Snowdrop gala a treat to mark start of spring

A TRIP to Ballon in Co. Carlow to attend the 10th Snowdrop Gala kick-started the gardening year for me, and to attend an event in person was a great thrill, writes Olive Ryan in her weekly gardening column.

The excitement in the room as we awaited the two speakers in the morning was palpable. We were not disappointed as they imparted excellent slides and information.

First up was Anne Repnow, from Heidelberg in Germany, who has collected some 500 different snowdrop cultivars in her garden, making her somewhat of a snowdrop expert! She has written a book about them, Some Snowdrops, A Photographic Ramble, and is quite the photographer.

She took us on a journey through some of her favourite snowdrops, ‘good-doers’ as she described them, that will clump up well in the garden and produce beautiful displays from October through to March/April.

One early flowering variety she recommended flowers in October, Galanthus ‘Frank Lebsa’, and was discovered at a flower market in Dresden among potted Galanthus elwesii. She had interesting insights about snowdrops which can only be known from years of experience growing them. Like for example that it may take a few years for newly planted bulbs to settle into their planting position and develop their markings, so be patient if what you purchased does not have the expected markings on the outer or inner segments, and give it a few years to settle and develop.

Companion planting tips to lengthen the interest throughout the year included planting snowdrops and Geranium x cantabrigiense ‘St Ola’ together: the geranium has retreated back into the ground when the snowdrops appear and similarly the snowdrops begin to fade as the geranium emerges in late spring.

There were lots of interesting details about the history and naming of different cultivars. 

Anne discovered a snowdrop that had markings on the outer segments that reminded her of a pair of pyjamas she had when she was young, this is now Galanthus ‘Annes Pajamas’!

If you did not have a long list of desired snowdrops at the start of this talk, you certainly did at the end, as beautiful, clear and detailed images had everyone rushing to the plant sale at Altamont with names like Galanthus ‘Lapwing’, G. ‘Mother Goose’, G. ‘Beany’, G. ‘Kildare’, G. ‘Mrs McNamara’, G. ‘Green Mile’ and many more tripping off of our tongues!

Before making our way for a tour of the gardens at Altamont and a snowdrop plant sale, we heard from Tom Coward, head gardener at Gravetye Manor in Sussex, England. This house and extensive grounds and gardens once belonged to the notable horticulturalist William Robinson and is now home to a hotel, a Michelin star restaurant and gardens of distinction.

Tom has been head gardener here since 2010, before which he worked extensively around the world in different gardens, most notably at Great Dixter as deputy head gardener.

There was considerable restoration work to do, with the walled garden totally over-run with weeds and glasshouses needing rebuilding. 

Today the showpiece oval shaped walled heritage kitchen garden (1.5 acres in size) is proud to supply the Michelin starred restaurant with fresh produce and the gardeners and chefs work hard together to create seasonal dishes that look like a piece of artwork, almost too delicate and beautiful to eat.

As well as the working kitchen garden, there are ornamental flower gardens near the house for guests and visitors to enjoy on lazy summer afternoons, wildflower meadow, orchards and forest walks as you move out further from the house.

Wildflower meadows are incorporated into the orchards, dotted with herbaceous perennials like Lilium lancifolium, Paeony ‘Scarlet O Hara’ and Camassia leichtlinii ‘Semiplena’ which are encouraged to naturalise, providing colour during spring and summer. This is a special place and one to put on the list for a visit.

To finish off the day, there was a tour of the wonderful gardens at Altamont with resident garden centre owner and one of the organisers of the day Robert Miller.

The emphasis of the tour was of course, fittingly, the snowdrops collection here in the gardens. Altamont is an inspiring spring garden with scents filling the air and early spring flowers appearing throughout the garden. Daphnes producing heady scents and combinations of snowdrops, winter aconites, helleborus, leucojums and arums produce excellent combinations and inspiration for early spring planting in our own gardens.

The plant sale created a lot of interest and we all went home laden down with snowdrops of all descriptions.

A great day out and start to the growing season, it is an annual highlight for many gardeners across the country. Well done to Hester and Robert for all of the organising! Happy Snowdrop gardening this spring.