Choosing our five favourite snowdrops

There are thousands of different snowdrop cultivars out there. Some are characterful and distinctive and (with a bit of experience) can be identified from a distance, but with others the differences are so tiny you need an expert to point them out. As a result, it can be hard to know which are the most reliable and garden worthy ones to try growing. To help you, here’s our five favourite snowdrops.

Galanthus nivalis (common snowdrop) AGM

The common snowdrop. Pure white with the famous little green bridge on the inside petals; this beautiful, simple flower is the harbinger of Spring. Flowering in mid February and continuing until early March, it is the best snowdrop to naturalise under shrubs and in thin grass. When grown in drifts, the flowers will release a powerful scent of honey on sunny days. Grow on a west facing bank to appreciate the sunshine and scent together.

Naturalising freely under shrubs, Galanthus nivalis makes a great garden plant

Galanthus nivalis f. pleniflorus ‘Flore Pleno’ (double snowdrop) AGM
This blowsy, double form of the common snowdrop has flowers with almost as many petals as it has letters in its name – yet it is also one of the simplest to grow.  Botanically you might say that the perianth (the outer part of the flower) of this beautiful snowdrop is stuffed with tepals, the inner segments (petals) marked with green at the tips. Slightly later to flower – opening from late February – it is particularly excellent for picking and displaying in posies, the flowers also well-scented. Blooms are held on stems 10-15cm tall above green foliage.

The double flowers of Galanthus nivalis f. pleniflorus ‘Flore Pleno’ give it distinctive charm

Galanthus plicatus ‘Wendy’s Gold’ AGM

One of the fabled yellow snowdrops, this selection is a lot less demanding than some of the other similarly coloured snowdrops. Her flowers are held on 15cm stems over grey-green leaves and have inner petals marked with yellow. The flower is topped off with a showy golden ovary, making it highly distinctive. ‘Wendy’s Gold’ is a vigorous selection of normally green Galanthus plicatus, which is native to the Black Sea. Other yellow snowdrops include miffy G. nivalis f. pleniflorus ‘Lady Elphinstone’, the flowers of which show green markings instead of yellow for a while if moved.

The blooms of Galanthus plicatus ‘Wendy’s Gold’ dance in the breeze making it a standout snowdrop

Galanthus elwesii (greater snowdrop) AGM
The first snowdrop to open among ‘spring-flowering’ snowdrops (there are some snowdrops that flower in late winter and even autumn), G. elwesii is often in bloom in January in mild years. It has broad glaucous blue-green foliage and large flowers held on tall stems up to around 30cm tall making an impressive show. It does well in slightly sunnier, drier positions than many other kinds. There are many named selections; our favourite is ‘Fred’s Giant’, a whopper with bulbs the size of small alliums. Its big leaves and tall flowers make this snowdrop perfect for naturalising near the back of herbaceous borders.

Big and bold, Galanthus elwesii creates an impressive show early in the year

Galanthus ‘Titania’
This elegant snowdrop is one of several tall, double selections that are collectively known as Greatorex Doubles, developed by snowdrop breeder Heyrick Greatorex in the 1940s. To my mind ‘Titania’ has the neatest flower which is combined with a tall, upright habit up to around 20cm and grey-green foliage. If you prefer a snowdrop with a more relaxed attitude, you could try Galanthus ‘Jacquenetta’ which has a fuller flower and is inclined to throw petals out to the side and lurch about a bit. Both of these snowdrops will multiply reliably without any help.

The double flowers of Galanthus ‘Titania’ are held atop distinctively tall stems

Visiting Easton Walled Gardens… the best time for snowdrops is February. Check out our news pages for when the garden is open