what was once the Soviet Central Asia area.
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| Gymnospermium albertii |
Last and certainly not least Ipheion dialystemon were beautiful. It would however require an alpine house or cold frame if it were to survive here in my garden.
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| Ipheion dialystemon |
Once we had finished oohing and aahing at the members plants - it was onwards and upwards! There was just enough time to give the trade stands a first pass before the first talk commenced at 11am.
The talk, Make your own Narcissus (and snowdrops) by Anne Wright. I was looking forward to this. I had seen images of how to propagate from bulbs and read articles on the subject but just couldn't get my head around it. Again, my fear of tiny little things always gets the better of me. There will be more about the talk(s), what I learned and of course what came home with me in part 2.
