Sunshine and Snowdrops

What a difference a bit of sunshine makes – after a week of much milder weather, today the sun is shining, the snowdrops have now opened  and are now showing the different markings on their inner petals. Spring is definitely in the air at the moment and the flowers in the shady half of the garden brighten up all the dark corners and make the most of the sunshine coming through the trees, before the leaves come and put them in the shade once more.

Woodland snowdrops

Unknown snowdrop

This first snowdrop has lost its label, I will have to consult the Galanthophiles bible -Snowdrops  by Matt Bishop – that will be a long job ! I think the inner petals are a lovely shade of green.

Angelique

Galanthus nivalis “Angelique” is a tall one with just 2 spots on the inner petals. I like this one , looks so pristine.

Desdemona

Double snowdrops seem to increase faster than singles – this one is Galanthus “Desdemona”, very full inner petals and so neatly arranged.

Desdemona

Jaquenetta

Galanthus “Jaquenetta” is another tall one – one of the Greatorex doubles.

Robin Hood

This increasing clump is of Galanthus “Robin Hood” with very upright leaves and flowers. The markings on the inner segment are very distinctive and this is one of the first special bulbs that I bought. I only ever buy one of each variety and then wait for them to increase, this is a good one.

rizehensis

Galanthus rizehensis is one of the species snowdrops which was originally found in north east Turkey and was introduced to garden cultivation. It will increase quickly if happy.

Merlin

Galanthus “Merlin” is the best known cultivar to have all green inner segments. This is one of my favourites, but then, how can you have favourites, they are all gorgeous!

Cedric's Prolific

Galanthus elwesii “Cedric’s Prolific” was given to Beth Chatto by her friend Cedric Morris and she named it after him when she realised that it was something special. It certainly is prolific, the clumps are increasing very quickly.

Viridapice

Galanthus nivalis “Viridapice” has a strong green marking on the apex of the outer segment – on the inner segment is a large single mark.

John Gray

Galanthus “John Gray”  is a very large form with beautiful inner markings. This is another of my first special bulbs, it has a lot to answer for !!

Wendy's Gold

Galanthus “Wendy’s Gold” is absolutely beautiful with yellow markings where they are normally green. We bought one bulb 2 years ago, last year we had one flower, but this year we have 5 – one is hiding at the back of the photo – hope it continues to increase at this rate!  At the moment it is my absolute definite favourite !!

The weather forecasters tell us that this mild weather is only going to continue for another couple of days, then it’s back to the freezer once more. There are lots of other flowers which have enjoyed the mild weather,  the hellebores have started flowering, all of which make the small woodland a lovely place to visit to see what has flowered overnight.

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4 Responses to Sunshine and Snowdrops

  1. Jean Hooper says:

    How do you choose a favourite from all these wonderful little specimens Pauline ?. The new kid on the block is number one this year , but who knows what will take its place next year ??. They all look truly pure and lovely. Well Done. Love Jean

  2. I have a special love for snowdrops, but they are certainly under appreciated in canada. It is very difficult to get named varities, even in the US, and I only have a few. Desdemona is my latest treasure, looking forward to her flowering this year.

    • Pauline says:

      Snowdrops are so lovely to welcome the start of the gardening year. We are so lucky here in England because we usually don’t have much snow normally, I suppose yours are usually wrapped under a nice thick duvet of snow. Desdemona is lovely isn’t she!

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