A false dawn?
Snowdrops, once reliable harbingers of spring, have been in flower in some parts of the country since December. There are reports of hazel catkins, the first crocuses, and sightings of ladybirds and butterflies. Weather forecasters predict that the mild weather, along with gales and heavy rain, will continue into early February (I am writing towards the end of January), to be followed by plunging temperatures. An early spring, say the experts, tends to be a false spring that ends in misery for farmers and gardeners.
So let us glory in snowdrops and other spring bulbs that have prematurely pierced the soil, for soon they may be buried in drifts of snow. Most of us with any pretensions to gardening will have clumps of the common snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis, dotted around our gardens. It is not a native wild flower, although it naturalises readily in woodland. Contrary to popular wisdom it was not introduced by the Romans but was first recorded in the 16th century. The common name ‘snowdrop’ is listed in the 1633 edition of Gerard’s Herbal. Galanthus nivalis appears in the plant lists of the nurserymen and plant hunters, the John Tradescants, father and son, in 1634 and 1656.
Snowdrops are easy enough to grow, spreading fast. They thrive in light shade and in neutral to alkaline soil. Views differ on when to plant, traditionalists taking the view that bulbs should be planted ‘in the green’, ie, while they are in growth and the flowers have started to fade. The RHS has suggested that this can cause early dormancy and weakens bulbs. It now advises buying containergrown plants, provided they have not been in their pots too long, or buying from specialist nurseries who despatch bulbs in late summer, damp-packed to ensure they do not dry out.
Snowdrops should be divided every three years ‘in the green’. Fork out a decent-sized clump and tease out into little clusters of five to 10 bulbs. Replant, leaving 30cm between each group. Snowdrops team well with ground cover plants such as cyclamen, and in the perennial border will prosper around peonies and the larger sedums. When I visited the Winter Garden at Anglesey Abbey last year, I was entranced by the use of the black clump-forming Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’ and Carex sedge grasses, interspersed among the snowdrops.
Anglesey Abbey has more than 200 varieties of snowdrop. Two I particularly admired were G. ‘S Arnott’ and G. ‘Magnet’. The former is a vigorous small plant with large, white flowers that have an inverted V-shaped mark at the tip of each inner tepal. The flowers have a heady honey scent. G. ‘Magnet’ has an unusually long stalk from which the flowers dangle as if at the end of a fishing line, waving in the slightest breeze. It flowers after G. ‘S Arnott’, prolonging the enchantment.
Many fine gardens have spectacular plantings of snowdrops, and some open specially to share them with the garden loving public. The website of the National Gardens Scheme – www.ngs.org.uk – lists snowdrop gardens on a county-by-county basis. The National Trust – www.nationaltrust.org.uk – also lists top spots for snowdrops and suggests gardens to visit. One of my favourites is the Chelsea Physic Garden, London’s oldest botanic garden. For nine days in February – Saturday 8 to Sunday 16 February, from 10am to 4pm each day – the garden welcomes visitors to the swathes of snowdrops that carpet the woodland and rock garden. A snowdrop theatre sets off individual plants and makes it difficult to resist the plants for sale. The Physic Garden’s wonderful Tangerine Dream Café will be providing delicious food, mulled wine and other winter treats, and there’s a programme of special walks, talks and workshops.
Chelsea Physic Garden: 020-7352 5646, www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk
So let us glory in snowdrops and other spring bulbs that have prematurely pierced the soil, for soon they may be buried in drifts of snow. Most of us with any pretensions to gardening will have clumps of the common snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis, dotted around our gardens. It is not a native wild flower, although it naturalises readily in woodland. Contrary to popular wisdom it was not introduced by the Romans but was first recorded in the 16th century. The common name ‘snowdrop’ is listed in the 1633 edition of Gerard’s Herbal. Galanthus nivalis appears in the plant lists of the nurserymen and plant hunters, the John Tradescants, father and son, in 1634 and 1656.
Snowdrops are easy enough to grow, spreading fast. They thrive in light shade and in neutral to alkaline soil. Views differ on when to plant, traditionalists taking the view that bulbs should be planted ‘in the green’, ie, while they are in growth and the flowers have started to fade. The RHS has suggested that this can cause early dormancy and weakens bulbs. It now advises buying containergrown plants, provided they have not been in their pots too long, or buying from specialist nurseries who despatch bulbs in late summer, damp-packed to ensure they do not dry out.
Snowdrops should be divided every three years ‘in the green’. Fork out a decent-sized clump and tease out into little clusters of five to 10 bulbs. Replant, leaving 30cm between each group. Snowdrops team well with ground cover plants such as cyclamen, and in the perennial border will prosper around peonies and the larger sedums. When I visited the Winter Garden at Anglesey Abbey last year, I was entranced by the use of the black clump-forming Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’ and Carex sedge grasses, interspersed among the snowdrops.
Anglesey Abbey has more than 200 varieties of snowdrop. Two I particularly admired were G. ‘S Arnott’ and G. ‘Magnet’. The former is a vigorous small plant with large, white flowers that have an inverted V-shaped mark at the tip of each inner tepal. The flowers have a heady honey scent. G. ‘Magnet’ has an unusually long stalk from which the flowers dangle as if at the end of a fishing line, waving in the slightest breeze. It flowers after G. ‘S Arnott’, prolonging the enchantment.
Many fine gardens have spectacular plantings of snowdrops, and some open specially to share them with the garden loving public. The website of the National Gardens Scheme – www.ngs.org.uk – lists snowdrop gardens on a county-by-county basis. The National Trust – www.nationaltrust.org.uk – also lists top spots for snowdrops and suggests gardens to visit. One of my favourites is the Chelsea Physic Garden, London’s oldest botanic garden. For nine days in February – Saturday 8 to Sunday 16 February, from 10am to 4pm each day – the garden welcomes visitors to the swathes of snowdrops that carpet the woodland and rock garden. A snowdrop theatre sets off individual plants and makes it difficult to resist the plants for sale. The Physic Garden’s wonderful Tangerine Dream Café will be providing delicious food, mulled wine and other winter treats, and there’s a programme of special walks, talks and workshops.
Chelsea Physic Garden: 020-7352 5646, www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk