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Perfect Snowdrop Comes With A High Price Tag

February 10, 2011 By 3 Comments
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Myddleton House and Garden, Bulls Cross, Enfield

Image via Wikipedia

Recently I read about a perfect snowdrop that was auctioned for the grand total of £375!

I have to say that I read the article in The Independent a couple of times, to check I had not misread it!

You may be wondering why this particular snowdrop was so expensive… well this delicate beauty was perfect, in that it had 6 white, perfectly proportioned petals.

The name of this snowdrop is – ‘Galanthus Plicatus E.A Bowles’, named after an important 20th century gardner. The snowdrop was found in his garden – Myddleton House Gardens in North London.

A little information about E.A Bowles and Myddleton House Gardens:

The Gardens was created by Edward Augustus Bowles; a gardener who was described as an ‘unusual man’ by the E.A Bowles of Myddleton House Society. His work is considered to be very important in the gardening world, and made a large contribution to the RHS. The RHS have a special area in their Wisley gardens, dedicated to him. He specialised in being a garden writer, as well as being a botanist and artist, with several of his pieces of art included in the Lindley Library collection. He wrote many articles and books, including his last one that he co-wrote with Sir F Stein, published after his death in 1956, looking at varieties of snowdrops.

He was awarded the very prestigious RHS Victoria Medal of Honour for his work.

The gardens are currently being fully restored after they were neglected for more than 30 years. The gardens have won many awards.

E.A Bowles didn’t always get it right though, as he introduced the invasive Japanese Knotweed to his garden, which I am sure the current gardeners just love! They are currently using it as an example of how much damage an alien plant can do. Gardening is definitely a learning curve!

Apparently the Head Gardener of Myddleton House Gardens, is selling the last five prized bulbs at their Early Spring Show, so if you have the cash I would get there quickly!

Here are the details for their Early Spring Show:

Date: 12th February

Time: 12 – 4pm

Booking required!

Where: Myddleton House Gardens, Bulls Cross, Enfield, EN2  9HG

Tel: 08456 770 600

All the funds raised from these perfect snowdrops are going to restore the gardens.

On the same day there is a guided snowdrop and hellebore walk 1 – 3pm


I was recently asked what I wanted for my birthday next week… but I think asking for this may be pushing it a bit far don’t you! :)


Would you spend £375 on a snowdrop?


Image of Myddleton House Gardens from Wikipedia taken by Christine Matthews.

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Winter Magic At RHS Wisley

January 12, 2011 By 1 Comment
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I am a huge fan of the RHS for many reasons, and always recommend becoming a member if you love plants and gardening.

Exotic Butterflies

For a few years now RHS Wisley has had a wonderful event called ‘Butterflies In The Glasshouse‘ through January – February. I think it’s a great idea! Not only do I love butterflies, but also when it is usually a quieter time in the garden calendar, this event encourages families to experience the glorious winter garden and revel in the beauty of the butterfly in their stunning glasshouse, which houses exotic plants that are sure to brighten any cold damp days.

I hope to be making a return visit this year!

If you are interested in attending this event, it begins on the 15th January and ends on the 27th February 2011

Time: 10 am – 4.00 pm, with last entries to the glasshouse at 3.30pm

Snowdrop heaven

If you love snowdrops, Wisley has a special snowdrop event on the 29th-30th January. You could combine a visit to see the butterflies and admire the delicate beauty of the snowdrop!

A valentine treat

If you are looking for a romantic Valentines evening to treat your loved one – Wisley has a special event on the 12th February, which includes drinks, dinner and a romantic walk through the glasshouse to see the butterflies.

Wisley has done it again! These events are sure to be popular, so don’t miss out!

Have you been to one of these events at Wisley? What did you enjoy?

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Gardens To See Snowdrops

January 10, 2011 By 1 Comment
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It may be cold, wet and miserable out there, but I am eagerly awaiting to welcome one of my favourite things- the magnificent snowdrop!

© Nita Joy Design

Snowdrop just a note to say © Nita Joy Design

In the run up to Christmas, when things can be a tad stressful, I think ahead to the little beauty that will soon be growing in their thousands, bravely pushing through the snow and ice, to find their beloved daylight.

This year I have been looking out of the window each day, searching for the first delicate green shoots of this pretty flower in my front garden, but due to the extreme weather we have been having, my freshly laid bulbs I planted last year, may find their first year of growth a little difficult.

If you love snowdrops or don’t know what all the fuss is about, I invite you to check out my latest blog on – Birds On The Blog looking at the lovely snowdrop, giving suggestions of gardens to visit in the UK, to admire their beauty.

You can find the post here – One Of My Favourite Things

If you love snowdrops, we have a selection of greeting cards, kitchen splashback….

If you have a favourite place that you like visiting to see snowdrops, and it isn’t mentioned in the blog post, please leave a comment, as I always love finding new places – and it’s great to share with others.

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Other places to see snowdrops

March 8, 2010 By 2 Comments
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Last week, I went on my annual trip with my dad, looking for snowdrops.

Snowdrops in the Dorset and Hampshire region have flowered quite late this year and after all the cold windy weather we have been having, some snowdrops which are open to all the elements, have had a rough time holding their delicate heads held high.

In the language of flowers the snowdrop means – A friend in adversity and hope.

If you know someone who is having a hard time, a trip to see the lovely snowdrop is sure to life their spirit.

Now is the time to plant snowdrops ‘in the green.’ Planting them now will give you a fantatstic display next year.

On my day out we decided on visiting 2 areas that we knew would be excellent to see this lovely flower.

Damerham church has the wow factor of several thousand snowdrops planted together in the church grave yard. They often hold special snowdrops days to welcome visitors. It was lovely to see, and just how I remembered.

The snowdrops were beautiful, even though they were a little windswept. If you want to see snowdrops in their thousands, then this is a lovely place to visit next year.

We then moved on to Breamore church.

As we carefully moved around the wonderous display of snowdrops in the pretty church yard, I counted around 5 different varieties growing there. There was probably more, but this was the number I spotted. These snowdrops had a little more protection from the elements than the ones at Damerham, so there was plenty of opportunities to photograph them.

There was also a lovely area of winter aconites.

The yellow of the aconites and white and green of the snowdrops had a really fresh, spring feel.

I watched Countryfile the other week, and the presenter looking at snowdrops in Scotland said he thought snowdrops looked all the same. Well if you view them from a far, you may agree. It’s not really until you examine the detail of each of them, that you will see how different and special they can be. It’s epecially hard to see the differences, due to the fact that they are low to the ground, and the flower heads point downwards.

This particular snowdrop wanted the world to see her beauty, as this flower head was pointing outwards. I was so pleased to have spotted this one and capture the image. I have heard of some people using dental mirrors to see the insides of low growing flowers, and I can quite see how useful this would be.

If you like this snowdrop image, it is available to buy as a framed, mounted or canvas print

As I have said before you can see beautiful flowers all over the place. You don’t always need to go to a specific garden to see them, it’s often fun to look into alternative places, such as church yards, roundabouts etc…

Where are your favourite places to go?

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A visit to East Lambrook Manor Gardens

February 23, 2010 By 3 Comments
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Do you like snowdrops?

If your reply was yes, then I recommend a visit to East Lambrook Manor Gardens in Somerset.

As a part of a new series looking at various gardens to visit throughout the seasons of the year, we visited this garden while we were away on holiday last week.

East Lambrook Manor has been a garden that I have wanted to visit for a long time.

Margery Fish’s garden style is seen as a true example of English cottage gardening, with many gardeners eager to learn from her experience and plant expertise, adding to their garden designs.

In her book ‘A Flower For Every Day’ first published in 1964, Graham Rice who wrote the book’s foreword in 2000, described Margery’s gardening style as -

‘She believed that even in gardens of relatively modest size and limited resources, plants should, and could, be chosen to provide flowers and a fascinating garden prospect on every day of the year.’

(Quote from A Flower For Every Day, Author Margery Fish, Foreword by Graham Rice, year 2000,  B.T Batsford)

As our gardens get smaller, we can apply these same principles in our gardens today.

This garden holds a specialist collection of snowdrops and geraniums.

There have been three new varieties of snowdrops discovered since the year 2000 with the wonderfully named –

  • Galanthus Dodo Norton in 2000,
  • Galanthus Lambrook Greensleeves in 2001
  • and last but not least the Galanthus Sir Henry B-C in 2006

Garden details:

Entry price – £4.50.  RHS Members – Free (February, March, September, October)

Opening times – 10 am – 5 pm

Everyday throughout February and May- 17th July

Tuesday – Saturday throughout March – April and 20th July – October

Please check with them before you travel

Disabled Access – It has limited disabled access as it is a small garden with small paths and has a terraced and gravel areas. The area known as the Ditch and woodland area is suitable for wheelchairs and those with limited mobility. They have a detailed disability access statement, for those wishing to know more.

There is also a unisex disabled toilet.

Plant Nursery they have a small plant shop, with a variety of plants grown in the garden.

Parking there is a free car park across a small road in front of the gardens, with some disabled spaces.

Eating facilities there is a small café that offers coffee, fruit juices and cake.

There is a wonderful pub  - The Rose and Crown which is 5 mins walk away which offers a warm, friendly service with a wonderful menu that has options for gluten free, vegetarian and vegan meals.

I had  a yummy cauliflower, broccoli and cheese bake and Matt had what he calls the best steak and kidney pie he has ever had!

Review

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the garden. We were fortunate in that the weather was also lovely after a week of rain and snow. The collection of snowdrops was wonderful to see, and to be able to learn about the many different varieties made the visit even more special.

We loved the Galanthus Nivalis Blewbury Tart

and the pretty Galanthus Primrose Walburg that had yellow ovary (The section at the top of the flower head).

If you want to learn more about snowdrops, then I highly recommend this garden.

It’s not a garden to see thousands of snowdrops, but one that shows these beautiful plants in the best light.  It’s not really a garden for young children as it is a small specialist garden, with small paths.

Due to the cold weather we have been having, snowdrops have been quite late this year, so there is still time to admire this beauty.

There was also a magnificent display of crocuses on the manor’s front lawn, so don’t miss this lovely display surrounding the tree.

As this is a specialist plants garden, this garden deserves a visit throughout the seasons of the year.

They are in the middle of restoring the gardens, so we are looking forward to seeing the changes over time.

We will be back for a return visit.

Garden address:

East Lambrook Manor Gardens,

South Petherton,

Somerset

TA13 5HH

Multi-map


I was recently given a flip video as a birthday present and I will be using it to show highlights of our garden visits.

I have put together a small video to give you a little insight into what you can expect from the garden. I apologise for the video as it’s my first attempt (I got a bit carried away with the word variety LOL, and hoping to improve the quality) but I hope it is useful to you.

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A snowdrop in December? Thank you card inspiration

December 18, 2009 By 3 Comments
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Through the seasons of the year – The Snowdrop

the beautiful snowdrop

One of my favourite flowers is the snowdrop, associated with the month of January.  It used to be that snowdrops grew in early January – March, but it’s not uncommon to spot them pre Christmas. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I get, as I look forward to seeing this beauty.

My birthday is in February and I often request a visit to see the snowdrops, alongside a trip to a lovely English tearoom of course!

In the language of flowers the snowdrop stands for –

* A friend in adversity

* Hope

Snowdrops are also a good flower for condolence and thank you cards.

Want to know more about this fantastic flower?

  • Snowdrops are known as Galanthus
  • There are more than 100 species – you have to get up close and personal with these lovely flowers to spot the difference.
  • Snowdrops grow best in dappled sunlight/shade under trees or shrubs, particularly deciduous.
  • They can be grown in containers, so if you live in a flat with a little balcony or small patio there is no need to miss out on this beauty.
  • They prefer a well drained soil.
  • Even though they flower at the beginning of the year, it’s important to care for them through the warmer months, making sure they don’t dry out.
  • You can buy snowdrops as bulbs or ‘in the green.’ I have tried both and have to say we have been more successful planting snowdrops in the green. The term ‘in the green’ is snowdrops just after flowering.
  • Over time snowdrops will spread naturally.

Gardens to visit to see the splendour of the snowdrop

Check the following websites for special snowdrop days.

Fancy adding the glorious snowdrop to your garden or patio?

Here are some nurseries –

Flower cards and gifts

Nita Joy Craft Design – have snowdrop cards and gifts available.

The snowdrop greeting cards can be with or without words, and can also have your special message included at no extra cost.

We also have a tote bag and small cotton gift bag with snowdrops.

Our calendar includes the lovely snowdrop for the month of January,

Our plum leaves notebook has a photo of snowdrops added to the cover.

Anita

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