The best places to see snowdrops with the National Trust in Buckinghamshire
The best places to see snowdrops with the National Trust in Buckinghamshire
Flowering snowdrops traditionally herald the end of winter and provide welcome assurance that the brighter days of spring are on their way . Their latin name , Galanthus , means milk flower and on warm days they release a fragrance .
Matthew Oates , Nature and Wildlife expert for the National Trust , comments : “ It is always a joy when the first snowdrops break through the frozen ground . Along with aconites and primroses , they are the harbingers of spring . The flowers themselves arrive later in pure white glory and , on mild , late winter days , are beloved by honey bees . They are best seen in half-light and , of course , amidst the winter snow .”
STOWEDROPS
For a landscape designed without flowers , there are an awful lot of snowdrops at Stowe . So many , that there ’ s even a season named after them . Stowedrop season can start as early as New Year ’ s Day and go on until late February . The gardeners think the tiny white flowers appeared naturally , and have allowed them to remain and proliferate because they provide such a welcome spectacle at the beginning of the year .
Stowe has a snowdrop watch article on its website so that visitors can track their progress for peak blooming . Stowe has also produced a map with the best places to see the snowdrops in the garden which visitors can pick up from reception or download from the website : nationaltrust . org . uk / stowe
CLIVEDEN
Before Cliveden ’ s fantastic spring bedding displays burst into bloom , you can console yourself on a winter walk with gentle drifts of snowdrops , including the double-petalled variety , Flore Pleno . The snowdrops are mostly found on the west-facing side of the garden . They bloom on high ground on top of an escarpment that runs down to the edge of the River Thames on the Berkshire / Buckinghamshire border .
Cliveden has a snowdrop watch article on its website so that visitors can track their progress for peak blooming : nationaltrust . org . uk / cliveden
Did you know the National Trust is a conservation charity founded in 1895 by three people who saw the importance of our nation ’ s heritage and open spaces , and wanted to preserve them for everyone to enjoy . More than 120 years later , these values are still at the heart of everything the charity does . Entirely independent of Government , the National Trust looks after more than 250,000 hectares of countryside , 775 miles of coastline and hundreds of special places across England , Wales and Northern Ireland . More than 20 million people visit every year , and together with 5 million members and over 62,000 volunteers , they help to support the charity in its work to care for special places forever , for everyone . www . nationaltrust . org . uk
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