It is a welcome sight in these short, cold days to see the snowdrops begin to make an appearance. There are always a few of these ‘fair maids’ who can’t seem to wait and eagerly start to flower at Christmas! However, depending on conditions during November and December, the main show of snowdrops at Ragley is generally through the end of January and into early February. If the rainfall isn’t too heavy they can last for several weeks. These little flowers may be common, but they are an absolute joy to behold at this time of year as they offer the assurance that spring is just around the corner.
Snowdrops belong to the genus Galanthus, which literally translates from Greek as ‘milk flower’ (Gala – milk, flower -anthos). The majority of the snowdrops at Ragley are the common snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis, and Galanthus nivalis ‘Flore Pleno’, which boasts irregular, double flowers. Ragley has a small collection of different cultivars, 21 in total now, which is really very modest when you consider that there are about 19 species and over 500 cultivars.
The thing about snowdrops is that they are incredibly versatile and look fantastic whether planted on mass in lawns, or more subtly to add a touch of life to a bare border in the depths of winter. Let’s face it a plant which increases rapidly and propagates easily is usually called a weed! Not so with snowdrops, we have been lifting and spreading established clumps throughout the garden each spring for the last 10 years in order to create these cherished late winter displays. Snowdrops are best lifted ‘in the green’, so once the flowers have faded, dig up the clump and tease the bulbs gently apart. I also believe them to be gregarious, so I like to plant them in pairs at least!
