Herewith another “garden hibernation” article. My apologies in advance for the extensive use of Latin names, but it’s really essential here.
Humans may not be so active in the garden in winter, but, in spite of the cold, nature causes many plants to stir, and some will soon be in flower. Of these the archetype must be the snowdrop, which I have at least once seen in flower in my garden on Christmas Day. This was the lovely large species Galanthus elwesii, and real “galanthophile” aficionados will know that there exist snowdrops that bloom even earlier: Galanthus reginae-olgae, a native of Sicily and the Balkans, is often out in October, while the latest to flower are species like G. platyphyllus, ikariae and woronowii (and some varieties of G. plicatus), which can all extend the season into early April, especially if there is a cold spring.
Nonetheless most snowdrops bloom in January and February, providing early food for cold-braving insects like bumble bees, and, if brought into the warmth of the house, can really scent a room. Naturally a genus widely distributed around Europe, no variety or species is native to Britain: even the common snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis, long thought to have been introduced by the Romans, is now considered to have been introduced sometime in the 16th century. The genus was named in 1735 by the great botanist Carl Linnaeus, who derived it from the Greek words “gala” (milk) and “anthos” (flower). He described G. nivalis in his Species Plantarum (1753), typically combining a Greek-based generic name with a Latinate species one, here meaning “of the snow”. The English name is older, first appearing in the second edition of John Gerard’s Great Herbal, published in 1633 – in the first edition (1593) he called it the "Timely flowring Bulbus violet". Other common English names include "February fairmaids", "dingle-dangle", "Candlemas bells", "Mary's tapers", and, in parts of Yorkshire, "snow piercers" (an almost exact translation of the French name “perce-neige”).
In all there are about twenty species of snowdrop, the most-recently discovered, Galanthus bursanus from Turkey, only being identified in 2019. Some species produce natural hybrids and other varied forms, and this has been furthered by human intervention to the extent that well over 500 varieties are now in cultivation. Herein lie the seeds of galanthophilia, a fascination with this genus that has what might well be described as “difficult” symptoms: much crawling around on one’s hands and knees to examine the flowers, fighting over rare varieties, and concomitant damage to one’s bank balance. A few pounds’ expenditure and a reasonable amount of patience can provide a beautiful display of the common snowdrop within a few years, but the real mania can be far more costly: ten pounds for a bulb is regarded as nothing (!), I have seen more than one specialist dealers’ plant list with several varieties priced at over £100 per bulb, and the highest price paid to date is £1,850 on ebay in 2022, for a single bulb of Galanthus plicatus “Golden Tears”. Such rarities take many years to breed and produce in sellable quantities, and rare colour (especially yellow), special markings on the inner or outer petals, unusual-shaped petals (with unusual names like the broader “pterugiform”), and unusual doubling are especially prized by "snowdroppers". Many of these rare varieties are very beautiful, but some are just a bit weird (see “Walrus” below).
The generally accepted best way of growing snowdrops is to buy them “in the green” (after flowering but before the leaves have withered), to be planted as soon as possible, ready for flowering the next year. A place with a little shade is best, and, for most varieties, one that is not too dry. As and when you have a good clump, dividing and replanting in the spring is an easy way to increase your stock. Galanthus nivalis itself is almost always reliable, but I would also recommend the large and striking variety called “Sam Arnott”, while one of the finest doubles is Galanthus “Hippolyta”. Neither of these will wreck your bank account.