A carpet of snowdrops takes some beating

THE annual Scottish Snowdrop Festival is under way and for the next six weeks gardens across the country will be opening their gates to visitors.

It’s a great chance to get out into the fresh air and enjoy the spirit-raising sight of woodland glades and mossy lawns transformed by the winter’s most cherished flower. I’ve counted my snowdrops and 34 is not enough to make a rug, never mind a carpet of blooms, so nobody will be flocking to see the spectacle in my garden.

But even though they are as yet few in number, these small flowers give me huge pleasure and I’ll continue planting more until the small dip in the ground beneath the chestnut tree is Persil white and I have to wear my sunglasses when I look at it. I’m also keeping a close eye on the crocuses that have begun to appear beneath the magnolia. Despite my fears that the bulbs had been eaten by squirrels, a good number have survived and will soon be creating a splash of early colour. Most are purple, but there’s a few white striped ones in the mix, and a sprinkling of yellow. I’ve still not planted any daffodils as I have to add an upper storey of small trees and shrubs first, but in the bank beneath the laurel hedge, I’ve added dozens of little fritillaries which I hope will eventually spread.

Snake’s-head fritillaries are found in damp meadows so they should feel right at home in this soggy part of my garden.

The bit of garden that lies beneath the section of stone wall isn’t just soggy, it’s a swamp, and while that hasn’t prevented a wisteria from growing quite happily, most other things would just rot.

I want to plant more climbers here and perennials too, but I’ll have to add grit and compost to the soil before I can plant anything.

In order to do that, I’ll have to wait until the ground is neither frozen solid or under water.

A lot of my gardening at the moment consists of walking around and compiling a list of what’s got to be done once the weather improves.

Like Mole in Wind In The Willows, I’m keen to smell spring in the air.

A day of early sunshine and a brisk breeze would be enough to move the season along but before that happens we’ve still got snowdrops to enjoy, so I’m determined to savour winter’s chilly pleasures, which is why I’ll be heading to Culzean Castle this week for the snowdrop show. If you don’t live near Culzean then there’s no need to miss out, the gardens that are open for the snowdrop festival this year stretch from Abbotsford in the Borders to Dunrobin Castle near Golspie and include Cambo Estate near St Andrews, where the snowdrop festival began.

You can find a full list at visitscotland.com/snowdrop so don’t let the weather stop you getting out to enjoy them.