Snowdrops & Hellebores

Common snowdrop Galanthus nivalis – elegant simplicity

That wonderful late-winter duet performed by snowdrops and hellebores is rapidly approaching its peak, some two to three weeks ahead of average, in response to the damp squib of a 'winter' that we have squelched our way through so far. The greyness of the past few weeks makes the flowering of these beautiful stalwarts all the more cheering and I grab every chance I can to inspect the developing display.

While our earliest snowdrop varieties flowered in November, now the main cast is performing, with maybe 30 cultivars already in flower and many more just about to start. For the last two years, at least, more than 90% of our hellebore flowers were lost to mice and voles, which devoured the fat buds, still held close to the ground – an irresistibly tempting meal in harsh conditions. This year, the buds have gone un-nibbled and most are now lifted well-clear of the ground and about to open – if not already in full flower.

With so many good garden snowdrops and hellebores being hybrids, the range of forms and precociousness of flowering are a reflection of the genetic contributions made by the various wild species that have gone into the mix – sometimes by chance, other times with a guiding hand (perhaps clutching a small pollen-dabbed brush?) from a gardener or nurseryman. These are just some of my favourites, photographed on 25 January. The hellebores are all Helleborus x hybridus, many originating from John Massey's extraordinary breeding programme at Ashwood Nurseries.

G. 'Atkinsii' –  from Painswick Rococco Garden; early and dependable

G. 'Desdemona' – a tall double raised in Norfolk by Heyrick Greatorex

G. 'Trumps'  – vigorous with pagoda-shaped flowers

G. 'Sutton Courtenay' – narrow glaucous leaves and lime-green ovaries

G. 'Magnet' – rapidly builds up strong clumps of long-pedicelled flowers

G. 'Ding Dong' – from Avon Bulbs. Are you old enough to remember the ad?