Celebrate the Scottish Snowdrop Festival by visiting a garden near you
From today until March 11, more than 50 gardens around the country will be opening on various days as part of the Scottish Snowdrop Festival. Agnes Stevenson highlights some to look out for.
At a time of the year when it feels as if winter is dragging its heels, the sight of a woodland covered in snowdrops is the tonic that lifts our spirits. Regardless of how far temperatures plummet, these little flowers are guaranteed to appear, pushing at times through snow and ice to fill the air with their honeyed scent.
It is no wonder then that so many gardeners have become slightly obsessed with the snowdrop, not content just to grow the ordinary Galanthus nivalis, but also collecting some of the 20 known species and 2,500 varieties and hybrids that are believed to exist.
To the unpracticed eye, the difference between one snowdrop and another can seem minimal, but to collectors each tiny mark on the segments (petals) or change of tone in the pedicel (the stalk that connects the flower to the stem) can signify the difference between a known form and something very special.
The snowdrop is not a native plant, it may have arrived here with the Romans, but in Scotland it found a natural home in our cold, damp climate, spreading silently through woodlands and gardens until the ground appeared carpeted in white. Later, when soldiers returning from the Crimea brought with them bulbs of the Pleated snowdrop, ‘Galanthus plicata’, hybridisation would give rise to many new varieties. Yet the snowdrop didn’t keep its roots in the soil, it also found its way into our literature, inspiring poetry, folklore, fiction and also art. ‘Glasgow Boy’, E A Hornel’s ‘Gathering Snowdrops’, which is held by Glasgow Museums, captures the enchantment that this humble flower has long-held for children and from February 9 - 13, visitors can slip through the side gate of Hornel’s home, Broughton House, in Kirkcudbright, and see the snowdrops that inspired his work.
Galanthophiles, as aficionados are known, live for snowdrop season, but they are not the only ones who count the days until the first flowers appear. Since it was launched in 2007, the Scottish Snowdrop Festival has been encouraging growing numbers of visitors to explore some of the many gardens and estates that open their gates, out of season, in order to allow the public to enjoy.
This year the Scottish Snowdrop Festival, which is organised by Discover Scottish Gardens, will stretch from the Borders to the Highlands. It will start on Monday, 26 January and continue until Wednesday, 11 March, and amongst the more-than-50 gardens taking part, there will be many who will be raising money for charity through Scotland’s Gardens Scheme.
So if you want to lose yourself in a snowdrop wood, or follow a flower-strewn path, here are 10 of the top places to enjoy the enchantment of winter’s smallest, but most cherished arrival. www.discoverscottishgardens.org
Cambo Gardens, Kingsbarns, St Andrews, Fife KY16 8QD The festival began here in 2007 and it remains its ‘spiritual home’, with walks, talks, woodland trails, expert workshops and live music events. Catherine Erskine, who began the festival as a way of encouraging visitors to the garden during the winter, says: "The snowdrop is a classic symbol of hope. After 20 years, it remains a joy to see so many people braving the winter air to enjoy these delicate flowers. They remind us that nature is waking up." www.cambogardens.org.uk
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Until Sunday, 22 February, the RBGE will be conducting weekend snowdrop walks where guides will give insights into the many different snowdrop species and cultivars that grow in the gardens. Participants will also discover a stunning collection of other spring plants, including narcissus, fritillaria and iris. Tours cost £12 and booking is essential: [email protected]
Shepherd House, Inveresk, Midlothian EH21 7TH More than 70 named varieties of snowdrops grow in this outstanding one-acre garden, created by Charles Fraser and his wife, Ann, a renowned botanical artist, whose Galanthus paintings are sought-after by collectors. The snowdrops at Shepherd House grow under trees and are surrounded by hellebores. The garden will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout February. www.shepherdhousegarden.co.uk
Teasses Estate, Ceres, Fife KY8 5PG Early in the year the 60 acre gardens that surround Teasses House are carpeted in snowdrops and this year, aside from its regular openings on Thursdays and Fridays, on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 February the estate will also be hosting candlelit snowdrop walks through the Victorian walled garden, contemporary formal gardens and decorative woodlands. www.teasses.com
Floors Castle, Kelso, Roxburghshire TD5 7RL From Friday, 20 until Sunday, 22 February, Floors Castle will be staging Snowdrop Splendour, showing off the carpets of snowdrops that cover the grassy floor of this huge estate that is bordered by the River Tweed. Visitors will be able to explore the 170-year-old four-acre walled garden, stroll through the Star Plantation, with its radiating lines of lime trees, and discover a French-style parterre, where the initials of the 10th Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe are entwined in clipped box hedges. www.floors.com
Kailzie Gardens, Kailzie, Peebles EH45 9HT Kailzie Gardens sits at the heart of the Tweed Valley just a mile east of Peebles and at its heart lies the stunning walled garden with one of the best examples of a Mackenzie and Moncur glasshouse still in existence. It will be open for the Snowdrop Festival from Wednesday, 4 February and on Sunday, 1 March, it will be holding a special snowdrop day, with refreshments available and plants for sale. www.kailziegardens.com
Branklyn Garden, 116 Dundee Road, Perth PH2 7BB Begun in 1922 by John and Dorothy Renton, this two-acre garden is home to a renowned collection of Himalayan plants and to more than 200 varieties of snowdrop. The garden will be open as part of the Scottish Snowdrop Festival from Wednesday, 11 until Sunday, 15 February and on the Friday and Saturday it will host a specialist snowdrop sale. www.nts.org.uk
Scone Palace, Perth PH2 6BD On Saturday, 21 February, Scone Palace will be opening its gates to allow visitors to explore the many acres of snowdrops that grow beneath its trees. A waymarked 'Snowdrop Walk' will lead through the Friars Den, Victorian Pinetum and down the old drive lined with an avenue of lime trees and visitors will be able to join the Palace gardens team as they plant up a wooded area of the grounds for a new snowdrop display, taking home a few snowdrops with which to start their own collection.
Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye IV55 8WF Snowdrops grow in abundance across Dunvegan Castle’s five acres of formal gardens and surrounding woodland, which occupy a spectacular setting on the edge of the Atlantic. The gardens will be on to visitors for the Scottish Snowdrop Festival on Thursday 12 February, Saturday 14 February and Tuesday 17 February. www.dunvegancastle.com
Bruckhills Croft, Rothienorman AB51 8YB This garden in Aberdeenshire was established in 1991 by Helen Rushton, while she was restoring a derelict croft. Now the 600 different snowdrops that grow here make up a National Collection of Galanthus. Helen also sells bulbs through her website. The garden will be open by arrangement between February 14 and March 15. www.snowdrops.me.
For more information, see www.discoverscottishgardens.org