Snowdrops, near Witton, Norfolk

Snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, are a cheering sight in late winter and early spring and here in Norfolk they’re at their best at the moment. We’ve had some warm days recently, with lots of sunshine and temperatures up to around 14 degrees Celsius, and this has caused snowdrop flowers to open wide so that their tepals (undifferentiated petals and sepals) are almost horizontal.

Snowdrops are native to Europe but not to Britain, although they’ve probably been here since the sixteenth century at least. (The first records of wild snowdrops in Britain date from the 1770s.) They naturalise very well in woods, parks and on roadsides and often form large swathes of dazzling white flowers. In Norfolk, Walsingham Abbey has some impressive displays and nationally the National Gardens Scheme includes some gardens with lovely displays of snowdrops.

Snowdrops come in many forms but I like the simple, single varieties best. The latin name Galanthus comes from gala (milk) and anthos (flower), an apt description, though the flowers have a green u- or v-shaped mark as well. “Nivalis” means “of the snow”. Richard Mabey records other picturesque names such as Snow piercer, Dingle-dangle, Candlemas bells and February fairmaids (Flora Britannica, Sinclair-Stevenson 1996).

Most people admire snowdrops but sometimes this goes a bit far. The love of snowdrops is called galanthophilia and some of the rarer forms are very valuable (over £100 per bulb). Not surprisingly, snowdrop thefts sometimes take place.

If you want to grow snowdrops there are many suppliers of legal, nursery grown stock and if you don’t want a rare variety they’re good value and reliable, especially bought ‘in the green’ as growing plants in the spring. The bulbs dry out quite easily so the growing plants usually establish much better than the bulbs, which are planted in autumn. In Grapes Hill Community Garden in Norwich we planted ours ‘in the green’ last March, having bought them from British Wildflower Plants at North Burlingham.