ENTERTAINMENT CAMI L LA BAS S E T T - SMI TH
THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE THE SNOWDROP, SOPHISTICATED, SIMPLE, STRONG
This month our television horticulturist, Camilla Bassett- Smith, takes a look at a small plant which makes a big impact at this time of year.
As we wait patiently for spring, there is one horticultural favourite which can’t contain its excitement and is up and out and having a botanical ball! The snowdrop – sophisticated, |simple, strong and quite frankly sensational.
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There is no other plant which has been collected with quite the same passion, apart from perhaps the orchid mania of Victorian times! Known as Galanthophiles, after the plant’s botanical name: Galanthus, these individuals think nothing of parting with vast sums to lay their green fingers on the latest introductions. In 2015, one parted with almost £1,400 for a single bulb of ‘Golden Fleece’, for snowdrops with yellow in them ignite a golden fire of interest! I am lucky enough to own a few bulbs of ‘Lady Elphinstone’, as does Monty Don, as I purchased both his and mine while working on Gardeners’ World in 2011. A double with yellow, but thankfully much cheaper than ‘Golden Fleece’! This year, I have learnt of ‘Chantry Gold Cross’, possibly the first yellow snowdrop with a gold gross on the inners – and sure to become highly sought after.
Snowdrop lunches and galas have all taken place over the years, testament to the number of dedicated followers these ‘milk flowers’ (from their Greek translation) have.
Believed to have been brought to England by the Romans, natural drifts of snowdrops are one of our most beautiful British sights. The ‘common’ snowdrop Galanthus nivalis is far from that, elegant and ethereal, whilst the double form flore pleno – is the perfect debutant decked out in her full skirted beauty.
In this part of the world, we are spoilt for choice with these blooms, as Galanthus filled Gloucestershire gardens are a-plenty! Colesbourne Park, with its hundreds of cultivars, is home to the Elwes family, their Victorian plant collecting ancestor introducing the famed elwesii snowdrops and paving (or rather planting) the way for a bulb collector’s paradise. The mighty ‘Colossus’ was first found by Carolyn Elwes in the 1980s and a visit to Colesbourne is a snowdrop lovers’ must. I am most grateful to Henry Elwes who spent time last year forcing
snowdrops on his AGA for me, in order to provide a few potted blooms for a television segment! A true Galanthus gentleman.
Rodmarton Manor in Cirencester lends its name to Galanthus ‘Rodmarton’ and celebrates another large collection, whilst Galanthus ‘Daglingworth’ was named after the local area where it was found. Of course, Painswick Rococo Garden also plays its part as it was here in Painswick where one James Atkins introduced the ‘Atkinsii’ snowdrops. It seems the Cotswolds are at the core of collectors’ heaven!
One of my favourites is ‘Grumpy’ – this little fellow has so much character and his little sad face melts your heart as the snow melts around his feet – for research indicates that snowdrops may generate their own heat – a process known as thermogenesis, their very own horticultural hot water bottle! Another favourite which I grow is ‘
S.Arnott’ which was increased and distributed by the Giant Snowdrop Company in Chalford in the 1950s. It has a lovely scent – not something you will associate with snowdrops – but trust me, this one is a nasal delight. I’m also fond of ‘Jessica’ with her green tips – perfect present for a friend of the same name!
You may think that you’ve missed the botanical boat in plant- ing your snowdrops, but rather than plant dry bulbs in the autumn, they do much better when planted ‘in the green’ or in leaf after flowering. So get ready to purchase! Dryad Nursery or Avon Bulbs have excellent online selections or Colesbourne if you’re paying them a visit!
If you’d like to read more about snowdrops, pick up a copy of The RHS Daffodil, Snowdrop and Tulip Yearbook. As Editor of the publication, I’d like to offer all readers a special price on the 2021 book which came out at the end of last year. RRP: £11.95, special offer £10 including P&P. Contact me via the Garden Media Guild website if interested.
You can visit Colesbourne Park every weekend in February, while Rodmarton Manor opens on certain days between the 2nd and 19th and Painswick Rococo opens daily. I guarantee you’ll enter a gardener and leave a Galanthophile!
Pictures below courtesey of Anne Wright
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