Val Bourne welcomes the return of a flower that’s entwined with old tradition

They may only be a few inches high, with tiny white flowers, but snowdrops cause great excitement in February. They welcome in spring, albeit early spring, and we can’t wait to get among them in February.

There are sweeps of snowdrops in striking distance of Oxfordshire and one of the best sites is Welford Park, near Lambourne, Berkshire, home of the Puxley family. Snowdrops (an unusual seeding clone of Galanthus nivalis) cover a five-acre stretch along a chalk stream. They thrive under hazel trees creating a carpet of spring white. You can choose your day too, because this private garden is open Wednesday to Sunday (11am-4pm) until March 1 (www.welfordpark.co.uk/01488 608691).

Galanthus nivalis, our most commonly grown snowdrop, is known to have been introduced, but no one can say when. The Welford Park colony may have been there for centuries because there’s a ruined Norman abbey by the stream. The biggest sweeps of snowdrops are often associated with religious sites. It may be because the snowdrop was picked and placed on church altars to celebrate Candlemas, February 2.

It may be that they were grown as a medicinal plant known as ‘moly’. This was described as the herb given to the Odysseus to protect him from Circe’s potions. Homer describes it as being “dangerous for a mortal man to pluck from the soil, but not for the deathless gods. All lies within their power. The root was black, while the flower was as white as milk; the gods call it moly”.

Two chemists, Andreas Plaitakis and Roger C Duvoisin, wrote a paper in 1983 identifying Galanthus nivalis as Homer’s magical moly. A chemical called Galantamine has been extracted, proving so useful in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease that it is now made artificially.

Walsingham Abbey in Norfolk probably had some snowdrops growing there too, but galanthophile David Way recently explained to me that this religious site is not as straightforward as it seems. Apparently the Meath family, who have owned and lived on this estate for several generations, planted snowdrops every year. When Walsingham had a railway station, bunched flowers and bulbs ‘in the green’ were sent to Covent Garden market. It was common practice to pick bunches of snowdrops and the late Priscilla Bacon of Raveningham Hall, in Norfolk, sold to local shops.

Walsingham is a little far for a casual jaunt, but Colesbourne Park, near Cirencester, is a more manageable 40 miles from Oxford and open every weekend in February (colesbournegardens.org.uk/ 01242 870567 ).

This is the garden of Sir Henry and Lady Elwes, whose ancestor Henry John Elwes collected Galanthus elwesii in 1874. He called this glaucous snowdrop the giant snowdrop. There are sweeps of snowdrops to ramble through, good paths and a curious lake that looks turquoise-blue in sunlight due to tiny clay particles in the water. There’s tea and cake, hot soup and a warm welcome for dogs on leads and children — who get in free.

Oxford Mail:
In charge: Chris Horsfall, from Colesbourne, a gardener who combines expertise and charm

Colesbourne is unique, with a couple of hundred rarities on display. It’s also an excellent place to acquire snowdrops correctly labelled and well grown in pots. Garden manager Chris Horsfall trained at Edinburgh Botanic Garden and worked on the Cambo Estate in Scotland — another premier snowdrop garden. Tall, long-haired and chatty, he reminds me of Lorna Doone’s sweetheart, John Ridd! He loves snowdrop openings, people and cake. All very good reasons for getting out there!

MORE SNOWDROP OPENINGS

Hanwell Community Observatory: Stars and Snowdrops
Saturday, February 14 (1-5pm), Sunday, February 15 (10.30am-5pm).
A winter walk through snowdrops just north of Banbury and a chance to talk astronomy. Stout footwear. No dogs except guide dogs. www.hanwellobservatory.org.uk

Waterperry Gardens: Snowdrop Weekends
February 14-15 / 21-22
Sixty different snowdrops, guided tours three times a day.
www.waterperrygardens.co.uk/01844 339254

Open for the NGS Sunday
February 22, 1.30-4.30pm 14 Chawley Lane, Cumnor OX2 9PX
Alice Munsey opens her half-acre garden with husband Paul. Teas and plants for sale.