Snowdrops - nature’s way of banishing the fl u blues
THIS winter, for the first time in years, I failed to have a flu jab.
I simply forgot to get one and was kicking myself about it – until I developed a back-up plan that I’m hopeful will keep me free from infection.
It doesn’t involve jetting off to Australia to bask in summer sunshine, or dosing myself up with herbal remedies, instead I’m going on a snowdrop safari.
Yes, I’m going to use the first flower of the year to ward off germs and keep me in good health through the winter.
It was while thinking about what medical professionals tell us about flu that gave me the idea. The virus is happiest in warm, overcrowded conditions but doesn’t fare so well in low temperatures.
It was then that I realised that the snowdrop is nature’s remedy.
Its appealing white flowers have been designed to tempt us outdoors into open spaces and cold air and if we happen to catch some winter sunshine while admiring the flowers, then that dose of vitamin D is a further boost to our immune systems.
If you don’t have any snowdrops of your own, don’t despair.
On January 28 the Scottish Snowdrop Festival opens and for the following six weeks there will be opportunities to see snowdrops in all sorts of locations all across the country.
Some of these will be grand estates, others public parks and others yet small, private gardens but they’ll all have one thing in common – breathtaking displays of winter’s most evocative flower.
Snowdrop season in Scotland usually starts in the south west, before spreading north and eastwards as the weeks progress.
At Castle Kennedy, near Stranraer, whole woodlands will be carpeted in pristine blooms while at Broughton House in Kirkcudbright visitors will be able to see the flowers that inspired artist E. A. Hornel.
The Festival has been running for some years now, but for 2017, many new locations have been added including the RSPB’s Loch Garten reserve, Fingask Castle at Rait in Perthshire, Dunninald Castle near Montrose and Maolachy’s Garden at Lochavich, by Taynuilt, in Argyll.
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has a fine collection of specialist snowdrops, so if you are looking for something different – the yellow ones, the pure white flowers, the tall varieties or their small cousins, and anything with unusual markings – then here you’ll find them growing strongly and all well-labelled.
And if you can’t tell one snowdrop from another but still love the sight of them growing in pristine carpets, then the Botanics is still worth a visit.
The festival runs until March 12, by which time this year’s flu virus should run out of steam.
So go looking for our most charming small bulb – it will lift your spirits and protect your health.