Snowdrop enthusiasts, mark your calendars for 2025! Discover the top spots to behold these winter bloomers.
For those seeking a delightful escape from the winter chill, the UK offers a plethora of gardens that bloom with enchanting winter-flowering plants, such as snowdrops, cyclamen, aconites, and hellebores. Here's a guide to some of the most noteworthy gardens to visit this season.
In London, the Chelsea Physic Garden boasts 75 varieties of snowdrops and offers tours and workshops. For a broader garden experience, the London Open Gardens Weekend is an annual event where numerous gardens open to the public, although specific snowdrop displays may not be specified in the search results.
Venturing outside of the capital, Raveningham Hall in Norfolk hosts around 150 named snowdrop cultivars and raises funds for the Priscilla Bacon Hospice every Sunday in February. The Garden House in Buckland Monachorum, Yelverton, PL20 7LQ, opens from Fridays to Sundays until 31 March 2025, showcasing over 400 different varieties of snowdrops throughout its 10-acre gardens.
The National Garden Scheme is opening 100 local gardens for charity in 2024, with winter-flowering gardens among them. Visitors can find their nearest open garden by entering their postcode on the website.
For a more targeted experience, the Hardy Plant Society is an invaluable resource. They focus on plants that bloom from November to February, including winter-flowering varieties. Although specific garden locations are not listed in their search results, the Hardy Plant Society often organizes talks and events that can guide you to gardens featuring these plants.
In Somerset, East Lambrook Manor and The Bishop's Palace both offer snowdrop walks and guides. Cambo Estate in Fife holds the National Collection of snowdrops and hosts the Scottish Snowdrop Festival. Colesbourne Gardens in Gloucestershire is renowned for its collection of over 350 cultivars of snowdrops.
Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire has around 400 snowdrop cultivars, and specialist collection tours are available during the snowdrop season. Easton Walled Gardens in Lincolnshire open especially to view snowdrops from late January to March. Drumlanrig Castle Gardens in Dumfries and Galloway have thousands of snowdrops and spidery witch hazels.
Great Comp Garden in Kent opens for just one day for its Snowdrop Sensation day, attracting galanthophiles and offering a wide selection of rare snowdrops for sale from specialist nurseries. The event is curated by Joe Sharman and takes place on 16 February 2025.
Rode Hall and Gardens in Cheshire has over 70 types of snowdrop, and Deene Park in Northamptonshire offers a variety of snowdrops, including 'Blewbury Tart' and 'Pusey Green Tip'. Hever Castle & Gardens in Kent has over 140,000 snowdrops, including some unusual varieties such as the yellow tipped 'Wendy's Gold', the giant 'Colossus' and Galanthus 'Green Brush'.
Painswick Rococo Garden in Gloucestershire is famed for one of the largest naturalistic plantings of snowdrops in the country, with 15 varieties in the garden, the most famous being Galanthus 'Atkinsii'. Benington Lordship in Hertfordshire has a snowdrop walk that was planted in the early 20th century.
Rodmarton Manor in Gloucestershire has a vast snowdrop collection of 150 varieties spread across its eight-acre Cotswold garden. Chippenham Park in Cambridgeshire has one of the finest displays of naturalized snowdrops in East Anglia. Forde Abbey and Gardens in Somerset have a spectacular display of snowdrops throughout February.
Lastly, Wye Valley Sculpture Gardens in Monmouthshire has 70 varieties of snowdrops on display and 28 of those will be for sale in February 2025. Hedingham Castle in Essex opens for snowdrop walks on selected dates in February and March, with at least 13 varieties of snowdrops covering the steep slopes of the motte and bailey and setting off the trees and lakes in front of the Georgian Mansion House.
Whether you're a gardening enthusiast or simply seeking a beautiful winter escape, these gardens offer a captivating display of winter-flowering plants that are sure to brighten your day.
- The Chelsea Physic Garden in London showcases 75 varieties of snowdrops and offers tours and workshops, contributing to a delightful winter garden experience.
- For those interested in a broader garden experience, the London Open Gardens Weekend is an annual event where various gardens open to the public, displaying an array of winter-flowering plants.
- The Hardy Plant Society, focusing on plants that bloom from November to February, including winter-flowering varieties, serves as an invaluable resource for garden enthusiasts, often organizing talks and events to guide visitors to gardens featuring these plants.
- Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire, among the gardens mentioned, boasts around 400 snowdrop cultivars, offering a captivating display of winter-flowering plants, reflecting the appeal of home-and-garden lifestyle and and landscape design for nature lovers.
