GARDEN NOTES Everything you need to know to get the most from your plot

Everything you need to know to get the most from your plot in February

I’VE NEVER BEEN TEMPTED TO SPEND SILLY MONEY on a rare snowdrop and I wouldn’t describe myself as an incurable galanthophile (yet!), but, like most gardeners, I am bewitched by this precious little flower and usually add at least one or two new ones to my collection each year. ‘Magnet’ is rather special as it stands taller than the others, and I also favour reliable, honey-scented ‘Brenda Troyle’ (above). A delicate appearance belies the resilience of snowdrops, as they can push their noses up even through rock-hard ground. They also have the ability to bide their time beneath undergrowth in mature gardens and then magically reappear, even after decades, when the brambles have been cleared. True harbingers of hope after a long winter.

Their favoured position is in humusrich soil akin to woodland conditions – they like to be dry in summer and moist in winter. Growing them under spring- and summer-flowering shrubs will provide the dappled shade they prefer and allows you to ‘mark’ any special cultivars so you know where they will come up. To learn more about them, head for one of the hundreds of snowdrop sales, talks and walks. The Cottage Garden Society (thecottage gardensociety.org.uk), Alpine Garden Society (alpinegardensociety. net) and the Scottish Rock Garden Club forum (srgc.net) are all good for information.