Hi all,

I hope it is okay to post this here. I have been a GW member for years and years, even long ago back in the days when we did not have usernames. I thought this would be the forum with the greatest amount of sophisticated gardeners and regular traffic in order to provide me with the greatest likelihood of success in my search. I do not make a habit of writing posts like this.

I am looking for bulbs "in the green" of true Leucojum vernum, the smaller more delicate version of the much more common Leucojum aestivum (of which 'Gravetye Giant' is a cultivar).

L. vernum blooms very early, often with or just after the common snowdrops. It is supposedly easy to grow but is not commonly sold because the bulbs, once dug up and dried out for sale for typical fall bulb sales, are usually dehydrated to the point of being dead by the time they get that far.

Odyssey Bulbs offered a rare selection this season with two blooms per spike (typically they only have one), and with yellow spots instead of green spots rimming the white bell-shaped flowers. I missed out on these before they were completely sold out for the season. I am sure their stock would have been wonderful and worth every penny!

I am looking for only the "plain" green-spotted form of Leucojum vernum. McClure and Zimmerman supposedly offer them, but I wouldn't trust that company to send a healthy, properly labeled paper bag let alone a delicate bulb!

Is there anybody who grows the true Leucojum vernum who is willing to dig up a small clump or 4 or 5 or so good, single bulbs and ship them to me "in the green" (i.e., roots and foliage intact, packed in a ziploc with a barely damp paper towel to prevent drying out)?

I am also looking for fresh clumps of Eranthis hyemalis to be shipped the same way. I have been having a horrible time establishing this plant in my gardens with the dried out tubers from Holland, even with planting them early and soaking them carefully overnight. It may be a weed for some, but I am still dreaming of it being a weed for me, lol!

What can I offer in return? Well, I have the following plants I could trade for:

Geranium pratense 'Plenum Violaceum'--this is the violet-blue hardy geranium with perfectly formed roselike double flowers that was beloved by Graham Stuart Thomas. My source was Robin Parer at Geraniaceae Nursery in California. This will be a small but healthy division from my garden (my own clump is not huge yet having just planted it last spring).

Patrinia scabiosifolia--a delightful perennial with tall, see-through panicles of gold slightly tinted with chartreuse in late summer. Divisions from plants in my garden. My original source was Plant Delights.

Allium nutans 'Pam Harper'--a rhizomatous allium with attractive blue-grey tinted foliage all season long and rounded full heads of white blossoms from midsummer onwards. Divisions from my garden plants. Also came from Plant Delights.

Allium 'Sugar Melt'--an allium hybrid with very compact tufts of attractive glossy foliage and light pink drumsticks of flowers in late summer (August here) that rise far above the little tufts of foliage. Divisions from my garden plants. Also from Plant Delights.

Allium 'Millennium'--another gorgeous allium hybrid with very attractive, compact season-long foliage and rounded umbels of medium-dark pink flowers from mid-to-late summer. In my opinion, far superior to the more commonly available Allium 'Summer Beauty'. Divisions from my garden plants. Also from Plant Delights.

Nepeta 'Joanna Reed'--a somewhat uncommon catmint hybrid with large violet-blue spikes of flowers all season long. Seed sterile, so no need to worry about pesky seedlings. Easy peasy like all nepetas and one of the few awarded 5 stars from the Chicago Botanic Garden's nepeta trial. In my experience a lovely and very hardy plant that will first grow out like a groundcover and then build on itself gaining in height as the season progresses. Divisions from my garden plants. My plants came from Avant Gardens.

I also have a couple of unusual subtropicals I could offer if they interest anyone, mainly cuttings of Chloranthus spicatus and bulbs of Veltheimia bracteata (pink and yellow forms).

Please let me know if you can help!

Thank you,
Ispahan

This post was edited by ispahan on Thu, Apr 18, 13 at 22:48