Snowdrop diversity

Throughout the 1800s, interest in snowdrops grew and, in 1891, when AG was only in its seventh year, the RHS held the first-ever Snowdrop Conference. At that point there were seven or eight species in cultivation and around 50 cultivars, but by 1918, the number of cultivars had dwindled to 25, according to the famous plantsman EA Bowles. It is thought that a devastating disease had killed off a huge proportion of the snowdrop diversity. In Sir Frederick Stern’s Snowdrops and Snowflakes (1956), there is a list of 137 named snowdrops, but many had already become extinct or lost.

The past 80 years has seen a huge amount of breeding work. In 2001, the book Snowdrops (by Matt Bishop, Aaron Davis and John Grimshaw) names more than 500 cultivars – although the vast majority of these will be very difficult to obtain.

Henry John Elwes (1846-1922) is often regarded as the ‘father of the snowdrop’. The popular Galanthus elwesii (above) is named after him: he discovered it on a trip to Turkey in 1874. His garden at Colesbourne Park, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, which is still in the Elwes family, became known for its plant treasures. More than 200 different snowdrop types have pride of place there today, attracting enthusiasts every winter. This year, it will be open every Saturday and Sunday from 2 February until 3 March. For details visit colesbournegardens.org.uk.