Top 10 of the best garden snowdrops
It’s the time of year when winter is not quite over and the dreary days seem to last for ever, that the delightful snowdrop appears. Its white nodding head, held up on such delicate green stems is an absolute joy to see.
You suddenly spot them everywhere, on the roadside, in the park and you probably have a few in your own garden – the single snowdrop Galanthus nivalis and the double Galanthus nivalis ‘flore pleno’. These can be divided as clumps and, replanted, they will bulk up quickly. Ordinary snowdrops can be bought in their hundreds and can make an impact almost immediately.
But what about the different types of snowdrops? There are so many beautiful and fascinating varieties to choose from. But where to start? Here is a list of my top 10 snowdrops with a range of shapes and sizes to start off your collection.
Fields of snowdrops in the Hall’s grounds
Galanthus ‘Magnet’, one of my favourite snowdrops. It’s a robust old cultivar and indispensable for any collection. The flowers have a charming habit of swaying in the breeze on their long thin pedicels. Its nicely proportioned flowers make this one of the best cultivars.
Snowdrop S. Arnott comes to about 15cm, with narrow, grey-green leaves and solitary, nodding, fragrant white flowers whose inner segments have a thin V-shaped mark at the tip. It’s super easy to grow and bulks up very quickly.
Brenda Troyle is taller than S Arnott with erect, narrow, grey-green leaves and 2-3cm white flowers with pear-shaped outer segments and shorter inner ones. A lovely snowdrop
I also love Dionysus which is an early double flowering snowdrop bulking up quickly.
A smaller variety of Magnet is Wisley Magnet
A snowdrop similar to Magnet is Galatea - it differs by having a perfect right angle in the inner markings and is earlier to flower.
Another favourite of mine is Galanthus Little Ben - one of the Mighty Atom group of snowdrops. It is small but has the most gigantic flowers. Similar is G Mighty Atom - a beautiful snowdrop with very large, rounded, bright white flowers and a bold, deep green mark on the inner segments. It’s a short and compact snowdrop.
Highly prized are yellow snowdrops and a good, affordable variety is Wendy’s Gold - one of the best yellow snowdrop with folded leaves and large flowers.
A small and delightful double snowdrop is G Pusey Green Tips which, as its name suggests, has outer segment tips dipped in green.
And finally G George Elwes - a large white snowdrop with grey leaves. It’s a handsome hybrid and will bulk up quickly.
Where to buy snowdrops:-
Bulbs may seem expensive but as the snowdrops bulk up fast, it’s a great investment. For example, you can buy three Galanthus ‘Magnet’ for £5.70; three ‘Galatea’ for £6.70 while ‘Wendy’s Gold’ is the most expensive coming in at around £20 per bulb. Prices of course can vary enormously – and many people who have a collection are keen to do swops! Try the following online websites – and good luck:-
Morlas Plants
Beth Chatto
Harvey’s Garden Plants
Gee Tee Bulbs
Edrom Nurseries
various Ebay sellers
Goldsborough Hall is a 17th century stately home in North Yorkshire and the former residence of HRH Princess Mary. The Hall opens for most of the month of February for guests to see the snowdrops.
By Clare Oglesby
