Confession time…I have to admit to being a galanthophile! It doesn’t mean I come from another planet – it simply means that I love snowdrops! Even in this dreadful weather we have had we can see these beautiful flowers crop up everywhere. This is no real surprise because they thrive in damp areas.

I probably love snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, so much because they tell me spring is almost here and that we can all get back out into our gardens again. It sounds corny, but my heart does start to sing at the sight of snowdrops! Mandy, my wife, jokes that it is because I think the garden centres will start to get busy, but I love how fragile these beautiful flowers look and yet they can still stand up to the worst of the winter. I think their look of fragility almost tells us that life is getting gentler again and I love that they are pest free and deer resistant! Did you know that more than anywhere else they can be seen all over Scotland?

Snowdrops are generally grown from bulbs and that is why they can survive the winter and most gardeners will plant in the Autumn. I stopped planting these bulbs in the Autumn a few years ago and now plant them in the green – this simply means planting them when they are still in leaf, rather than a dried bulb. The great advantage of planting bulbs in the green is that they will be freshly lifted snowdrops and will establish far better if they are lifted and replanted as quickly as possible while in growth. From experience I know this is true and other flowers I recommend planting in the green are crocus, daffodils and tulips.

Happy gardening!

PLANT OF THE WEEK: ANEMONE BLANDA ‘BLUE SHADES’

This is a small spreading perennial with triple-lobed, toothed leaves and the most glorious purple and blue coloured ‘daisy-like’ flowers. Flowers appear in early spring and create the most welcome splash of colour and will come back year after year to remind you that spring is almost here! They can be placed almost anywhere, growing equally well in full sun as partial shade in well drained soil and look great in mixed borers or at the edge of a woodland garden. These early spring blooms will also attract pollinators such as bees! What more could we possibly ask of this fantastic little gem!