Different varieties of snowdrop at Hever Castle

February 07 2020 | Attractions Garden

Visitors to Hever Castle & Gardens can see many different varieties of snowdrops – 80,000 in total.

Snowdrops come in all shapes and sizes, some common, some extremely rare. These delicate plants exert a powerful pull in the horticultural world.

Head Gardener Neil Miller recently bought some more unusual varieties of snowdrop for the 125 acre grounds.

He purchased a few different varieties for the 2020 Snowdrop Walk event including Galanthus ‘Diggory’, a beautiful snowdrop whose pure white bowl-shaped flowers hide green-flushed inner segments. ‘Diggory’ enjoys growing on banks and slopes and is good for underplanting roses or shrubs.

Neil bought another unusual variety of snowdrop – Galanthus elwesii, more commonly referred to as ‘Grumpy’ because of its green markings which mimic a grumpy face.

If you would like to try planting some different varieties of snowdrop at home there is still time to invest.

Neil says that snowdrops prefer cool, moist conditions and can suffer surprisingly dry summers if they’re in shady spots. If you are planting, make sure you dig a deep, yet narrow hole of 10-15cm, firm the plant in and water the soil. Don’t forget to label your snowdrops!

For other garden events throughout the year at Hever Castle click here.