Hampshire Life: February 2019 (^) 103
January for around three weeks,
clumping up as they multiply,
welcomed by us and also a boon,
with their pollen-rich golden
stamens, for foraging bees,
especially bumblebees.
Crocus flowers close each
evening and only open in
sunshine so planted en masse
in a sunny spot they form a
shimmering, irresistible beacon.
Bumblebee queens, emerging
from hibernation, may even
spend the night in the floral
cocoon, before breakfasting on
the enticing nectar and pollen.
The sight on a sunny day is
bound to inspire and it’s helpful
to know they are easy to grow in
well-drained light soil, in drifts,
rockeries, or even in containers
mixed with other early blooms.
In the lawn don’t cut the grass
until their leaves turn yellow and
disappear.
Bramdean House starts the
Snowdrop Festival on February
10, with swathes of snowdrops,
winter aconites and crocuses,
naturalized over time in this
charming five-acre garden set
on chalk out from an elegant
18th century house. A mix of
informal parkland and formal
mirror-image herbaceous
borders, hedges and a kitchen
garden brings return visitors
through the season. There are
broad mown paths, fine views
and the highlight of massed
GARDENING
READER OFFER
Here’s a special offer for Hampshire Life
readers. To purchase a copy of the 2019
Garden Visitor’s Handbook, published each
February, that lists all the wonderful gardens
open through The National Garden Scheme,
you can order at the offer price of just £10.99
(rrp £13.99), including postage and packing to
UK addresses, via the website ngs.org.uk and
use the code LIFE19. The book is the essential
county-by-county guide to the thousands of
welcoming gardens in England and Wales,
many of which are not normally open to the
public. Your visits also help an array of charities,
with the NGS having donated in excess of £24
million in the past 10 years. Please allow 14 days
for delivery.
Mass displays in borders burst
into show and as they die down
are replaced by later flowering
perennials. Even in a small
garden make room for bulbs;
either in garden beds, on lawns,
or in potted combinations.
From January to March
galanthus (snowdrops) lead the
way, unfurling each tiny pure
white flower and standing proud
as soon as the ice melts in their
stems each morning. Whether
you are a true galanthophile or
just wanting inspiration at this
time of the year there are some
must-see gardens open as part of
the National Gardens Scheme’s
Snowdrop Festival. You are
bound to come under the spell of
these snowy maids, whether en
masse, set against the rich red
stems of cornus, or peeping out
of pots.
Snowdrops are hardy and
it’s lovely to mix them with
hellebores, crocuses and aconites,
plant in naturalized drifts on
lawns, against contrasting
coloured winter stems or in
troughs. They are best bought
and planted ‘in the green’ as
dried bulbs are more difficult
to establish. Dappled shade and
soil improved with leaf mould or
compost are ideal and keep them
watered until established.
Crocuses, technically corms,
are the other joyous heralds of
spring, ideal to naturalize in
grass and vibrantly colourful
for purple and gold carpets. The
Eastern European species, Crocus
tommasinianus, bloom from late
Admire the impact tiny snowdrops and crocuses provide
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