Martin Fish on picking snowdrops for indoor displays
They’re ideal for an indoor display to brighten dreary days
Snowdrops are always a welcome site at this time of year and are a joyous signal that winter’s coming to an end, and spring’s just around the corner. Snowdrops (or galanthus, Greek for milk flower) also have several other names around the country and they’re steeped in folklore.
The name Eve’s tear comes from the legend of Eve, who was standing, crying in her bare garden after the Fall of Man. An angel heard her, caught a snowflake, breathed on it and turned it into a snowdrop for her.
The name fair maids of February has religious connections; on Candlemas Day, (February 2), it was the custom for maidens dressed in white to gather bunches of snowdrops and cover the church alter with them. This is probably one of the reasons why there are so many snowdrops around churches – another is because monks of medieval times brought snowdrops across from southern Europe to plant around monasteries.
In a garden situation they make a lovely display through January and February, especially when planted in large clumps or drifts. There are many different types of snowdrop and some people spend a fortune collecting them, but for me, the common single snowdrop takes some beating, although I do like the double ones, too.
They also make pretty little posies at this time of the year, although in the past some considered it bad luck to bring snowdrops into the house. Superstition aside, I think they really help to cheer up a very dull February day. If picking them for the house, wait until the flowers are fully developed and pick them with as long a stem as possible. Very often in the garden, the delicate flowers don’t fully open on cold days, but once in water in the house, the flowers will open wide and give off the most delicious honey-scented perfume for several days.