THE MONTH OF LOVE AND SNOWDROPS!
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FEBRUARY
THE MONTH OF LOVE AND SNOWDROPS!
BY NEIL MILLER, HEAD GARDENER AT HEVER CASTLE & GARDENS
© Vikki Rimmer
inTHE GARDEN- WITH HEVER CASTLE |
February is the month of love, red hearts, big cards and oodles of chocolate, but I’ m happy to swap them all for the sight of a perfect white snowdrop heralding the first signs of new beginnings in spring.
Happily, at Hever Castle & Gardens we have tens of thousands of snowdrops that carpet the grounds in sweeping drifts on the Outer Moat and on Sunday Walk and Church Gill. We don’ t plant them as bulbs in the autumn though, instead we are out there in February planting‘ in the green’ healthy living plants producing their tiny white gem-shaped flowers.
It’ s easy to plant snowdrops in the green; you can either split an existing clump and move them quickly into moist well-drained soil, planting at the same depth they were growing at, then water them in. Or, you can buy them from specialist nurseries or fairs- we have a few great snowdrop events in Kent from the Plant Fairs Roadshow on 1 February at Hole Park to Great Comp’ s specialist Snowdrop & Plant Fair- I go to this quirky event every year to buy rare and unusual snowdrops to bring back to the Winter Garden at Hever. It’ s really good
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to know as a gardener that I’ m supporting Kent and Sussex nurseries in this way, and also gleaning lots of fantastic horticultural information from them that I can then share with our visitors at Hever Castle.
We have made a name for ourselves over the years as a fantastic place to see thousands of snowdrops in bloom, but February at Hever isn’ t just about the 160,000 Galanthus nivalis- it’ s a great place to see the first signs of spring thanks to the hellebores which are still in bloom. If you grow them at home in February, remove any old or spent leaves so the hidden flowers can emerge, then check for grey mould and clear any of this away.
You may still be lucky enough to be enjoying Early Sensation daffodils( which flower from Christmas onwards), if they’ re finishing, remember the rule- leave the foliage alone, the bulb needs all of the energy from the leaves to return to it, so don’ t cut the leaves!
One final thing to mention in February- unwrap your nose from your scarf and enjoy the fragrant Daphne- a plant which beckons me outside even on the coldest days!
February at Hever Castle Gardens
First Signs of Spring: From 11 February at Hever Castle & Gardens with a self-guided trail available daily during opening hours 10.30am-16.30pm, and 15-minute Winter Garden talks at 11.30am on 16-18 and 23-25 February.
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© Vikki Rimmer
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