Galanthus

Galanthus 'Springwood Park'

Galanthus 'Springwood Park' is now in flower and radiant. This beautiful poculiform snowdrop is reliable and has increased well. I had to water the pots and borders today, such is the sunshine.

Galanthus 'Big Eyes' is new to me and purchased last year from Matt Bishop. I have 'Grumpy' in the border, one of the first specialist snowdrops I acquired years ago. I can't say I notice it. 'Big Eyes' stands out a little more in the garden. It originates from Berkshire where we stayed last week. Discovered in a colony of nivalis x plicatus, one can see why it was picked out by the eagle eyed scrutineers who do such things. I've never found anything in a field of wild snowdrops save my lens cap lost, and replaced, a year previously. It made my day. It might not be grumpy but it's hardly an emblem of delight. I'm told it looks like a clown.

Galanthus 'Mother Goose' living up to the hype?

Well I think so, despite some commentators suggesting the colour is not so good second year round. This is my second year with Galanthus 'Mother Goose' and I think it rather lovely. It still commands huge sums on eBay. Is it worth it? A different question entirely. Mine was purchased for a modest sum from an enthusiast who has twin scaled one of the original bulbs. So, it has been reliable, sending up two flowers and suggesting a nice thickening out of foliage for next year's crop, It also has a pleasantly rounded appearance setting off the extremely yellow inner markings, the colour of egg yolk. It is certainly a favourite. The colour, by the way, is stable. It was introduced by North Green Snowdrop in 2014. They of course built it up a bit, as they are entitled to do for it is a superb new variety.

Winter Beauties? Clematis urophylla 'Winter Beauty', Daphne bholua Jacqueline Postill, Hamamelis Intermedia 'Diane' and Galanthus 'Starling'

Last one first. Ok then, Galanthus 'Starling' is not a traditional beauty. Indeed I struggled to take a photograph of different flowers to show off its consistent characteristic. It owes its breeding to 'Hill Poe' I think, from the Avon stables and is named after a star not the bird that flies in huge murmurations over our house when the fancy takes them. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder though and as its face is always turned outward and upwards its inner beauty, that most true perfection and one which I'm sure I possess in abundance, is clear for all to see. (I'll take a snap of 'Hill Poe' tomorrow, come to think.)

Clematis urophylla 'Winter Beauty' is an incredibly vigorous climber. Glancing up my neighbour's side entrance the other day I was amazed to see just how far our plant has advanced into their garden, suffocating some of their shrubs. I noticed one specialist grower of the clematis recommends no pruning. Sorry but .... It will have to be tamed. It is one of my wife's favourites however and gazing up towards a welcome blue sky one can see why. No scent however. Vigorously beautiful perhaps.

And neither is Daphne bholua Jacqueline Postill a film star stunner in the looks stakes, no magnolia or climbing rose. Then, from New Year's Day onwards, she comes into her own, a sophisticated beauty and her priceless quality, scent to die for, all over the garden, night and day. A head turner. She makes you feel wonderful. Our favourite plant in the whole garden. It oozes quality. Buy one. My London based daughter posted a photograph of one she's seen evidently for the first time at Kew. The grass is always greener ....

To conclude, may I offer a snap of Hamamelis Intermedia 'Diane', another for the connoisseur. I'm not sure this is the best shot ever as the auto-focus got confused but I like it, with the red haze of all the hundreds of flowers lightening up the winter garden. Beauties of winter!

Galanthus 'Elworthy Bumblebee' and Galanthus 'Bungee'

Galanthus 'Elworthy Bumblebee' is one of those smaller snowdrops best viewed on the display stand for with its reflexed outer petals revealing pretty markings, and a healthy imagination, it could be mistaken for a bee in the middle of winter. Or maybe not. It is nevertheless a bonny flower.

Galanthus 'Bungee' meanwhile is another well named variety, its long, arching pedicel taking flight in the winds we've had recently. Another for the eye level display stand. Unlike images I have seen on the internet mine also feature reflexed outer petals making for a better stretch I think. This is the only bungee jump I'd ever countenance.

Welford Park, Berkshire. Snowdrop heaven and Alison Hammond!

Alison Hammond was on television this morning, attempting to pronounce 'horticulturalist' and calling snowdrops 'snowflakes'. She's a city lady and good fun. We heard her infectious laugh at the other end of the woodlands. And her visit to the unbelievable Welford Park coincided with our own for the National Garden Scheme Snowdrop Festival. The first image is of Deborah Huxley, head gardener and wife of James Puxley, the owner. Alison is on the right and the production can be seen filming, the snowdrops to appear very much in the foreground as you will see when you watch the film itself. Deborah, by the way, is a natural on television, knowledgeable and enviably articulate.

I'm told the house itself features in 'The Great British Bake Off', a programme I've never seen though it tops the ratings. I did however taste the cake in the tearooms.

The density of planting and scale of the snowdrop drenched woodland was remarkable, and there were a few aconites thrown in for good measure.

As far as the eye can see....

Somewhat amazingly the sun shone

You have to look closely to see the drone here, the results of which raise the whole scale of the final film

Looking upstream towards the house. We saw trout in the water

And my favourite image

St Gregory's Church behind the manor house

What it's all about

Nice name, not nice name: Galanthus 'Rosemary Burnham' & 'G71'

Galanthus 'Rosemary Burnham' was named after the gardener of that name from British Columbia. It could so easily have been named 'Francisca Darts' after John Grimshaw made an error in attributing it to a different lady. It is a beautiful virescent snowdrop, in my humble opinion easily rivalling, even surpassing, 'Green Tear' (still commanding huge sums on Ebay and featured here from last year's blog.) The wind this afternoon defeated me capturing the clump that brightens up the border though it subsided to allow me one snap.

'G71' hardly rolls off the tongue but is attractive on the eye. The double owes its elegant name to Heyrick Greatorex's breeding programme in the 1940s. A scientific name then. I gave up the ghost after being swept off my feet though not before capturing this image.

Galanthus 'Epiphany'

Galanthus 'Epiphany' appears on lists of Autumn flowering varieties though in my three years' experience it has flowered in January, if slightly later than the 6th as suggested by its name. Funnily enough, last year I wrote about venturing out into the garden with flu, despite having had the jab. I'd had the same bad cold the previous year. This year, slightly later, I have succumbed once again! Epiphany. January is bad for me.

Galanthus 'David Baker'

Galanthus 'David Baker' is reliably marked this year, the touches of green adorning all the snowdrops that have increased noticeably in the borders. I wish I'd planted them together as they look good in a drift. Sometimes less is more and this Atkinsii lookalike has a classy feel, its restrained green stripes adding to its appeal. In truth, its slightly reflexed outer petals make it stand out from Atkinsii as the flowers develop, its green splash not withstanding. Discovered in 1987 in the Bakers' Farnham garden and named in 1997 after the grower, this has grown to be a favourite of mine.

Galanthus 'Pieces of Eight'

Galanthus 'Pieces of Eight' is a new snowdrop discovered by the late renowned collector, Veronica Cross (1932 - 2019). Her reputably glorious, four-acre garden at Lower Hopton Farm, Herefordshire, has a wealth of snowdrop varieties so I suspect there is more scope for discovering jewels than in my own little plot. 'Pieces of Eight' is small, certainly in its first year here but pretty with a heavy green spot and inner dark green. It has a rounded shape to its petals, seen more vividly in the second image. Veronica gave us 'Wasp' and 'Dragonfly', the former just appearing, the latter on my wishlist. She also bred 'Treasure Island' which at nearly seven hundred pounds on eBay recently will not be seen here until prices come back to earth. Just one point I should make: unlike some snowdrops in flower very early, mine are grown either in pots, as here, or in the open ground. Visiting Welsh gardens last week I realised our plants are at least a week later. Note: I edited this to recognise the very sad news that Veronica died in 2019.

Plants in flower or just barking at Bodnant Gardens

Despite the snow there was plenty to see at Bodnant yesterday. In winter the colour of the bark is as important as the flowers. I did not get the name of the arbutus but in the dappled sunshine it looked a treat.

The flowers of this rhododendron dauricum are of course essential to its beauty.

Wintersweet, or more precisely Chimonanthus praecox, has an insignificant flower, making its impact with the sweetness of its perfume, carried well in the cold Welsh air.