Garden Centre

Monday, January 7, 2008

Brilliant whites, anyone?

You need two things – snow, and a garden with a beautiful range of galanthus (snowdrops to you and me). The earliest I’ve seen these was 8 January in the Anglesey Abbey Gardens, more than a decade ago, but February is the more likely month and there are several gardens around the country that open to show off their amazing display of these beautiful mid-winter bulbs.

Top of the list has to be Lambrook Manor Gardens, South Petherton, Somerset - www.eastlambrook.co.uk because the woman who created the snowdrop gardens here was such an aficionado (especially for pure green snowdrops) that she actually has a snowdrop named after her. She was Margery Fish and the Margery galanthus is a wonderful green-innered beauty. You can see it in the gardens too.

Otherwise, try Anglesey Abbey Gardens, Lode, Cambridgeshire or Heale House - www.healegarden.co.uk, Middle Woodford, near Salisbury, Wiltshire. This garden has a special offer, snowdrop walks with an experienced snowdrop locator on the first and second Sundays in February.

If you fall for snowdrops in a big way, remember they have to be purchased, and planted, ‘in the green’, ie while they are still full of juice. Those dried out bulbs sold in garden centres have a high failure rate and really aren’t worth the money!

Labels: snowdrops, winter colour, winter flowers

The All Seasons Gardener at 9:18 AM

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