Snow piercers

Today's the day ....................... for a craze

Understated they may be, but did you know that snowdrops have a very dedicated following?

Not native to the UK, no-one can say for sure when snowdrops were brought into the country. But they became fashionable in the mid-19th Century when the small, white flower caught the eye of the Victorians. In recent years they have become something of a cult flower again.

February is the month a lot of varieties flower in the UK and when things seriously kick off for galanthophiles. Every year there are an increasing number of snowdrop events and study days. There's also an annual gala to be held in Devon in a few weeks time, that attracts people from Australia, Japan and the US.  The biggest snowdrop event is in Germany at the end of the month and it will attract over 3,000 galanthophiles.

There are now several hundred different cultivars to be found and some like Galanthus 'Green Tear' can set you back around £360 for a single bulb.  I don't think this is one of those but it's the poshest one I have in the garden. 

Here's a little clip of snowdrops pushing their way through the snow ..........................