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Snowdrops - What's all the fuss?
By Mark
Smyth
So
why is there an interest in these dainty white flowers?
We need to start with some basics. Galanthus come in
three leaf types. G. elwesii, below left, has one leaf
wrapped around the other - Convolute. G. plicatus, below
right, has the leaf margins turned in - Plicate.
Galanthus
nivalis, below centre, emerges from the ground in
the spring with it's leaves facing each other - Applante.
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G. elwesii |
G. nivalis |
G. plicatus |
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How
many snowdrops are there?
Galanthus, Greek meaning Milk (Gala) Flower (-anthos), grow
across Europe into Russia and comprise 19 species of which
only a few are well known in cultivation. Snowdrop fans,
Galanthophiles, have managed to find and name over 600
cultivars with many more grown but not officially named. They
can be named after where they are found, G. nivalis 'Blewbury
Tart' (below left), in memory of someone; Galanthus
plicatus 'Sophie North' (below middle); or just
word association Galanthus 'Ding Dong' (below right)
named by Alan Street of Avon Bulbs. Ding Dong, Avon
Calling!! |
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"Blewbury
Tart" |
"Sophie
North" |
"Ding
Dong" |
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Are
they really the harbingers of spring?
To the ordinary gardener yes they are but a collector
of Galanthus will tell you different. They actually begin to
flower in the autumn usually in late October. The best known
of these 'early' Snowdrops is G. reginae-olgae (below left)
which is named after Queen Olga from Greece. G. peshmenii
flowers at this time also. Both of these bulbs flower without
or just a hint of their leaves. Flowering later in November,
depending on where you live, is G. elwesii 'Remember Remember'
which is often open during the first week. Not so for us
living in the Midlands and North. G. plicatus 'Three
Ships',
sings - I saw three ships come sailing by, is usually
open for Christmas or earlier depending in the weather. There
is then a trickle of snowdrops flowering from early January,
again depending on location,
beginning with G. elwesii 'Hayden' (below right). By
mid January I usually have 15+ cultivars flowering. Have you
ever picked a posy of snowdrops and brought them inside in an
egg cup 'vase'? They smell sweet just like honey. Galanthus x
allenii has a scent just like bitter Almonds. Galanthus nivalis
'April Fool' is the last to flower but not in all gardens. |
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G. reginae-olgae |
G. plicatus
"Three Ships" |
G. elwesii
"Hayden" |
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"They
are just white flowers with green bits!" I hear you say
There
are 'yellow' snowdrops available out there if you don't mind
forking out a bit more for them. More on prices later.
'Yellow' snowdrops have regular white petals but the green
marks including the ovary, and sometimes the leaves, are
yellow or at least a very pale green. There are 3 well known
in this group. Galanthus nivalis 'Lady Elphinstone' (middle below)
a double which huffs
when moved and reverts back to green for a year or two,
and Galanthus plicatus 'Wendy's Gold' (below left). The
most stunning 'yellow' is Galanthus plicatus 'Bill Clarke'
(below
right).. Other 'yellows' include G. nivalis 'Blonde Inge',
plicatus 'Primrose Warburg', nivalis 'Ray Cobb' and 'Spindlestone
Surprise'. The other extreme is an almost all green flower
e.g. G. nivalis 'Virescens' or
G. nivalis 'Sandhill Gate' which is pure white and lacking the
green inner markings. |
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G. plicatus
"Wendy's Gold" |
G. nivalis
"Lady Elphinstone" |
G. plicatus
"Bill Clarke" |
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How
much will I expect to pay?
This
depends on how much you are willing to pay or how deep your
pockets are. Expect to pay around £3.50 / $6 for a readily
available common snowdrop e.g 'S. Arnott' and up to £30 / $50
for one that is in high demand e.g 'South Hayes'. The average
bulb is about £10 / $17.
What
about mail order?
By
far the biggest suppliers of named snowdrops are the mail
order companies
North Green and The Snowdrop Company. On the internet
bulbs can be obtained from many individuals and gardens. On
the internet I would recommend the following who I have bought
from in the past Paul Christian,
Broadleigh, Avon Bulbs,
Colesbourne Park, Judy's Snowdrops and Pottertons.
For
more photos of snowdrops have a look at http://www.snowdropinfo.com
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