Snowpiercers
A tiny clump of snowdrops has come into flower in the past couple of days. They are the harbingers of warmer, brighter days to come. And as January slips seamlessly into February, they are the most welcome of sights.
Snowdrops (Galanthus) are one of those plants that are collected frantically. Galanthophiles, as they are known, pay ridiculous amounts of money for rare or new varieties when they become available.
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| (Ready for their close up) |
Ours are just the common - Galanthus nivalis - and are no less beautiful for being so. They are some of the most undemanding plants, at home in shady woodland conditions. Growing beneath trees, or in our case a hedge. They are most successfully planted 'in the green' which means waiting for the plant to flower, then lift and divide before the foliage has died down.
Apparently, they are less successful when planted from bulbs. Ironically, ours were planted this way. Which just goes to show, you shouldn't always follow conventional wisdom.
Snowdrops are some of the hardiest plants, withstanding any amount of inclement weather. In some parts of the country they are known as snowpiercers, referring to their ability to come up through frozen ground.
Ironically, snow is the one thing that has eluded us so far this year. Most of the winter has been dark, dank and miserably wet and windy. But the snow shall come, and if it falls whilst the snowdrops are in flower, they shall look all the more splendid.
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