A Farewell to Snowdrops

There are still snowdrops in flower in the garden, in full flower and in good condition, but they are the last stragglers at the end of a long season which started here with the first flowers of Galanthus reginae olgae ‘Rachel Mahaffy’ at the end of September. While the first flowers were prized and a wonderful delight as winter set in, the last of the season only entice a tired response, a sense of flogging a dead horse almost or, perhaps, it is that they must contend with the visual competition of primroses, daffodils, trilliums and magnolias.

Snowdrops are no longer the flowers providing the only interest in the garden and they can become lost in the newly emerging growth and brighter blooms of this time of the year. They have maintained colour and interest in the garden right through the winter period and are great value plants for that service but even good things come to an end and so it is with the snowdrop season. There is still some work to be done – some congested clumps to be lifted and replanted with more room to grow and I may select a few to propagate by chipping, a few special ones which are in small numbers that I would wish to bulk up. That’s a job for another day, an addend to the season, a clinging on to the interest in these bulbs but also a promise for future days, for future seasons and even more snowdrops to be enjoyed.

I have looked back at my last round-up of the snowdrop scene and have tried my best to avoid repetition of photographs though a few repeats are included. Click on the first photograph to view as a slideshow: (You will be forgiven if you now simply move on!)

G. elwesii var monostictus – raised from seed many years ago.

G. ‘Annalivia’

G. ‘Anne of Geierstein’

G. ‘Pyramid’

G. ‘Barnhill’

G. ‘Cicely Hall’

G. ‘Cyril Warr’

G. ‘David Shackleton’

G. ‘Gore Booth’

G. gracilis

G. ‘Green Lantern’

G. ‘Greenish’

G. ‘Greenish’

G. ikariae ‘Emerald Isle’

G. ‘Irish Green’

G. ‘Jupe’s Belle’

G. ‘Keith Lamb’

G. ‘Krim Wilde’

G. ‘Lady Elphinstone’

G. ‘Lady Moore’

G. ‘Lady Moore’

G. ‘Martha McLar\en’

G. ‘Martha McLaren’

G. ‘Merlin’

G. nivalis ‘Andre’s Form’

G.nivalis semi-poculiform

G. ‘Oliver Wyatt’s Green’

G. ‘Peardrop’

G. plicatus – not yet named.

G. ‘Pusey Greentips’

G. ‘South Hayes’

G. ‘Straffan’

G. ‘Streifen-weh’

G. ‘Sutton Court’

G. ‘Skyward’

G. ‘Tatiana’

G. ‘The Whopper’

G. ‘Timpany Late’

G. ‘Trinity’

G ‘Trym’ with Eranthis ‘Guinea Gold’

G. ‘Trymlet’

G. ‘Uncle Dick’

G. ‘Uncle Dick’

G. ‘Imbolc’, ‘Greenfields’ and ‘The Linns’

G. ‘Waverley Aristocrat’

G. Waverley Little Egret’

G. ‘Wonston Double’

G. x Allenii

That’s all folks!

No more snowdrops until next year!