John, I am rather surprised to hear you say that you are not a proponent of deadheading. You were probably out of town when I asked, some time ago, how you handle the potential problem of seeding among the large drifts of one cultivar of snowdrop at Colesbourne. I never saw a reply to that inquiry, unless, for some reason, I missed it (always possible). I would think that that would be a potential for genetic drift in an established stand. Surely you would never save seed intentionally, sow it, and then sell it as the cultivar. So, what do you do? Surely, most of the cultivars not sterile, are they? I imagined that you must deadhead, but having seen the extensive drifts at Colesbourne, I also couldn't imagine a more daunting task, especially since snowdrops don't hold their seed heads conveniently upright ready for snipping, but flop over to better spread their seed about. So, if you don't deadhead, how do the clumps remain pure. Is it by constant rogueing? That would presume that whoever is doing the rogueing (over the many years at Colesbourne) has an idea of the "perfect" form for that cultivar. Please assuage my curiosity. Ernie O'Byrne Northwest Garden Nursery 86813 Central Road Eugene, ORegon 97402 USA USDA Z. 7B -----Original Message----- From: pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of johngrimshaw@tiscali.co.uk Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2004 1:29 AM To: Pacific Bulb Society Subject: Re: [pbs] TOW N.H.Do in May - Garden I've never understood the urge to deadhead bulbs except where obvious tidiness is required (in formal garden settings) or where seeding is a positive menace (e.g. some Allium, some Muscari, some Scilla/Hyacinthoides). The majority of commercial bulbs are really or effectively sterile in the garden, so removing spent flowers is merely a quest for tidiness: I have more useful things to do. <snip> John Grimshaw Dr John M. Grimshaw Garden Manager, Colesbourne Gardens Gardens Cottage Colesbourne Nr Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 9NP