Despite the cold weather early this January our snowdrops are well ahead and several of the loveliest are already flowering. Lapwing, which is one of our favourites with its intriguing markings visible without the need for close examination, is now in full flower and we do hope it will not be over before our NGS open days on 7th and 8th February.
it is on these interminable grey wet days that the snowdrops really prove their worth. i would not venture out if i did not have to check on which snowdrops are emerging and it does cheer one’s spirits so much to see one’s old friends appearing. Lady Beatrix Stanley with her ballerina skirt delicately spotted with green, Excelsis a fine robust snowdrop and dear golden Madeleine are among the early attendees at the snowdrop Ball. it is also a relief to see that some extravagant purchases from the last couple of years are not only alive but flourishing. Treasure Island was a super expensive purchase i made at the Thenford Snowdrop Festival in 2024 and it is forming a nice clump. As is Dragonfly whose charms i succumbed to at the same event. it resembles Fly Fishing in having an elegant pendulous flower but has better markings.
We now have more than 140 different varieties of snowdrop and i think that is really all i can manage. But the galanthus festivals and fairs are coming soon and i fear that I will not be able to resist adding just one or two more to the collection.
