Snowdrops: A Monograph of Cultivated Galanthus

Product Information

The collection was established by (snowdrop) expert Matt Bishop, former head gardener at The Garden House, to include many unusual varieties. Matt is the principal author of the galanthophile bible’, Snowdrops: a Monograph of Cultivated Galanthus’(Griffin Press, 2002) and now has his own worldwide snowdrop business. Matt added more to the collection in 2019, so it now numbers over 100 named varieties, some of which are extremely rare. The Garden House team now hope the snowdrop collection will become a nationally recognised collection, though many varieties remain yet to be formally identified.

Now, together with the original Matt Bishop collection, there are nearly 350 named cultivars and species of snowdrop – some rarely seen in open gardens. Crocus sell Galanthus nivalis in the green. Here’s a link to see the full range of snowdrops offered by Crocus. Dryad Nursery Woodchippings is a small nursery, run by Richard Bashford and Valerie Bexley. Richard and Valerie sell their snowdrops online; they offer a small section of snowdrops sold in the green from late January, and a larger range of snowdrops sold as dormant bulbs, in summertime. The snowdrop collection is not only extraordinarily pretty,” said The Garden House General Manager, Donna Wadham. “It’s a unique chance to see some of the most unusual varieties of snowdrop in an exceptionally beautiful setting. It’s loved by experts and garden lovers alike and, along with our amazing bulb sale, is a not to be missed moment in the Garden House calendar.”Avon Bulbs is an award winning nursery that offers a huge range of beautiful snowdrops, including a selection of Collector’s Snowdrops, which were grown by the late Alan Street and are now grown by Alan’s team at Avon Bulbs. Avon Bulbs’ Snowdrops in the Green are lifted and offered for sale in growth – in the green. I spotted: Galanthus ‘S. Arnott’, Galanthus ‘Sally Pasmore’, and Galanthus ‘Byfield Special’, among the snowdrops available in Avon Bulbs’ online catalogue.

The new collection was left as a very special legacy to the Garden House and it’s expert gardening team very carefully transplanted the collection to the plantsman’s paradise. Godfrey Owen’ spaces itself out as it increases and flowers reliably every year, so this grey-leaved poculiform (shaped like a pixie hat) snowdrop is literally a star performer. Galanthus elwesii ‘Mrs Macnamara’ AGM The Garden House’s is also delighted to be hosting its not to be missed snowdrop bulb sale by Chelsea Flower Show Gold medallists, Avon Bulbs taking place on Feb 2nd, 11-3pm, normal garden admission applies. One of only a handful of sales by Avon Bulbs, The Garden House bulb sale will be their furthest West this year. Crocus say that their snowdrop bulbs may have been grown in peat-free compost but most of their suppliers use peat. Now, together with the original Matt Bishop collection, there are nearly 350 named cultivars and species of snowdrop - some rarely seen in open gardens.

Areas of the Garden

Today, a board of Trustees oversees The Garden House and actively seeks support to fulfil its objectives. When the term virescent is used in connection with Galanthus, it is exclusively used for the flowers, after all the foliage is always some shade of green, so that would be overdoing the Latin. The Galanthus that are described as being virescent are the ones that on first sight have an overall greenish appearance, so have a large covering of green on the outer segments concentrated around the centre, but can spread to cover nearly the entire surface. This can be in the form of an opaque green mist that looks like someone has got a fine spray can out, it can also be in the form of green stripes which may merge together at certain points. This is different to snowdrops that just have green tips which are not included. Another feature of virescent snowdrops is that they generally do not just have a simple apical mark on the inner segments, they instead have a large green mark, sometimes bleeding and fading towards the base, sometimes solid green, and often completely covering the surface of the inner segments. We snowdrop lovers do like to drop in the odd Latin word specific to snowdrops when talking about our blooms. Virescent is one such word, but is actually a common term in horticulture and is simply an adjective meaning greenish. It comes from the early Latin word viridis meaning simply green, and can be used for anything from flowers, to of course, foliage. A similar word is viridescent, and this just means becoming greenish.

The house and gardens that form The Garden House were bought in the 1940s by Lionel and Katharine Fortescue. Over the next 40 years the Fortescues created a garden which was – and continues to be – viewed as one of the finest in Britain. All snowdrops prefer cool, moist conditions in the spring and a dry dormancy during the summer. This can be achieved by planting them in amongst the roots of deciduous trees and shrubs which will take away the moisture in summer and allow a long dry dormancy in the shade. Plant the bulbs as soon as you can (as long as the ground is not frozen) in the spot where you want them to grow. Dig a narrow planting hole probably 4-6" (10-15cm) deep with an asparagus trowel or similar, loosening the soil as you go. Plant your snowdrop at a depth slightly greater than it was previously (where the stem turns green) and nearly up to where the leaves divide. Firm in and water well, remembering to label the spot. If you have more than one of the same variety, space them about 4" (10cm) apart.

The Gardeners

There are scores of various shapes, colours (the pink snowdrop Galanthus nivalis “Blushing Pendant ” is one lots of visitors look out for) and scents. The world renowned Matt Bishop Snowdrop Collection, one of the most diverse collections of named and naturalised snowdrops in the UK, has been joined by the Colin Mason Collection at The Garden House, one of the finest gardens in England and will be on display in January and February. The signature style of my snowdrop images has become familiar to snowdrop aficionados through my portrait illustrations for Snowdrops: A Monograph of Cultivated Galanthus (2001), articles, especially in the RHS Daffodil Snowdrop and Tulip Yearbook and used to illustrate for lectures. Now they have been transformed into an exclusive range of greetings cards, offering stylish way to marking every occasion – from a birthday or anniversary or an expression of sympathy to a simple “Thank You” or just to collect and keep! The single flowers are decidedly elegant, with crisp, dark-green inner marks, and they’re held on taller stems so they resist inclement weather really well. Mrs Macnamara was Dylan Thomas’s mother-in-law and this elegant snowdrop may have Irish origins for Yvonne Macnamara’s father, Henry Vee Macnamara, had two estates in County Clare.

The Garden House Snowdrop Festival runs from Friday 15th January until Sunday 28th February 2021: Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11am – 3pm Named after the gardener who found it, this is a special snowdrop as unusually it originated from “across the pond” in Vancouver, Canada in 1998 and was imported into the UK, most snowdrops seem to make the journey the other way. Another elwesii, this snowdrop has distinct green stripes that run the full length of the outer segments, with a pale blush in between. The inner segments are completely green except for only a fine white edge. The snowdrop collection is not only extraordinarily pretty, it’s a unique chance to see some of the rarest varieties of snowdrop in an exceptionally beautiful setting. It’s loved by experts and garden lovers alike and, along with our amazing bulb sale, is a not to be missed moment in the Garden House calendar. Dineke Logtenberg raises all their snowdrops in the soil in a private garden, without the use of any pesticides. Horse manure is the only fertiliser used. Sadly, Dineke Logtenberg still uses peat in the potting mix for all their potted snowdrops. A Calendar of Snowdrop Garden Openings & Snowdrop Events Originally discovered in Zutphen in the Netherlands by Gert-Jan van der Kolk in 2000, among a naturalized patch of nivalis, it has bold green stripes over the outer segments which blend together to give an overall greenish hue. The inner segments are completely green.Galanthus are potted in pure steamed compost by Staudengärtnerei Jentsch. No peat is used. Dutch Snowdrop Nurseries De Boshhoeve This is perhaps the most willing snowdrop I grow, when it comes to bulking up, forming sizeable clumps of early flowers. It was spotted in the late 1990s by Matt Bishop, while he was visiting John Morley’s private garden. Triffids Nursery is usually closed to visitors; however, in snowdrop season, Triffids Nursery opens strictly by appointment for visitors during January and February. Woodchippings Virescent snowdrops have been around for some considerable time, but in the late 1990s and early 2000s virescent snowdrops became very popular, as several new and improved ones became available, some at considerable cost.