Mark Smyth has forced my hand into replying... The story of Galanthus 'Atkinsii' begins in the 1860s and 1870s when James Atkins of Painswick, Gloucestershire obtained bulbs, possibly from southern Italy. He called them Galanthus imperati (still a contentious name) and the name 'Atkinsii' was not proposed until 1891. He passed them on to the nursery trade (sales started 1875) and it began to spread around. This stock was highly praised by early Galanthophiles for its beauty and shapeliness. In 1877 another stock made its appearance from the nursery of James Backhouse in York. Very similar in many ways, it was apt to produce misshapen or even greatly deformed flowers. By 1914 Bowles could call it 'Atkinsii of Backhouse' recognising it as a distinct plant from the shapely original. Over the years this clone usurped the position and name of the original 'Atkinsii' and as a vigorous and good garden plant became very widely grown and enjoyed as 'Atkinsii'. When we were investigating the origins of cultivated snowdrops for the book this history unfolded, and it became apparent that there were two plants bearing the name 'Atkinsii', with separate origins and distinct characters. One name cannot fit two clones, so we took the decision that 'James Backhouse' should be applied to the deformed clone originally distributed by Backhouse of York. It is by far the commoner of the two, with stock of true 'Atkinsii' being apparently very scarce. Plants sold in the trade as 'Atkinsii will almost certainly be 'James Backhouse'. It is important to realise that 'James Backhouse' is very inconsistent with its aberrations: the point is that it can do them whereas 'Atkinsii' does not. A clump of 'James Backhouse' with twenty or thirty flowers may have one or two, or even none, showing a deformity, and this may be only the slight enlargement of an inner segment, but it could have several flowers showing the deformities illustrated in the book, with petaloids arising from the ovary and twisted, enlarge inner segments. People think to segregate these lunatics, but next year the plant may produce perfect flowers and not repeat the freakery for some years - but it will! I rate it an excellent garden plant: we have huge drifts of it here at Colesbourne. The (unfortunately low-res) opening picture on our website shows a couple of these patches. You do not notice the deformities in the mass. As for Jim McKenney's yellow version: Mark is quite right when he warns of my scepticism. I am very averse to instant excitement about 'new' snowdrops and caution patience and observation over several years. I noticed a yellow 'James Backhouse' here this week, but as it is in a patch of ground that was turned over by digger last year it is probably very deep and pallid in its exertions to reach the light and therefore what is sometimes called a 'Cowpat Surprise' that will revert to greenness next year when it has sorted itself out. By all means select it out and watch it for a few years: if it remains yellow it may be interesting. There is certainly no record of a yellow "Atkinsii". Most of the yellow snowdrops are quite stable: only 'Lady Elphinstone' goes back to green sometimes. John Grimshaw Dr John M. Grimshaw Garden Manager, Colesbourne Gardens Sycamore Cottage Colesbourne Nr Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 9NP Website: http://www.colesbournegardens.org.uk/