Snowdrop madness coming to a public garden near you soon
Somerset’s East Lambrook Manor has been the site of a new snowdrop discovery,galanthus ‘Sir Henry B-C’ an exciting addition to the already rare and extensive snowdrop collection which attracts snowdrop enthusiasts from all over the world.
http://www.eastlambrook.co.uk/pages/
If you live in Scotland or are planning a visit there soon then make sure you include a trip to Scotland’s Cambo Estate near St Andrews. The Cambo Estate has 70 acres of woodland garden with over 200 varieties of snow drops and you can even order directly from them if you want to start your own snowdrop display at home.
Not far from the home of Gabriel Ash is Dunham Massey in Cheshire. Dunham Massey is the proud owner of Britain’s largest winter garden. In February we can see clusters of over 100,000 double and single snowdrops amongst the other 700+ different plant species. So if you decide to visit Dunham Massey on a free afternoon why not drop into Gabriel ash and browse through our latest greenhouses.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dunham-massey/?p=1356302299209
Our final destination is Anglesey Abbey Garden in Cambridgeshire. Here you can see more than 240 varieties of snowdrop scattered across the vast 100 acre garden. There is even a snowdrop variety uncommon in Britain and believed to herald from the Crimean War. The Galanthus lagodechianus was one of 17 discovered by Head gardener Richard Ayres within the site of the garden’s Victorian rubbish heap!
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/anglesey-abbey/
Once you’ve decided to visit one of these beautiful gardens and are inspired and motivated to start your own snowdrop display then it will soon be time to act. Late winter early spring is the optimum time so order your plants now or visit your local garden centre. The common snowdrop, G. nivalis, is particularly hardy; if you prefer something a bit more impressive, try the double G. nivalis f. pleniflorus 'Flore Pleno' or the greater snowdrop, G. elwesii.
Plant as soon as they arrive, because the bulbs dry out very quickly; it helps to give them a good watering first. Galanthus need a moist, humus-rich soil in part shade. Plant 5cm deep in groups, and water regularly until established. The leaves will die back, but the bulbs should fatten up nicely for another display next year.
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