Snowdrop shows signal spring’s arrival

Snowdrops, wrote William Wordsworth, are a ‘venturous harbinger of Spring’, and who isn’t eager to see the white, bell-shaped heads rise above frosty or damp soil to herald the beginning of the end of the winter months. Events to look forward to that celebrate the diminutive, but joyful Galanthus nivalis include the annual Shepton Snowdrop Festival (created to mark the legacy of James Allen, a 19th-century amateur breeder) which returns for its 10th year (February 20–21).

For the first time, it will be accompanied by the Great Snowdrop Gardens Trail of Somerset. ‘We’re proud that all the special snowdrop gardens in Somerset have joined us, from Forde Abbey, Dunster Castle and Snowdrop Valley on Exmoor to Hestercombe, East Lambrook Gardens and the Bishop’s Palace in Wells,’ says festival director Amanda Hirst.

Further east, Kent’s Great Comp Garden will host its yearly Snowdrop & Plant Fair on February 15, with specialist nurseries displaying and selling rare and unusual snowdrops, as well as a selection of early spring-flowering bulbs.

At Easton Walled Gardens, Lincolnshire, snowdrops mark the reawakening of a place that, from 1951, was left to go wild, until Ursula Cholmeley began a major renovation in 2000. ‘Our Snowdrop Walks... have an origin here that is mysterious. Some people say they arrived with the Romans when they marched down the Great North Road (A1), whereas others believe the Tudor branch of the Cholmeley family brought them here,’ says Lady Cholmeley. Easton opens from February 11.

Further north, Cambo Country House and Estate, which is situated on Fife’s coastline and is home to the UK’s Plant Heritage national collection of snowdrops, will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Snowdrop Festival. Established by Catherine Erskine, this festival runs until March 11. It forms a link to the long history of snowdrops at Cambo, as Lady Magdalen Erskine encouraged their growth from the 1930s.

Galanthophiles are also in for a treat at 120 snowdrop gardens that form part of the National Garden Scheme, some private and some public, and those in the latter category running snowdrop days include Welford Park, Berkshire (February 4), Gatton Park, Surrey (February 8), Blakenham Woodland Garden, Suffolk (February 8), and Benington Lordship in Hertfordshire (February 10).

This feature originally appeared in the January 28, 2026, issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.