Snowdrops: A Monograph of Cultivated Galanthus

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Michael and Anne Broadhurst produce an updated sales list of about 70 snowdrop varieties each December. The couple specialise in their own selections, which include varieties such as: Galanthus ‘Ivy Cottage Corporal’, Galanthus ‘Homersfield’, Galanthus ‘Pearl Drops’, Galanthus ‘Sweetheart’, Galanthus ‘Bluestreak’, Galanthus ‘Fox Farm’, and Galanthus ‘Rainbow Farm Early’; as well as snowdrop plants that originated at Anglesey Abbey. Recent snowdrop varieties from Anglesey Abbey named by the Broadhursts include: Galanthus ‘Green Eyes’, Galanthus ‘Anglesey Adder’, and Galanthus ‘Anglesey Aurora’.

Another snowdrop that has just made an appearance is Galanthus elwesii “Godfrey Owen”, which has grey-green leaves and white flowers on stems around 20cm tall. Its flowers feature six pure white, symmetrical outer petals that open to give a wide, lamp-shade-like form over six inner petals, each of which bears a green mark. Every precaution will be taken to ensure we follow the latest government guidelines and visitors are safe.”The signature style of my snowdrop images has become familiar to snowdrop aficionados through my portrait illustrations for Snowdrops: A Monograph of Cultivated Galanthus (2001), articles, especially in the RHS Daffodil Snowdrop and Tulip Yearbook and used to illustrate for lectures. Now they have been transformed into an exclusive range of greetings cards, offering stylish way to marking every occasion – from a birthday or anniversary or an expression of sympathy to a simple “Thank You” or just to collect and keep! Named after the gardener who found it, this is a special snowdrop as unusually it originated from “across the pond” in Vancouver, Canada in 1998 and was imported into the UK, most snowdrops seem to make the journey the other way. Another elwesii, this snowdrop has distinct green stripes that run the full length of the outer segments, with a pale blush in between. The inner segments are completely green except for only a fine white edge. Harveys Garden Plants usually use peat-free compost. In 2021, Roger bought some peat- based compost, as their usual peat-free compost was unavailable at the time. Woodchippings is a small nursery, run by Richard Bashford and Valerie Bexley. Richard and Valerie sell their snowdrops online; they offer a small section of snowdrops sold in the green from late January, and a larger range of snowdrops sold as dormant bulbs, in summertime.

Harveys Garden Plants offer snowdrops for sale, including Galanthus species and hybrids. I spotted Galanthus plicatus‘Sarah Dumont’, Galanthus‘Cinderine’, Galanthus‘Hoverfly’, Galanthus‘White Perfection’, and Galanthus elwesii‘Rosemary Burnham’among their snowdrop offerings. You can view the full range of snowdrops offered by Harveys Garden Plants, here. Ian Christie

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Colin Mason was the owner of “Fieldgate Snowdrops” from which he made successful hybrids which proved to be successful and attractive – he bulked these up by “twin scaling”. Much sought after examples include Fieldgate Tiffany, Fieldgate Sophie and Fieldgate Superb – we have examples of these in our named collection.

But, as I know to my cost, an expensive snowdrop is not necessarily a good garden plant. Some resolutely refuse to bulk up, making more impact on your bank balance than on your garden. And demand constantly outstrips supply, so the price never comes down. Crocus sell Galanthus nivalis in the green. Here’s a link to see the full range of snowdrops offered by Crocus. Dryad NurseryThe new collection was left as a very special legacy to the Garden House and it’s expert gardening team very carefully transplanted the collection to the plantsman’s paradise.

Originally discovered in Zutphen in the Netherlands by Gert-Jan van der Kolk in 2000, among a naturalized patch of nivalis, it has bold green stripes over the outer segments which blend together to give an overall greenish hue. The inner segments are completely green. The Garden House Snowdrop Festival runs from Friday 15th January until Sunday 28th February 2021: Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11am – 3pm She continued: “The snowdrop collection is not only extraordinarily pretty, it’s a unique chance to see some of the rarest varieties of snowdrop in an exceptionally beautiful setting. It’s loved by experts and garden lovers alike and, along with our amazing bulb sale, is a not to be missed moment in the Garden House calendar. Every precaution will be taken to ensure we follow the latest government guidelines and visitors are safe.” All snowdrops prefer cool, moist conditions in the spring and a dry dormancy during the summer. This can be achieved by planting them in amongst the roots of deciduous trees and shrubs which will take away the moisture in summer and allow a long dry dormancy in the shade. Plant the bulbs as soon as you can (as long as the ground is not frozen) in the spot where you want them to grow. Dig a narrow planting hole probably 4-6" (10-15cm) deep with an asparagus trowel or similar, loosening the soil as you go. Plant your snowdrop at a depth slightly greater than it was previously (where the stem turns green) and nearly up to where the leaves divide. Firm in and water well, remembering to label the spot. If you have more than one of the same variety, space them about 4" (10cm) apart. Jenny Spiller runs Elworthy Cottage Plants, a small specialist nursery in Somerset. Elworthy Cottage Plants’ Snowdrop List is usually released in late December each year. Foxgrove Plants

There are scores of various shapes, colours (the pink snowdrop Galanthus nivalis “Blushing Pendant ” is one lots of visitors look out for) and scents. This is perhaps the most willing snowdrop I grow, when it comes to bulking up, forming sizeable clumps of early flowers. It was spotted in the late 1990s by Matt Bishop, while he was visiting John Morley’s private garden. The world renowned Matt Bishop Snowdrop Collection, one of the most diverse collections of named and naturalised snowdrops in the UK, has been joined by the Colin Mason Collection at The Garden House, one of the finest gardens in England. A Covid-safe environment, with strict Covid-19 related risk assessments and “Good to Go” quality standard by Visit England The Snowdrop Festival, which has become an annual highlight for UK garden lovers, takes place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from January 15 to the end of February.