GARDENERS at Blenheim Palace have begun the mammoth task of planting 20,000 individual snowdrops by hand.
Next February visitors will be able to visit the new Churchill Memorial Garden at the palace and see the blanket of flowers, all hand-planted by seven gardeners.
The snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, will complement the landscaping of Kim Wilkie, who designed the Winston Churchill Memorial Garden, unveiled by the Duchess of Cornwall in June this year.
Head gardener Hilary Wood said: “We have chosen Galanthus nivalis, or the common snowdrop, because it will grow and spread very well across the memorial garden, providing early colour at Blenheim Palace.”
A visit to Blenheim Palace when the memorial garden reopens on February 13 will give galanthophiles – snowdrop collectors – the pleasure of seeing a blanket of blooms which will multiply and reappear each year.
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