Is this the way to Amaryllidaceae?

Ok well it’s not about the Tony Christie song but it is joyous nevertheless.

Our head gardener Anna asks if you’ve seen the snowdrops, those wonderful harbingers of Spring – Latin name Galanthus Amaryllidaceae – starting to emerge in the woodland bed at Kew Gardens station?

She and her co-volunteers planted these ‘in the green’  last year.

Snowdrops are usually the first flowers to emerge in late winter to cheer us up when it’s cold and grey and remind us of the Spring to come.

There are many varieties and she planted Galanthus Nivalis, which is the most common snowdrop.

Anna says they are best planted with their leaves (in the green) after flowering and do much better than snowdrop bulbs.

They complement beautifullly the already flowering pink Hellebores just next to them.

Pink flowers of Hellebores in the beds at Kew Garden station

If you visit the Rock Garden in Kew Gardens you can see many different snowdrops, including ‘Grumpy’.

The latin name for this is Galanthus elwesii and as its name suggests, it has a sad emoji face on its flowers – I kid you not!

Galanthus elwesii “Grumpy”

There is also a wonderful display of the happy variety in the new Winter Garden near the Marianne North Gallery.

Do stop to have a look next time you are at the station and think of the coming warmer days of Spring. Now there’s something to sing about.

Thank you, Anna and her gardening colleagues.