Michael Edwards heads to the Northwest to witness a dazzling display of woodland snowdrops
|
| Snow: the perfect backdrop
|
'I know of no other venue in north-west England offering such a wonderful winter spectacle as these snowdrops.'
The amount of green colour on the inner petals is what identifies most snowdrop varieties. At the moment, there are more than 500 different named varieties known to cultivation.'
'Snowdrops like a moist, well-drained soil and dappled shade and we have plenty of both, especially since introducing more light to the woodland floor by removing competing plants and trees.'
When one thinks of flowers, the winter months are usually furthest from our minds, yet this is the time of the year that galanthophiles adore, because this is their season... snowdrop time.
Snowdrops are the first really noticeable flowers to bloom in any quantity and, where they do, they can often produce a floral spectacle that is unrivalled at this time of the year. However, at Bank Hall, a crumbling Elizabethan mansion at Bretherton in Lancashire between Preston and Southport, snowdrop enthusiasts have been getting very excited by the discovery of a hitherto hidden treasure trove of snowdrops that, until relatively recently, had been dormant.
During the course of outdoor work in the 18 or so acres of ground (uprooting weeds and bramble patches, removing leggy saplings and allowing more light to reach the woodland floor), amazing numbers of snowdrops have been discovered, as Janet Edwards, chair of the Bank Hall Action Group, an organisation set up to maintain the property, explains: 'We are all amazed by the sheer numbers of the bulbs. They must be in the tens of thousands. We are very proud of them and, like the Hall, we intend to protect them.'
|
| Volunteers are welcome
|
Bank Hall Action Group's vice chairman Geoff Coxhead, who acknowledges the help in funding from Heritage Trust for the North West and others, grew up in the village less than one mile away. When he was a boy, he recalls the building still housed the offices of Lord Lilford's estate, 'although half of the hall was empty, even then'. When the estate moved out in 1972, thieves quickly striped the roof of its protective lead, water gained entry and decay took hold, including dry rot. The building and its environs seemed domed…until the Bank Hall Action Group was formed a decade ago.
Although the Hall is owned by the Lilford Trust, the action group is now solely responsible for its voluntary upkeep, including six acres of snowdrop woodland. A dedicated group is hard at work in the grounds most weekends.
Extraordinary numbers
The snowdrops here are remarkable for their sheer numbers alone. Certainly, I know of no other venue in north-west England offering such a wonderful winter spectacle as these. They grow in large masses and scattered clumps from late January through early March, from one side of the grounds to the other.
Thanks to the determination of Action Group members and snowdrop lovers Anne Johnson and Brenda Barker, large numbers of bulbs have been saved by removing them before the restoration machinery moved in, and replanting them in areas where they will come to no harm.
Anne explains why the snowdrops like the conditions here very much: 'Snowdrops like a moist, well-drained soil and dappled shade and we have plenty of both, especially since we have introduced more light to the woodland floor by removing competing plants and trees. We now have an active plan to increase their numbers further by dividing clumps and establishing them in other areas of the wood where they once grew, so increasing the spectacle even more.'
Snowdrops have always been known to herald spring with their cheery, white, pendulous flowers. Their narrow leaves are usually bluish-green in colour and the flowers solitary, enclosed by a papery sheath in the early stages. The amount of green colour on the inner petals is what identifies most varieties. At the moment, there are more than 500 different named varieties known to cultivation, with more expected at Bank Hall.
|
| Anne and Brenda have identified new varieties
|
Identifying new ones
With help from specialists, Anne and Brenda have identified several new and unusual varieties and given them names appropriate to the area, reflecting local people and places. Brenda says: 'Our most famous is
Galanthus 'Jeremiah Horrocks', named after the astronomer who recorded the Transit of Venus in 1639 in the nearby village of Much Hoole. This is very tall with well-marked flowers, and much larger than the other snowdrops that have been discovered in the grounds.'
Only a couple of clumps of 'Jeremiah Horrocks', this unusually large snowdrop which can grow to 30cm (1ft) tall, have been located. It is a stunning plant; tall, with large, impressive flowers, beautiful inner markings and dark-green, strap-like leaves - every inch a snowdrops, but on an enlarged scale.
Both Anne and Brenda have been honoured by having snowdrops named after them: namely 'Anne' and 'Brenda's Virgo'. The latter is pure white and lacks the usual green, inner-petal markings. Another beautiful snowdrop is 'Venus', which closely resembles an established variety called 'Trym', and is very handsome indeed with its broad splash of green in the centre of each of its four, distinctly-shaped petals.
Some quarters have expressed concern that the group sells snowdrops dug from the grounds. Is this killing the goose that lays the golden eggs? Anne explains: 'All the snowdrops we offer to the public are ordinary Galanthus nivalis. The clumps are so congested in places away from the public trail that by removing some and replanting elsewhere, we are actually helping the snowdrops, and the snowdrops are helping us raise vital funds for maintenance. The rare and unusual plants are securely protected.'
Look further
The snowdrop woodland at
Bank Hall is open Sundays in February, 12am-4pm, admission £2. You may also be able to see the snowdrops in the first two weeks of March, depending on weather and conditions, and visitors can buy snowdrops for their own gardens. Call Anne Johnson on 01772 613120 or Janet Edwards on 01772 613334 before travelling on dates outside February. To obtain a snowdrop desk calendar featuring 13 varieties call 01772 616050.
denotes Subscriber-only content | Wednesday 23 July 2008 | Help | Glossary 
