SNOWDROPS GALORE!

They’re the stars of the season, and here’s where to see thousands of them

Although it might seem like a quiet time of year in the garden, for some it’s one of the busiest months in the calendar, as they open their doors for the snowdrop season. Now is usually the peak time for snowdrops, although this can vary according to location and the weather.

Dunham Massey in Cheshire is, at seven acres, the largest winter garden in Britain. It has a magnificent collection of 100,000 snowdrops, and if you go in February you should see some of the 20,000 narcissi just starting to come into flower, too. The garden is open daily, 11am- 4pm; entry free to National Trust members, £7 for non-members.

There are several other National Trust gardens with notable snowdrop collections. The extensive woodland around the medieval Chirk Castle in Wrexham is a mass of snowdrops throughout February, and is open daily, 10am4pm. Entry £ 5 for non-members. At Anglesey Abbey near Cambridge you can admire more than 200 varieties of snowdrop, which are planted throughout. The garden, which also has some lovely statuary and magnificent winter colour from shrubs and trees, is open daily, 10.30am- 4.30pm; entry £5.95 for non-members. And Kingston Lacy in Dorset is a delightful garden with a strong Victorian feel, and at this time of year there are huge drifts of snowdrops across the estate. Open daily, 10.30am- 4pm; entry £ 6.30 to non-members. See www. nationaltrust. org. uk for details of all trust gardens.

One of the people who did most to teach British gardeners about the beauty of snowdrops was the writer Margery Fish, whose garden at East Lambrook Manor in Somerset, started in 1937, is still open to the public. There is a beautiful collection of more than 80 varieties of snowdrop in the woodland and along the banks of a small stream; there are also raised display beds where you can examine some of the more unusual varieties close up. The garden is open daily in February, 10am-5pm. Entry £5.50, www.eastlambrook.co.uk.

Constance Craig Smith