I have a gift. Many people have special gifts, but mine is the gift of chaos. I’ve been told that in the midst of chaos I come across as very calm, but the truth is I’m just used to it, since for as far back as I can remember whenever things can go wrong they did, and when it can’t possibly look worse it does, and I guess the silver lining is that it always works out in the end. Kind of along the same line of thought as “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”… except I’m not sure I’d like to push it that far, and I’m just fine sticking with ‘What doesn’t ruin everything might make for a nice story in a few years’. To sum it up, eventually the birthday stitches come out, the garden tour which finished up in the ER becomes a story, and you find a new job after cutting the vacation trip short.
Melting snow has finally arrived, and this exceptionally early winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis ‘Lightning’) and a few other early risers can finally begin to show off.
I was lucky this time. No toothache on Christmas Eve, but with a table to set up at David Culp’s Galanthus Gala in Downington Pa this Saturday, I shouldn’t have been surprised something would happen. First the car went. I wanted to finish up making labels but first the car had to get to the dealer. Then the water heater went. I just wanted to pot up a few more things. Then the garage door broke when I wanted to move things out and into the other car. Then my nephew told me he was indeed sick and would not be able to help sell… and would also not be able to give my other helper a ride down to Downington. Good times, but also silver lining time. We were able to lift the garage door and roll the car out, the repair bill came in about 2k less than expected, the door is also set for repair, the heater is fixed, a new helper has been tapped,and a new plan to get the other helper down has been set up… even the labels got done. Was it touch and go for a few hours? Maybe, but I’m back to excited and won’t even consider the repair bills until after this weekend’s adventure!
‘Wendy’s Gold’ is probably my favorite for an early bright spot. She waits for the first warm days, sprouts, and never looks back.
So that’s enough woe is me for one post because seriously it’s just life for every one else, except for me there’s the added fun of ‘dramatic timing’. The thing happens and I just look to the heavens and say “good one. Did not even see that one coming”.
Winter interest in the garden is about done for the season. Should old hellebore foliage be removed before blooming? I would have to say yes, and that might be the first thing I do once things calm down here.
So tomorrow in spite of whatever still comes my way I’m off to the Gala with my goodies. It’s been a solidly cold winter… one which coincidentally seemed to start the day after I agreed to sell a few things from the garden… but the silver lining is a burst of warmth in the days right before. Let me share how a few things have turned out.
With everything freezing solid outside, I potted up a few clumps of English bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) for a just-in-case scenario. English bluebells are kinda awesome and fairly hard to find so of course I’m keeping a bunch.
There will be English bluebells, spring snowflakes (Leucojum vernum), and of course snowdrops and winter aconite. They look pretty good and I would buy them, but not everything came through. Another just-in-case scenario had potfuls of species tulips, and they just don’t look like much so I’m leaving them here. Really. They are barely sprouting and don’t look like much so in the garage they stay and I’m absolutely not leaving them behind because I want more species tulips.
Leucojum vernum out of the garden of my friend Paula. I think they look great and if you’re thinking how much? I suppose $25 a pot will be the price even though I’m worried they’ll all sell and they’re another thing I wouldn’t mind having more of in the garden.
Besides the threat of chaos there’s another thing which gives me sweaty palms on the eve of the Gala. I’m not a good salesman. I don’t really want to get rid of any of my snowdrops so I’d actually be just fine bringing dozens back and replanting them, and I’m afraid my sales pitch will reflect that. They look so nice all potted up. It makes me think of a greenhouse filled with pot after pot of perfect snowdrops and what a shame it would be if I had to build a greenhouse next week because just having snowdrops in the ground isn’t good enough anymore. Hmmm.
Some of the potted goodies awaiting the sale. A few varieties were potted up too early and did not like the last cold blast (their flowers were burned) but most look quite happy. I hope there’s enough variety to be interesting.
If you’ve been to the Gala you may know there’s an auction which goes on. My friend Paula gave me a drop to donate, and I know I’ll feel a little light-headed when I hand it over. A Dutch drop named in 2020, ‘Snowdropfever’s Nelly’s Birthday’ is a vigorous, early, large-flowered snowdrop with strong green markings on the outer petals, and a full green inner. It’s about ready to split into three bulbs, which of course will make for an even better show next year, but even now I think it looks just dandy. Of course Paula found a small offset to share with me, she knows how I am. I hope it grows quickly!
Galanthus ‘Snowdropfevers Nelly’s Birthday’. I think it’s been in bloom at least two weeks and the green has only faded a bit. It’s a cool drop.
So I’m looking forward to the day. Oddly enough I won’t even be behind my own table, I’ll be helping out at Edgewood Gardens, only a few steps away, and hopefully that is far enough so I don’t keep taking things off my own table “on second thought” to take back home, because between that and all the other vendor tables there’s a high probability the car is fuller on the return trip than it was going down. We will see.
If I see you there, great! If I don’t I shall try this time (just like I try and fail every time) to take some decent pictures of the day to share later on. Maybe I’ll even try and take a picture of a person or two, because I notice that people somehow manage to do that in spite of all the horticultural distractions and maybe it’s time I broaden my horizons 😉
Gala or not I wish you a wonderful weekend, and I hope you’re also finally experiencing some sort of a warmup and feeling the promise of spring!
sorta like suburbia 
All of those wonderful little pots of promise! Have a great time at your gala!
Thanks! It was fun but then how can a building full of the plant-obsessed not be? Enjoy your spring, looking forward to the tulips 🙂
I’m impressed by the numbers of snowdrops in pots you have organised for the gala. I’d be very reluctant to take as many from our garden. Best wishes with the sales, the gala and the various catastrophes.
It’s a struggle choosing even a few snowdrops which I can spare. Fortunately this is a smaller garden, and smaller clumps show just fine, even when a few plants are poached.
Wow! You’ve got quite a haul there! I’m impressed. If there are any English bluebells left over, I might know a person . . . Still waiting for some bare ground here!
I do have your bluebells set aside. I think next week will move things along, even in the Highlands. You’ll be planting cosmos and cleome in no time!
Sounds like you are a good man to have around when things get challenging! Have a great time and good luck with your buying and selling, Frank. I can’t wait to hear all about it.
I had a kid cut his finger open at school last week. The consensus of the kids was that it was good I was there and not some of the other teachers. They appreciated the lack of screaming and yelling and the get it cleaned up, bandaged, and call your mom process.
Hopefully the lackluster quality of my Gala report did not disappoint 😉
I like how you took it all in stride. We all have days like that, makes the easy days sweeter. Good luck at your event, I hope it goes swimmingly!
Thanks! Swimmingly is a great description, it went too fast and I missed talking to plenty of friends and too many plants slipped through my fingers, but it was a great experience from the other side of the sales table 🙂
Put prices on those tags!
Haha, I know! It was such a pain to pull them all again and write the prices, but I just didn’t know where to start when I was labeling them. I ended up pricing once the car was loaded, sat there on the bumper and got it done!
Bet you will love this post: https://bramblegarden.com/2025/02/28/snowdrops-at-thenford-arboretum/
I realize that this gala day must now be over, so I hope all went smoothly Frank and you can relax today! It must have been nerve-wracking to say the least, with all those hiccups getting in the way last week. So, I wonder how many new snowdrops you came home with?! And what was the highest bid at the auction? I know some people will pay hundreds for a single bulb… Well, I have two this year, so a few more have disappeared. I will try growing some in pots next winter. Spring is slow to arrive this year but my hellebore leaves didn’t look quite as bad as yours when I cut them back. 😂 Have a great week and I look forward to hearing about the gala!
Cathy I only came back with maybe five new snowdrops, I was extremely restrained which in hindsight I regret! I didn’t get to see the auction, but prices were up there. I heard that the drop I donated went for $100, it was worth that imo plus it’s a fundraiser auction so people are typically more generous. Sad to hear you lost more snowdrops. I have no luck with pots, my only thing is to just try them in different spots until I get lucky… which is terrible advice so I just wish you luck!
Thanks Eliza! I did indeed enjoy the post. Somewhere along the line I found a podcast from the head gardener there, and it was also great. At least overseas there are a bunch more snowdrop weirdos like me 😉
🙂
You should collect your musings and publish a book. Their wit, truth, and our chance to entertained at your misfortunes (sorry!) should not be lost!
Haha, thanks! But I’m blessed with one more thing, and that’s a short memory. I’m afraid if I put everything down in one spot I’d be overwhelmed! As it is sometimes friends and family mention things which happened and I think oh gosh, the memories stir up from the sludge of my mind and I think wow that was a mess, I sure am glad I forgot about that or I’d probably never go hiking/biking/swimming/fyling etc again!
I don’t know how you can bear to part with any of them because however many snowdrops you have it’s never enough. The new one with the silly name is cute.
I don’t have enough of course, and neither do you! One thing which is a lot of fun is replanting, and I have new clumps going in all over since I can’t put them back where they came from now that the old clump has been divided. Give me three more years and there will be no more room and I shall have to get rid of the lawn completely.
Getting rid of the lawn was my first job in my new garden.
IT seems like you took the drama in your stride. 🙂
Thanks. The alternative is way too much work and drama!
you were a charming salesman. Hope to see you again next year.
Thanks 🙂 I’m sure you mean my friend Kevin, and I’m going to try and bribe him to return next year!
I hope you are home now and writing a post about all the fun you had and all the plants you sold and all the plants you purchased.
Cheers
I did have fun, but I hope you’re not too disappointed by the report!