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Winterthur Snowdrop Event

Posted in bulbs for shade, garden to visit, snowdrops, winter, winter interest with tags Adonis amurensis, Amur adonis, Carolyn's Shade Gardens, Chionodoxa forbesii, Crocus tommasinianus, Eranthis hyemalis, galanthus, Galanthus elwesii, giant snowdrop, glory-of-the-snow, Leucojum vernum, snow crocus, snowdrop catalogue, snowdrop plants, snowdrops, snowdrops for sale U.S., spring snowflake, winter aconite, Winterthur, winterthur gardens on March 5, 2016 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

Snow crocus in the courtyard behind the house at Winterthur.

If you are crazy about snowdrops and other winter-blooming plants like snowflakes (leucojum), snow crocus, winter aconite, adonis, and glory-of-the-snow (chionodoxa), then a visit to the March Bank at Winterthur should be on your lifetime bucket list. The display is as magnificent as anything found at the great British snowdrop estates. The best time to see it is at the annual Winterthur Bank to Bend Lecture and snowdrop event, being held this year on Saturday, March 12, details below.

Nursery News: Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, PA, specializing in showy, colorful, and unusual plants for shade. The only plants that we ship are snowdrops and miniature hostas. For catalogues and announcements of events, please send your full name, location, and phone number (for back up use only) to carolyn@carolynsshadegardens.com. Click here to get to the home page of our website for catalogues and information about our nursery and to subscribe to our blog.

Some of the hellebores I am bringing to Winterthur, clockwise from upper left: Mango Magic, Apricot Blush, Blue Diamond, Rio Carnival, Sparkling Diamond, Painted, and True Love.

The speaker for Bank to Bend is Lady Carolyn Elwes, who, with her husband, owns Colesbourne Park, considered the premier snowdrop venue in England. She even has a beautiful yellow snowdrop named after her. Carolyn’s Shade Gardens will be selling snowdrops, including a limited selection of some rarer cultivars, hellebores, cyclamen, and winter aconite. There will be guided and self-guided tours of the March Bank. It is worth the trip even if you are not local. Here are the details and more photos to entice you:

. Winterthur

Giant snowdrops and winter aconite on the March Bank at Winterthur.

March 12
Winterthur’s Bank to Bend Garden Lecture, Plant Sale, Tour and Snowdrop Event

Enjoy the spectacle of the March Bank clothed in snowdrops, winter aconite, adonis, and early snowflake in flower.

Bank to Bend Features:

• A lecture by Lady Carolyn Elwes, who will share the story of how a garden of private obsession grew into one of international importance in her 11:00 am talk, “Snowdrops at Colesbourne, Gloucestershire.”

• Sales of rare and unusual plants by Carolyn’s Shade Garden (www.carolynsshadegardens.com), 10:00 am to 3:30 pm.

• Guided tours of the March Bank, starting at the Visitor Center at 1:00 pm & 3:00 pm.

• A self-guided “White Arrow” tour through the March Bank, starting at the Visitor Center and available all day.

• Special Spring Tour Experience through the House and Conservatory available all day.

Lecture: $10 per member. $20 per nonmember. Free for Garden and Landscape Society and Garden Associate Members. All other activities (tours and plant sales) are included with admission.

For more information and to register, visit http://www.winterthur.org/spring or call 800.448.3883..

Winterthur Fall 2013-025

The Winterthur house is considered the premier museum of American decorative arts and is worth a visit in and of itself.

Winterthur Fall 2013-024

Another view of the house.

Snowdrops and winter aconite at Winterthur.

Glory-of-the-snow follows the snowdrops.

Snowdrops and winter aconite at Winterthur.

Adonis amurensis

Adonis is abundant

Snowflakes at Winterthur

Snowflakes (leucojum)

Crocus tomasinianus

I hope you can make it on Saturday—it is well worth the trip no matter where you are coming from.

Carolyn

Nursery Happenings: You can sign up to receive catalogues and emails about nursery events by sending your full name and phone number to carolynsshadegardens@verizon.net. Subscribing to my blog does not sign you up to receive this information.

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b/7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

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Visiting a Snowdrop Collection

Posted in bulbs for shade, snowdrops, winter, winter interest with tags Carolyn's Shade Gardens, galanthus, Galanthus 'Art Nouveau', Galanthus 'Bertram Anderson', Galanthus 'Bill Bishop', Galanthus 'Cider with Rosie', Galanthus 'Gravity', Galanthus 'Green Tear', Galanthus 'Hoverfly', Galanthus 'Jessica', Galanthus 'Madelaine', Galanthus 'Mother Goose', Galanthus 'Natalie Garton', Galanthus 'The Whopper', Galanthus gracilis, Galanthus trojanus 'The Iliad', Galatnhus 'South Hayes', snowdrops, snowdrops for sale U.S., snowdrops in the green on February 11, 2016 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

‘Bertram Anderson’ is a classic snowdrop with very large and elegant flowers, earning it a coveted Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.

You have probably figured out that I am absolutely crazy about snowdrops, a confirmed galanthophile. This passion is hard to understand or explain even to myself. One of the frustrations of being a galanthophile in the US is that most of the more than 1,500 varieties of snowdrops are not available for viewing here. So while we see lots of photos, and read about all the British snowdrop events, what we really want to do is see the plants in person.

This is one of the best examples of ‘Art Nouveau’ that I have seen. Notice the way the spathe (encloses the bud before flowering) curves elegantly over the flower.

You can imagine my excitement when I was recently invited to visit and photograph the wide-ranging snowdrop holdings of a local collector. Although there were hundreds of snowdrop cultivars in bloom, certain plants really stood out, and I want to share them with you. Here they are in alphabetical order.

Galanthus 'Bill Bishop'

‘Bill Bishop’ is similar to ‘Bertram Anderson’—they are both in the ‘Mighty Atom’ group—but its flowers are longer and wider.

‘Cider with Rosie’ has the glossy, bright green leaves characteristic of its species Galanthus woronowii.

Galanthus gracilis TCM 15-220

My eye is always drawn to Galanthus gracilis because of its dark blue-green leaves and markings and the graceful flare of the tips of the inner segments.

Galanthus 'Gravity'

‘Gravity’ is another giant flower, this time with quilted outer segments and an endearing little face.

Virescent (all green) snowdrops like ‘Green Tear’ are the current rage and fetch astounding prices on eBay in the UK.

‘Hoverfly’ has a definite insect look to it when swaying in the breeze on its long crooked pedicel (flower stem).

‘The Iliad’, a cultivar of Galanthus trojanus, has the dark markings and large, cupped outer segments that I prefer.

‘Jessica’ sports some beautiful stripes.

‘Madelaine’ is a very desirable yellow snowdrop.

Galanthus 'Mother Goose'

‘Mother Goose’ has the darkest gold marking to date and made the UK papers last year with a very high price.

Galanthus 'Natalie Garton'

‘Natalie Garton’ is a lovely cultivar that produces extra, oversized inner segments. You can see them hanging down below the green mark.

Galanthus 'Natalie Garton'

The underside of ‘Natalie Garton’.

Galanthus 'South Hayes'

The green stripes on the outside of ‘South Hayes’ make it very unique and desirable.

Galanthus 'The Whopper'

‘The Whopper’ is coveted for its large size and bold markings.

Galanthus 'Savnik B.' nivalis

This seedling of the common snowdrop, so new it has no name, is anything but common with its bold green-shaded outer segments, delicately white-edged inner segments, and ghostly teardrop marking.

As you can tell, all snowdrops most definitely do not look alike, although I am the first to admit that they usually require up close viewing. I was thrilled to see some of the rarer forms in person and share them with you.

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b/7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

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Snowdrops in Snow Caves

Posted in bulbs for shade, snowdrops, Uncategorized, winter, winter interest with tags galanthus, Galanthus 'Wendy's Gold', galanthus daphne's scissors, Galanthus Godfrey Owen, galanthus richard ayres, galanthus spindlestone surprise, galanthus trumps, snowdrops, snowdrops for sale U.S., snowdrops in the green on February 2, 2016 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

‘Spindlestone Surprise’, a rare yellow snowdrop peaks out from its cave.

In my last post, I talked about our unseasonably warm weather, and we are back to that today. But in between we had the blizzard of 2016, which dumped 30″ (76.2 cm) of snow on Carolyn’s Shade Gardens accompanied by high winds. Even with several days of 50 degree F (10 C) weather, the ground is covered and piles of drifted snow are everywhere not to mention the sticks and debris.

‘Godfrey Owen’ looks gorgeous in the snow.

Luckily, I covered many of my blooming clumps with plastic boxes before the snow began. The uncovered flowering plants were damaged by the snow, but the covered groups look pristine. When I pulled off the boxes, the snowdrops underneath were left in a roofless snow cave. They looked so beautiful, I wanted to share them with you.

Galanthus 'Godfrey Owen' elwesii

I can’t get enough of ‘Godfrey Owen’.

‘Daphne’s Scissors’ with green tips this year.

Galanthus 'Wendy's Gold' plicatus

Another beautiful yellow, ‘Wendy’s Gold’.

Gaalnthus 'Magnet'

‘Magnet’ has been blooming for so long it is starting to go by.

A vigorous double, ‘Richard Ayres’ .

‘Kite’ today, eleven days after the storm, with the snow melted down quite a bit.

‘Kite’ with very long outer segments and an X-shaped inner mark.

‘Trumps’, one of the most sought after snowdrops.

I couldn’t resist another shot of ‘Spindlestone Surprise’.

It seems fitting that the beauty of snowdrops is increased by snow.

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b/7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

30 Comments »

Snowdrops Are Early This Year

Posted in bulbs for shade, my garden, snowdrops, winter interest with tags Carolyn's Shade Gardens, collecting snowdrops, galanthus, Galanthus 'Ding Dong', Galanthus 'Faringdon Double', Galanthus 'Fly Fishing', Galanthus 'Grumpy', Galanthus 'Kite', Galanthus Atkinsii, Galanthus Colossus, galanthus daphne's scissors, Galanthus Godfrey Owen, snowdrop plants, snowdrops, snowdrops for sale U.S., snowdrops in the green on January 19, 2016 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

‘Godfrey Owen’ has a very unusual form with six outer and inner petals (segments) instead of the usual three.

As I mentioned in the last post, southeastern Pennsylvania, US, zone 6 to 7, has been experiencing unseasonably warm weather for months. There has been no snow and the ground was not frozen. That all came to an end yesterday when the daytime high was 22 degrees F, and it went down to 14 degrees last night. Significant snow is expected on Saturday.

‘Atkinsii’ is an old-fashioned and vigorous cultivar, looking great here with hardy cyclamen.

I have to admit that I was worried about how this very unusual weather pattern would affect the snowdrops. Most of my varieties are blooming a month early, and many are two months ahead of what I am used to. How would they fare when they are shoved into the deep freeze after being coaxed out so early by temperatures reaching as high as 72 degrees F? I am happy to say that it didn’t faze them. They all look perfectly happy though droopy and frozen. To celebrate, I am going to show you some of the highlights of the snowdrop season so far. In alphabetical order…

Galanthus 'Colossus' plicatus

‘Colossus’ has the beautiful pleated leaves of a Galanthus plicatus cultivar.

‘Daphne’s Scissors’ has produced very pronounced green tips in honor of the weather.

Galanthus 'Ding Dong'

‘Ding Dong’ was selected by Alan Street at Avon Bulbs, ding-dong Avon calling.

Galanthus 'Faringdon Double'

‘Faringdon Double’ is the earliest blooming double snowdrop.

‘Fly Fishing’ throwing out its lure. It has produced green tips when it is usually pure white.

Another shot of ‘Godfrey Owen’s’ beautiful habit.

I can sympathize with ‘Grumpy ‘ who looks afraid to come out in this weather.

‘Kite’ sporting its huge, finely formed flowers.

I couldn’t resist another shot of ‘Kite’ as it’s one of my favorites—note the extra long outer petals and the distinct X mark inside.

‘Lady Beatrix Stanley’, a vigorous and elegant double.

‘Magnet’ another old-fashioned and reliable cultivar. It hasn’t released its distinguishing extra long flower stem yet.

Galanthus 'Standing Tall' elwesii

‘Standing Tall’ combines fine markings, a beautiful habit, and indestructibility.

‘Three Ships’ with its distinct sail-like petals always blooms by Christmas but was a few weeks early this year.

Galanthus 'Wasp'

‘Wasp’ displaying its insect-like wings and “thorax”.

‘Xmas’ is a giant snowdrop cultivar selected and named by me for its Christmas bloom and X-like marking. It is quite tall with a very upright habit and bulks up more quickly than any giant snowdrop I grow, even the species.

That’s a complete record of all the snowdrops in my garden that are up and fully out. Many more have buds starting to open so the fun is just beginning.

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b/7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

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Just Relax and Enjoy the Flowers

Posted in bulbs for shade, Camellias, hellebores, my garden, snowdrops, winter, winter interest with tags 'Blue Lady' hellebore, 'Fly Fishing' snowdrop, 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation' daffodil, Abeliophyllum distichum, Camellia 'Winter's Joy', Carolyn's Shade Gardens, Edgeworthia chrysantha, Galanthus 'Fly Fishing', Galanthus 'Standing Tall', Galanthus 'Xmas', Helleborus Joker, Helleborus Winter's Joy, Japanese mahonia, Jasminum nudiflorum, Mahonia japonica, Redstart pulmonaria, snowdrop Standing Tall, snowdrop Xmas, white forsythia, winter jasmine on December 29, 2015 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

Even though praecox means developing early, ‘Praecox’ Christmas rose hellebore is one of the main season varieties that bloom later in January or February. Here it is in mid-December.

Like much of the country, southeastern Pennsylvania, US, zone 6 to 7, has had unseasonably warm weather for weeks. There has been no snow, the ground has not frozen, we have only had 2 or 3 real frosts, not enough to set back the acanthus, and it was 70 degrees F on Christmas Day. It has also been raining for most of two weeks. Quite a change from the last two falls when it got cold in October and stayed that way. In 2013 to 2014, we experienced record snowfalls. In 2014 to 2015, there was not much snow but record low temperatures.

‘Winter’s Joy’ fall-blooming camellia is not blooming early but instead continuing to bloom beyond when its flowers and buds would usually be frozen and done. It started in October and is about to enter its fourth month.

Should we be worried? As Mark Rylance, playing a Soviet espionage agent accused of treason, says in “Bridge of Spies”, would it help? Lots of attention needs to be paid to the very serious issue of climate change and what the US in particular can or should do in the face of the incontrovertible evidence of evolutionary temperature changes occurring at faster than evolutionary speeds. But worrying about the plants in our gardens and neighborhoods won’t accomplish much. We can’t control the weather so just relax and enjoy the early flowers. My friend John Lonsdale who is originally from England tells me that if we lived there, this would all be completely normal—the weather and the bloom times. Here is what is early in my garden:

Winter jasmine usually sends out a few flowers through out the winter whenever it gets warm. The whole shrub is in bloom now with not many buds left for later.

The giant snowdrop ‘Xmas’ does open flowers by Christmas, but right now the whole patch is in bloom and starting to go by. Last year I had flowers through March.

The giant snowdrop ‘Standing Tall’ also opens its buds around Christmas. It was so early this year that its flowers are now completely done.

February-blooming ‘Redstart’ pulmonaria or lungwort is in full flower all through my gardens.

The lovely, evergreen Japanese mahonia is a late winter bloomer but all my shrubs are in flower.

‘Winter’s Song’, whose name has been inexplicably changed to ‘Joker’, is a Christmas rose cross that normally waits until late January or February.

Double hybrid hellebores are generally a little later in my garden but this one looks gorgeous today.

How about this for a surprise? On Christmas Day, ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’ opened two flowers. It is the earliest daffodil that I know of but that’s usually February.

Highly fragrant winter-flowering honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) is blooming. It usually flowers slightly before forsythia.

‘Blue Lady’ hybrid hellebore decided to put on an early show.

My favorite hellebore form with the little ruffles inside (petaloid) didn’t disappoint me.

Geum ‘Cooky’ has been flowering all fall.

One of my favorite snowdrops ‘Fly Fishing’ has been whipping around in all the rain and wind on its extra long, fishing line pedicel (flower stem).

No open flowers yet, but the edgeworthia flower buds are swelling to form elegant silver tassels.

Many people have asked me what will happen in the spring? Most of the plants that are flowering now are using buds that they formed after they were done flowering last spring. If every bud opens, they will not form new buds and will not bloom again. My advice is to enjoy them now!

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b/7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

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My Snowdrop Article in Fine Gardening

Posted in bulbs for shade, snowdrops, winter, winter interest with tags 'Magnet' snowdrop, Carolyn's Shade Gardens, Fine Gardening, Fine Gardening Magazine, Fine Gardening snowdrops, Galanthus 'Magnet', Galanthus elwesii, giant snowdrop on December 20, 2015 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

Fine Gardening February 2016

You will all want to rush to your nearest purveyor of elegant magazines—Barnes and Noble in our area—and pick up the current issue (February 2016) of Fine Gardening. I wrote the cover article, “Snowdrops: Start spring with these easy care varieties.” It features a lot of useful information about snowdrops especially for gardeners wanting to expand beyond the common snowdrop. Four of the photos are also mine, and there are two lovely shots of my hands :-).

My photo of the giant snowdrop illustrates one of their greatest charms: their early bloom time. Shown here boring holes through the ice on Valentine’s Day 2011.

My photo of ‘Magnet’ illustrates how quickly the more vigorous varieties can multiply to form eye-catching masses in your garden.

My other photos are of ‘Lady Elphinstone’ and ‘Blewbury Tart’, but you will have to read the article to see those. Please let me know what you think and ask me any questions that the article raises by typing a comment in the “Leave a Reply” box at the very end of this post.

Carolyn

Nursery Happenings: To access the 2016 Snowdrop Catalogue, click here. You can sign up to receive catalogues and emails about nursery events by sending your full name and phone number to carolynsshadegardens@verizon.net. Subscribing to my blog does not sign you up to receive this information.

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b/7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

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Late Fall Interest at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens

Posted in Camellias, Fall, Fall Color, How to, landscape design, my garden, snowdrops, winter, winter interest with tags 'Potter's Prelude' snowdrops, 'Red Sprite' winterberry holly, Arachnoides simplicior 'Variegata', Arum italicum, Arum italicum 'Gold Rush', Camellia 'Winter's Joy', Camellia 'Winter's Snowman, Camellia oleifera 'Lu Shan Snow', Chionanthus retusus 'China Snow', Cyclamen hederifolium, Edgeworthia chrysantha, Epimedium stellulatum "Narrow Leaf Forms", fall-blooming hardy cyclamen, Galanthus 'Potter's Prelude', Ilex verticillata 'Red Sprite', Kuma bamaboo grass, Magnolia virginiana, Pennisetum 'Moudry', Sasa veitchii, sweetbay magnolia, variegated East Indian holly fern on December 9, 2015 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

The sunrise lights up the heavy frost outlining the semi-evergreen leaves of native sweetbay magnolia.

At Carolyn’s Shade Gardens in southeastern Pennsylvania, US, colorful fall foliage is mostly gone and deciduous trees and shrubs are no longer the focus of garden interest. We must rely on other plants to take over where fall color left off and help us satisfy our goal of providing ornamental interest 365 days a year. At this point, every plant still thriving assumes greater value in the garden, and we look to the understory to draw us outside for a stroll. Here are some of my favorites for December:

The berries of native winterberry hollies stand out in the landscape after their leaves have dropped. In my garden, robins strip the berries fairly early in the season, but I have noticed that in most locations they persist well into the winter.

Fall-blooming hardy cyclamen is done blooming, but the leaves are gorgeous all winter. If you look closely, they all have a different pattern like a snowflake. Although I plant them where I want them, they move and thrive in sites of their own choosing. Here they were planted at the front of the bed and moved to the back directly at the base of a stone wall, one of their favorite sites.

Here ants moved the cyclamen seeds about 30 to 40 feet up hill all around the base of a gigantic London plane tree where they have filled in and thrived. This is not an area of the garden that I visit often so you can imagine my surprise when I found this display. An Italian arum made the trek too.

Kuma bamboo grass, Sasa veitchii, has plain green leaves during the season but acquires this elegant white edge for the winter. I planted my sasa over 10 years ago, and this is the first time that it has spread to a decent patch. Generally it is considered quite aggressive.

Variegated East Indian holly fern, Arachnoides simplicior ‘Variegata’, is a beautiful evergreen fern. Before you go looking for it though, I think it is borderline hardy here and it doesn’t thrive.

Fall-blooming snowdrops like ‘Potter’s Prelude’ pictured here are a highlight of the fall season starting around October 15 and continuing until early main season snowdrops take over in January.

This photo could show any number of my evergreen epimediums, but this is E. stellulatum “Long Leaf Form”. They all have very interesting and attractive leaves which persist until spring when I cut them back.

Black fountain grass, Pennisetum ‘Moudry’, remains my favorite grass. After a few hard frosts, it turns a lovely tan. It does move around quite a bit but has never gone anywhere that I didn’t want it in 20 years. It is downright invasive for others though, so beware.

Italian arum stays fresh and beautiful all winter—it goes dormant in the summer instead. This cultivar is ‘Gold Rush’.

Another Italian arum with much more white on the leaves—for comparison a typical arum leaf is on the left of the photo. It is possible to get a variety of leaf forms from specialized nurseries.

Chinese fringe trees, Chionanthus retusus, produce lovely dark blue berries in the fall which persist after the leaves drop. This plant is the superior form ‘China Snow’.

Edgeworthia is beautiful all year round but especially during late fall and winter when the large silver buds start to swell. The leaves turn bright yellow and drop, leaving the bare branches covered with delicate silver ornaments.

‘Winter’s Snowman’ camellia blooms in November and December with large, semi-double white flowers.

‘Winter’s Joy’ camellia

‘Winter’s Joy’ produces hundreds of buds. When a hard frost turns the open flowers brown, new buds open and flowers cover the plant again as soon as it gets warmer. Although this is usually the case, it didn’t happen during the last two winters when the buds froze early.

The tea camellia ‘Lu Shan Snow’, C. oleifera, is particularly cold tolerant and has thrived in my garden for almost 20 years. Camellias planted from 2013 on have been very hard to establish in the garden due to our unseasonably cold temperatures during the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 winters. The camellias that I planted prior to 2013 have all thrived.

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b/7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

21 Comments »

A Wonderful New Hellebore, ‘Penny’s Pink’

Posted in evergreen, hellebores, Shade Perennials, winter interest with tags 'Penny's Pink' hellebore, Carolyn's Shade Gardens, Helleborus 'Penny's Pink', hybrid hellebores on March 30, 2015 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

‘Penny’s Pink’ hybrid hellebore

I rarely profile a single plant, but I am so excited about ‘Penny’s Pink’ hybrid hellebore that I decided it deserved a post of its own. And where do I start, the new leaves, the old leaves, the new flowers, the old flowers….they all have amazing ornamental value. Read on to find out about what has been called “the most exciting new hellebore in years.” All photos were taken of actual plants at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens.

The 3″ symmetrical, cup-shaped flowers are a lovely rosy pink with a prominent cluster of yellow stamens set off by chartreuse nectaries.

‘Penny’s Pink’ was hybridized by RD Plants in the UK and is named after famous British plantswoman Penelope Hobhouse. It is probably a cross between hybrid hellebore and Helleborus x ballardiae, which is itself a cross between Christmas rose and Helleborus lividus. The latter species gives ‘Penny’s Pink’ its burgundy overtones, marbled leaves, and distinctive pink flowers.

Burgundy stems are topped by a fading flower on the right and a flower well past its prime on the left, both are beautiful. Because the flowers are sterile, they last a long time.

The backs of the flowers are as pretty as the front and deepen to a dark pink with age.

The new leaves of ‘Penny’s Pink’ come out looking like pink fishnet stockings as one reviewer described them.

The colors stop people in their tracks in my sales area.

By June, the pink marbling has turned to lime-green, and the leaves are shiny, thick, and leathery. You can see that the spent flowers still provide interest.

I didn’t stock this hellebore until late May last year. Based on the leaves alone, the plants were gone within a day and never made it to the open house sale. No one visited without buying one.

And here’s something amazing—this is one of last year’s leaves in my garden today. After our horrendous winter, they still look beautiful, not something I can say about most plants or humans either. I don’t need to tell you what my other hellebore leaves look like!

Another “old” leaf photo of the whole plant from the top.

Five flower stalks loaded with buds recently emerged. This plant, which I put in my garden last June, was the smallest of the 100 plants I sold.

‘Penny’s Pink’ is 14 to 18 inches tall and 20 to 23 inches wide. It blooms at the same time as most other hellebores but for a longer period and grows in the same conditions: well-drained soil in a mostly shady to mostly sunny location. Available now at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens.

Carolyn

Nursery Happenings: Our first event is the Hellebore Extravaganza on Saturday, April 11, from 10 am to 3 pm. However, you can stop by anytime by appointment to purchase hellebores.

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b/7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

If you are within visiting distance and would like to receive catalogues and information about customer events, please send your full name and phone number to carolynsshadegardens@verizon.net. Subscribing to my blog does not sign you up to receive this information.

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Snowdrops at Winterthur and Here 2015

Posted in bulbs for shade, garden to visit, snowdrops, winter, winter interest with tags 'Xmas' snowdrop, andrew turvey, Carolyn's Shade Gardens, galanthus, Galanthus elwesii 'Xmas', Myddelton House, Myddelton House Gardens, snowdrop, snowdrop bulbs, snowdrop catalogue, snowdrop plants, snowdrops, snowdrops andrew turvey, snowdrops for sale, snowdrops for sale U.S., snowdrops in the green, winter interest plants, Winterthur, winterthur gardens on February 17, 2015 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

Thankfully, there’s a snowy landscape at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens today.

Before I get to current events at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens, I want to encourage you to come to this year’s Bank to Bend lecture at Winterthur on Saturday, March 7. The featured speaker is Andrew Turvey, Head Gardener at Myddelton House Gardens in the U.K.

Myddelton is the former home and garden of the very famous English plantsman E.A. Bowles whose plant expertise was wide ranging but included a particular focus on snowdrops. He is said to have originated the term galanthophile to describe snowdrop enthusiasts. Turvey worked previously at the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at Wisley and is frequently a featured speaker in England. The official details are below.

Celebrate Spring at Winterthur!

March 7
Bank to Bend Garden Lecture, Plant Sale, Tour and Snowdrop Event

Featuring:

A lecture by Andrew Turvey of Myddelton House Gardens, 11:00 am – noon, Copeland Lecture Hall

Andrew Turvey, head gardener at Myddelton House Gardens, is the caretaker of the garden of EA Bowles. A famous plantsman, Bowles had a keen interest in bulbs, is credited with coining the term ‘galanthophile’ for passionate snowdrop collectors, and introduced hundreds of plants to cultivation.

$10 members, $20 non-members, all other garden activities included with admission.

• An Introduction to Snowdrops Workshop, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm, Brown Center, no registration required

• Sale of Rare and Unusual Plants by Carolyn’s Shade Garden, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm, Visitor Center

• Guided Tours of the March Bank, Starting at the Visitor Center at 1:00 pm & 3:00 pm

• Self-guided ‘White Arrow’ Tour through the March Bank, Starting at the Visitor Center, All Day

• Special Spring Tour Experience through the House and Conservatory, Museum, All Day

For more information and to register, visit www.winterthur.org or call 800.448.3883.
WINTERTHUR MUSEUM, GARDEN & LIBRARY
WINTERTHUR, DE 19735
.Snow crocus at Winterthur

As noted, Carolyn’s Shade Gardens intends to sell a nice selection of snowdrops, cyclamen, hellebores, and other spring flowers, although what we actually bring is weather dependent at this point. Flowering hardy cyclamen and a wide-ranging and beautiful selection of mature, blooming hellebores are a definite though. I am very excited that Winterthur has added an “Introduction to Snowdrops” workshop taught by Linda Eirhart, their very knowledgeable Curator of Plants. This is an opportunity not to be missed by anyone wanting to increase their understanding of this wonderful genus.

Common snowdrops and winter aconite at Winterthur

You may be wondering what is going on at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens especially if you ordered snowdrops. Usually at this time, snowdrops, cyclamen, hellebores, and lots of other plants are up and thinking of blooming in my garden. Last year, which I thought was an aberration and best forgotten about, we had freezing weather and snow into March. I didn’t think it could get any worse, but this year we have had subzero lows with no snow to protect the plants—even worse than 2013-2014. Fortunately last night we finally had a significant snowfall.

My snowdrop propagation beds look like ancient burial mounds. For extra protection during the subzero, snowless period, we covered them with an insulated tarp.

Today, after it finally snowed, we removed the tarp and left the snow behind for insulation. We couldn’t have done this in a “normal” year when the snowdrops were up, but nothing was going on due to the extended cold weather.

My snowdrop from the U.S. Botanic Garden, which I have now named ‘Xmas’ to reflect its distinct X mark and bloom time at Christmas, glows in its plastic box before the snow. It is perfectly hardy and does not need to be covered, but I am trying to preserve the blooms for the customers who have purchased it.

That is about all that is going on at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens right now. If you have ordered snowdrops, I am hoping to start shipping in about two weeks. However, last year we started March 17 to the Pacific North West and the South and finished April 2 to the coldest parts of New England and the Midwest. Eventually, the snow will melt, the ground will unfreeze, and the plants will “catch up”. Meanwhile, the long range forecast is for continued cold through next week and then a jump to the high 50s on February 28. I hope this is not the new “normal”.

Carolyn

Nursery Happenings: We will be selling snowdrops and hellebores at Winterthur on March 8, details above. We are now taking orders, for mail order or pick up in March, from the 2015 Snowdrop Catalogue, featuring snowdrops and other winter interest plants like cyclamen and hellebores. To access the catalogue, please click here.

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

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New Snowdrop Book

Posted in bulbs for shade, containers for shade, landscape design, Shade Perennials, snowdrops, winter, winter interest with tags Carolyn's Shade Gardens, collecting snowdrops, galanthophile, galanthus, Kew Gardens, Naomi Slade, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, snowdrop, snowdrop articles, snowdrop bulbs, snowdrop catalogue, snowdrop companion plants, snowdrop flower, snowdrop plants, snowdrops, snowdrops for sale, snowdrops for sale U.S., snowdrops in the green, The Plant Lover's Guide to Snowdrops on January 14, 2015 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

Our current snowdrop catalogue is on line here.

The cover of the exciting new snowdrop book recently published in The Plant Lover’s Guide Series by Kew Gardens in London.

I don’t think I have ever done a book review on this blog, but I want to share my excitement about the new snowdrop book published by Timber Press in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London. It is called The Plant Lover’s Guide to Snowdrops and was written by Naomi Slade, a prize-winning British journalist. I highly recommend it as an invaluable resource for gardeners at all levels in their love of snowdrops, from novice to expert.

Nursery News: Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, PA, specializing in showy, colorful, and unusual plants for shade. The only plants that we ship are snowdrops to the US only. For catalogues and announcements of local events, please send your full name, mailing address, and cell number to carolyn@carolynsshadegardens.com and indicate whether you are mail order only. Click here to get to the home page of our website for catalogues and information about our nursery and to subscribe to our blog.

Common snowdrops, G. nivalis, at Welford Park in Berkshire, England—just one of the locations identified in the book as a place to see snowdrops (photo by Naomi Slade appears on page 16) .

The best part of the book for me is the photographs, both those accompanying the individually profiled snowdrops, which are both enticing and accurate, and also the many pictures of snowdrops in gardens mostly in the US and UK, which are quite beautiful. Whether you are a thoroughly obsessed galanthophile or just thinking of branching out with snowdrops for the first time, you will love reading this book, not once but over and over.

The title page for the chapter on Growing and Propagating snowdrops.

The book is divided into five main chapters followed by further information on where to see snowdrops and where to buy them. Slade begins with an explanation of “Why I Love Snowdrops” that sets the tone for the whole book, which is approachable, informative, and refreshing. Although the author points out that a lack of detailed knowledge is not a barrier to appreciating this universally loved plant, her enthusiasm makes you want to acquire or revisit that knowledge.

Photos illustrating the discussion of good companion plants for snowdrops.

The next section of the book considers “Designing with the Milk Flower”. Slade discusses garden design and placement, easy snowdrops for beginners, naturalizing, rock gardens, and container planting. There are many inspired ideas for companion plantings covering other bulbs, perennials, trees, and shrubs.

Creative uses of snowdrops in containers

In “Understanding Snowdrops”, the book explains in a user-friendly way snowdrop morphology or structure, concepts that are important to understanding the differences between snowdrops and deciphering written descriptions of them. Slade covers snowdrop species and their origins, conservation and trade, and even snowdrop theft.

Although originally mostly single-flowered and green and white, Slade explains that the Greatorex doubles led to many more double forms and that yellow and even orange snowdrops can be found.

Profiles of ‘Grumpy’ and G. elwesii var. monostictus

The “Spotter’s Guide” section highlights 60 snowdrops chosen with great care to represent the range available and includes many of the most-loved and best-performing cultivars. The photographs are excellent and the individual descriptions are fresh and informative.

. Each snowdrop profiled gets plenty of space for photos and descriptions.

The final main section is on “Growing and Propagating” and covers planting, dividing, fertilizing, propagating, and pests and diseases. This is followed by a very comprehensive guide to where to see snowdrops worldwide, including the US, and where to buy them, including Carolyn’s Shade Gardens.

Cambo Estate in Scotland is a great place to see snowdrops, while the Scottish Rock Garden Club forum on galanthus, click here, is a great place to learn about snowdrops.

One of Naomi Slade’s missions in writing this book was to appeal to an American audience, and she has succeeded. While the UK is definitely the eye of the current snowdrop tornado, Slade ferrets out a lot of information useful to US readers. Of the eight snowdrop professionals whose interviews she spreads through out the book, three of them are American, including me on page 76. The book identifies and also anticipates the snowdrop collecting frenzy that is coming to America. I can’t wait.

Another photo of Welford Park by Naomi Slade.

If you would like to order a copy of this book, Carolyn’s Shade Gardens has it available for $24.95 plus $5.95 for priority shipping. Send an email to carolynsshadegardens@verizon.net.

Carolyn

Note: Every word that appears in orange on my blog is a link that you can click for more information. If you want to return to my blog’s homepage to access the sidebar information (catalogues, previous articles, etc.) or to subscribe to my blog, just click here.

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CAROLYN'S SHADE GARDENS

Archive for the winter interest Category

Winterthur Snowdrop Event

Visiting a Snowdrop Collection

Snowdrops in Snow Caves

Snowdrops Are Early This Year

Just Relax and Enjoy the Flowers

My Snowdrop Article in Fine Gardening

Late Fall Interest at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens

A Wonderful New Hellebore, ‘Penny’s Pink’

Snowdrops at Winterthur and Here 2015

New Snowdrop Book

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Welcome

Site Stats Since 11/3/10

Email Subscription to Blog Posts

Pages

Click image for links to all articles on snowdrops

Search My Website

All photos and text on this blog are copyrighted and may not be used without my express permission

Top Posts & Pages

Recent Posts

Click image to see Carolyn’s photos in The New York Times

Reader Locations (click to enlarge)

Plant Information (click for website)

Reference Books (click for website)

Places to Visit (click for website)