Margot’s Snowdrops

Anyone who knew Angela Jupe, the late landscape architect and garden maker, will remember her particular love of snowdrops, or Galanthus, as this genus of dainty bulbous perennials is properly known.

Galanthus x hybridus ‘Robin Hood’ at Thenford Arboretum

Best places to see snowdrops 

DAVID CULP is a self-professed Galanthophile, a lover and passionate, longtime collector of snowdrops in all their various incarnations. He’s also a host of the annual Galanthus Gala symposium, which happens the first weekend of March in Downingtown, PA, and virtually online, too, for those of us who want to join in without even leaving home, as I did last year, and will again this time around.

Maximising Snowdrop Multiplication: Utilising the “in the green” planting method is highly effective for snowdrops, particularly when aiming to increase their numbers. Follow these updated guidelines to effectively plant and cultivate winter snowdrops in your garden using this approach.

James R. Salomon

Just over a year ago, when we were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing, I talked about the lack of diversity in space and mentioned Mary Jackson. In 2016, the movie Hidden Figures shared the stories of Mary Jackson and two other Black female mathematicians – Katherine Johnson and, Dorothy Vaughan. They worked at NASA when a ‘computer’ still meant a person carrying out mathematical calculations. The film is based on a book by Margot Lee Shetterly, which I am reading at the moment. The book offers a more detailed and accurate account of the prejudice these women (and others) had to overcome.

Last year, as the world was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, there was considerable interest in the stories of the 400,000 people behind-the-scenes that made that historic event possible. Unlike the Moonwalkers, they weren’t all white American men. It was around that time I first watched the Hidden Figures film, which explores the critical contributions that three Black women (Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan) made at NASA as mathematicians, engineers and computer programmers.

Snowdrops are officially called Galanthus. This snowdrop is Galanthus elwessii with larger than normal blooms and a honey scent the other main species are Nivalis and Plicatus. The snowdrop is very hardy, grows in most soils and prefers partial shade.

With a fairly high chance of thunder and rain this afternoon, I took the opportunity of making a quick decision on what to focus on for today’s Six on Saturday, the meme generously hosted by Jim of Garden Ruminations. However we pronounce their name, clematis are such versatile and good value plants , with varieties flowering throughout the year, and their climbing ability enabling us to stretch the boundaries of our gardens upwards.

Although I say it myself, the garden is looking pretty glorious at the moment and there is a lot of standing and staring being done; in the overall scheme of things, however, I have but a small part to play, as the roses, the clematis, the annuals, the dahlias and all the other plants in the garden go about their business more or less independently. Despite a floriferous fortnight or so and a massive thunderstorm last Sunday, the roses are still looking wonderful and should still be on top form next Sunday, when we open the garden for the NGS. Their impact is augmented by a gradual  injection of colour from the viticella clematis, which are just coming into bloom, as in the above picture where ‘Lady Emma Hamilton’ (lower left), ‘Crimson Glory’ (pergola) and ‘Rural England’ (a mass of pink froth in the apple trees) are boosted by Clematis ‘Margot Koster’ and ‘Madame Julia Correvon’.

Snow drops (Galanthus nivalis) are one of the most popular and beautiful spring-flowering bulbs. They can be grown in most climates, and are easy to care for. Snow drops should be planted in well-drained, nutrient-rich soil in a sunny or partly-shaded location. They should be planted in the autumn, before the ground freezes.