Visitors invited to dig in at bulb planting bonanza
ANORTHUMBERLAND National Trust property is inviting people from across the region to plant 100,000 snowdrops this week.
The familiar white flowers are the first bulbs to flower each year, and are seen as a sign that spring is on its way.
Since 2015, visitors have been joining the National Trust gardeners and volunteers at Wallington, near Cambo, every February to plant the snowdrops during halfterm.
Around 3,000 to 4,000 people have taken part each week and visitors can plant as many or a few snowdrops as they like, whether just one or 1,000.
The planting takes place between 11am to 3pm and is happening until Sunday.
With 900,000 bulbs now planted, the aim is to have one million snowdrops in the ground by this time next year, in the hope that the flowery, white carpet will keep getting bigger and better.
Simon Thompson, head gardener at Wallington, said: “Snowdrops are uplifting to see – a sight that makes winter feel shorter.
“They have quite a long flowering season, so people can come to see them all through February and for the first couple of weeks of March.
“The best way to plant snowdrops is ‘in the green’ – a live stem with a bulb and flower.
“When people come to help us, they can immediately see the flower they’ve planted, rather than having to wait for it to grow.
“Some families might not have been near soil before and this helps to show that being muddy is OK and fun.
“Children who helped us plant snowdrops a few years ago are now coming back as teenagers to see them. And when they’ve grown up and got their own kids, those bulbs will still be there.”
Each year, Simon picks an area of the Wallington gardens for planting, in areas where snowdrops will grow and form part of the long-term design of the garden.
Planting this year is an area of East Wood, which has recently been thinned out to allow new shrubs and plants to thrive once the carpet of snowdrops has been planted.
Next in line is the annual sea of purple of around 100,000 crocuses in late February and early March in the walled garden.