Say goodbye to winter and celebrate spring with a snowdrop walk around a local garden.
Standing up to 25cm tall, the Snowdrop is seen as a celebration of a new growing season by gardeners, the end of winter by many and the herald of warmer days to come.
Taking a walk around a park or garden filled with these small flowers is great for mental health and to shed those winter blues.
The ability to smell the faint fresh scent of the flower on a crisp morning is like nectar to the brain.
Snowdrop walks
Scattered around the UK are many gardens and parks that celebrate Snowdrop season.
Here are a few places to find a snowdrop walk near to you
- Cambridge University Botanic Gardens – Featuring more than 44 different species, varieties, cultivars and hybrids of snowdrop (Galanthus). Walk leaflet available to download (.pdf)
- National Trust – Whether you find them on a woodland walk, riverside ramble or garden stroll, snowdrops are one of the highlights of any late winter landscape.
- Hever Castle, Kent. – Around 115,000 snowdrop bulbs have been planted in the Gardens over the past few years including a mix of single and double snowdrops.
- Snowdrops, the magical, botanical gems that herald the onset of Spring are being celebrated during the Scottish Snowdrop Festival.
- Scotland Garden Scheme – Opening a fantastic selection of gardens across Scotland featuring Snowdrop walk to raise money for hundreds of charities.
The Snowdrop
Snowdrops (Galanthus) are a member of the Amaryllis plant family (Amaryllidaceae), which also includes daffodils (Narcissus), Agapanthus, onions and chives (Allium). They are a woodland plant.
There are about 20 known species of snowdrop, native to Europe and the Middle East.
The snowdrop has a protein based anti freeze that stops the plant from being damaged by ice.
Snowdrops ( Galanthus Nivalis ) earned their name from the combination of two Greek and Latin words. Galanthus from the ancient Greek means milk and white flower, while the Latin word nivalis means resembling snow.
Carl Linnaeus classified the flower in 1753.
Each snowdrop bulb produces two linear narrow grassy leaves and a single flower with a delicate small white drooping bell shape, comprising three larger outer petals and threes shorter inner petals bearing delicate green markings.
Many variations in the patterning exist, leading to some being highly sought after by Snowdrop enthusiasts and avid collectors, referred to as ‘galanthophiles’.
A study at Kew Gardens, which records the flowering time of 100 plants, documents these changes in plant life cycles over time (called ‘phenology’).
This research shows that the average flowering date of the common snowdrop has moved from around the end of February in the 1950s to early January in the 1990s.
New snowdrop species
Kew researcher Dr Aaron Davis, along with collaborators in Turkey (Dr Yildiz Konca) and Ukraine (Dr Dimitri Zubov), recently described a new species of snowdrop (Galanthus bursanus (Amaryllidaceae)) found in Turkey.
Unlike most other snowdrop species, Galanthus bursanus (Bursa snowdrop) flowers in the autumn and without its leaves. The flowers are highly fragrant according to the researchers findings.
Snowdrop facts
For centuries, snowdrops have been used as a remedial herb to ease migraines and headaches.
Snowdrops contain a compound called galanthamine which is used in modern pharmaceuticals to manage Alzheimer’s disease and is also used to relieve traumatic injuries to the nervous system.
Snowdrops should not be eaten as they contain a poisonous compound, lycorine, which can cause diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting.
Seeds of the Snowdrop are dispersed by ants. They are attracted by an oil-rich structure called an elaiosome.
In Yorkshire, it was customary for village maidens to gather bunches of Snowdrops and wear them as a symbol of their purity on February 2nd, A nod to the ancient Celtic festival of Imbolc, celebrating the return of Spring and the goddess Brigid. This became the Christian ‘Candlemas’ feast of the Virgin Mary.
Listed as Near Threatened on the global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
More information
How to grow Snowdrops – RHS
Snowdrops available from Thompson & Morgan
Snowdrop gifts
For the friend or family member who love everything Snowdrop, you can find a lovely range of unique, hand crafted gifts, cards, jewellery and much more on Etsy
Note:
Information provided in this article is for information only. Please consult a professional herbalist / botanist as to any medical claims or research.