On the trail of a brave blossom heralding bright new beginnings
Their delicate, white petals may seem fragile, but the snowdrop braves the harsh winter weather to bring new hope and lift spirits, says Agnes Stevenson
In grassy glades and on slopes beneath bare trees, snowdrops are coming into flower.These small, white blooms and the hope they bring that winter might soon be over are always welcome, but never more than this year when we so badly need something to lift our spirits.
In Scotland snowdrop season starts in the south-west, where milder temperatures encourage earlier flowering, and then it moves northwards brightening gardens, parks and woodlands as it ripples its way up the country.
Snowdrops can be a little fussy. They like damp, but not waterlogged soil and often grow best on a sloping site beneath deciduous trees, where they won’t dry out and where the leafy canopy will protect them from summer sun. If you don’t have trees, then planting them under the outer fringes of shrubs can also work so long as the soil contains humus and doesn’t turn to dust as the year heats up.
However, one of the best placees to see snowdrops is at one of the many gardens across Scotland taking part in the annual Scottish Snowdrop Festival. This year the Festival is taking place under Covid restrictions so if there is a participating snowdrop garden, park or estate in your neighbourhood you could visit it as part of your daily exercise.
In Perth visitors can follow a snowdrop trail along the banks of the River Tay in Riverside Park.At Mertoun Gardens near Melrose, open on February 12 and 19 and again on March 5, there’s a chance to spot “poculiforms”, snowdrops prized by collectors because they are pure white with no green markings.
Attadale Gardens in Strathcarron is open on Thursdays from 10am until 4pm during snowdrop season and Dunvegan Castle on Skye, Cambo House in Fife and Dawyck Botanic Garden near Stobo and the Royal Botanic
Garden Edinburgh all have beautiful snowdrop collections. However, if none of these is on your doorstep you can check with discover scottish gardens. org/snowdropfestival for updates.
For snowdrop enthusiasts, known as “galanthophiles”, Scotland is a treasure trove of rare and unusual varieties.
The woods of Angus in particular have proven to be fertile hunting grounds, a result of snowdrops brought back by soldiers returning from the Crimean War hybridising with native species.
Once you start to appreciate the subtle differences between different snowdrops you begin to understand why they appeal to collectors.
Of course you should never dig up snowdrops growing in the wild but it might be worth getting your knees grubby by getting close enough to admire their beauty, even if they turn out to be Galanthus nivalis, those common-or-garden, everyday sort of snowdrops that bring us so much joy at this time of year.