{"title":"Poculiform Snowdrops","description":"\u003cp\u003ePoculiform snowdrops are the ones where the inner segments have grown out to match the outers, so instead of the usual three long and three short you get six segments of much the same length.  Many of them are pure white, and they make some of the most elegant and graceful flowers in the snowdrop world.  For the reverse, where the outer segments take on the shape and markings of the inners, have a look at the Trym-type snowdrops.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"e-a-bowles","title":"Galanthus plicatus 'E.A. Bowles'","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eGalanthus plicatus\u003c\/em\u003e ‘E.A. Bowles’ - A snowdrop that doesn’t need any introduction.  The beautiful ‘E.A. Bowles’ was found by Michael Myers and named for the very famous plantsman who was born and raised at Myddelton House in Enfield.  The original bulb was found at Myddelton House in 2002. \u003cem\u003eG.\u003c\/em\u003e ‘E. A. Bowles’ is a poculiform \u003cem\u003eplicatus\u003c\/em\u003e.  It has very large and graceful, pure white flowers with a very rounded shape and lovely broad plicate leaves. \u003cem\u003eG. \u003c\/em\u003e‘E. A Bowles’ is a snowdrop that is instantly recognisable.  An absolutely beautiful and elegant snowdrop – an absolute must for every snowdrop collection in my opinion.  I would predict that almost all galanthophiles would at least have this snowdrop in their top 5, if not higher.  For me it is definitely in my top 3, again probably higher! I would never be without it in my garden and if you like snowdrops you will surely adore this plant. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"wrj-sources\" style=\"font-size: 0.75em; color: #8a8a8a; text-align: left; line-height: 1.5; border-top: 1px solid #e6e6e6; padding-top: 10px; margin-top: 28px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong style=\"font-weight: 600;\"\u003eSources\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSome of the background here comes from the Avon Bulbs spring catalogue 2024 and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/carolynsshadegardens.com\/tag\/galanthus-e-a-bowles\/\" style=\"color: #7a7a7a;\"\u003eGalanthus 'E.A. Bowles'\u003c\/a\u003e (Carolyn's Shade Gardens).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WRJ SNOWDROPS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55454610063686,"sku":null,"price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0970\/0701\/0118\/files\/E.A.Bowles-CR1_1449.jpg?v=1763631619"},{"product_id":"don-armstrong","title":"Galanthus elwesii 'Don Armstrong'","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eGalanthus elwesii\u003c\/em\u003e 'Don Armstrong' is a big, bold poculiform snowdrop with real presence.  In a poculiform, the inner segments take on the size and shape of the outers and lose their green markings, so instead of the usual three-and-three you get six pure white segments, which gives a really clean, elegant flower.  Poculiforms are rare enough in \u003cem\u003eG. nivalis\u003c\/em\u003e, but to find one in the larger, more robust \u003cem\u003eG. elwesii\u003c\/em\u003e certainly makes it a lot more special.  There are more \u003cem\u003eG. elwesii\u003c\/em\u003e poculiforms available now, but when 'Don Armstrong' was named, it was very rare indeed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eIt comes from British Columbia in Canada and is named after Don Armstrong, a great Canadian plantsman who sadly died in 2000.  Brian Ellis tells me that Don opened his garden of treasures to friends and shared his plants very generously, and in 1995 he gave Pam Frost a collection of snowdrops.  Among them were \u003ca href=\"\/products\/rosemary-burnham\"\u003e'Rosemary Burnham'\u003c\/a\u003e, which Don had introduced, and one labelled simply \u003cem\u003eGalanthus\u003c\/em\u003e 'Poculiformis'.  That one turned out to be a tall, vigorous \u003cem\u003eG. elwesii\u003c\/em\u003e with glaucous leaves and an elegant habit, carrying a poculiform flower of six white segments with no inner segments or markings at all.  Once it was shown to be distinct, Pam Frost, with the help of John Weagle, introduced it and named it for Don.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eIt has the broad, grey-green leaves typical of \u003cem\u003eG. elwesii\u003c\/em\u003e, and as the flowers mature, especially on a sunny day, the segments open right out until they're almost horizontal, which is a lovely sight.  It flowers here in the North West in early February.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eBrian Ellis wrote in the newsletter about the clump of 'Don Armstrong' he grows in a lattice pot sunk into his border.  He left it a year too long without dividing, and the flowers began to suffer, with narrow outer segments instead of wide, full ones.  When he lifted it, the bulbs had burst the pot, which had to be cut away, and he counted 32 of them, which shows just how quickly it bulks up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"wrj-sources\" style=\"font-size: 0.75em; color: #8a8a8a; text-align: left; line-height: 1.5; border-top: 1px solid #e6e6e6; padding-top: 10px; margin-top: 28px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong style=\"font-weight: 600;\"\u003eSources\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSome of the background here comes from Freda Cox, \u003cem\u003eA Gardener's Guide to Snowdrops\u003c\/em\u003e; Brian Ellis (by email, October 2026); and Brian Ellis, 'Pots of Advice!' (HPS Galanthus Group newsletter, Autumn 2021).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WRJ SNOWDROPS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57693699998022,"sku":null,"price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0970\/0701\/0118\/files\/Don_Armstrong_-_CR1_3882.jpg?v=1792862454"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.wrjsnowdrops.co.uk\/collections\/poculiform-snowdrops.oembed","provider":"WRJ Snowdrops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}