I purchased Galanthus "Alison Hilary" as the make-weight in another more prestigious snowdrop purchase. Well "South Hayes" became my most expensive failure as it failed to flower the first year and died this. And I have discovered that "Alison Hilary" is a little gem. There are more technical descriptions of the flower but let me simply say that the thin outer petals reveal an inner dark, striking green causing the flower to stand out in a crowd. Certainly it attracted the attention in 1996 of Joe Sharman, owner of Monksilver Nursery and a noted plantsman, when he discovered the bulb in the grounds of Sutton Court, just outside Hereford. There is a neatness about "Alison Hilary", a very smart selection named after the wife of Sutton Court's present owner. In the photograph below "Trumps", another wonderful plant, is matched for style I think.
I like the way the stems are strong and straight, the drop then looks down at the short leaves as if to say: you will have your day in a little while and then feed the bulb to produce more like us next year.
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