I Found A Snowdrop

 When I say A Snowdrop that's exactly what I mean ........just the one! 

Arriving here in May last year I had no idea if the previous owners had planted any spring bulbs. A few shoots have started appearing and one of them turned out to be a snowdrop although a couple of days later the flower head had gone....fallen off.....eaten....?

 A pot of snowdrops picked up in Diss a few weeks ago produced leaves but no flowers - I should have known they were planted as bulbs and would come up blind. Joy in Essex kindly offered me some from her garden but it would be Very mean to take some from someones winter garden!

 

I've written about snowdrops in some old posts ....................(or to give them their Latin name Galanthus.)

Sometimes known as 'Fair Maid of February' they are originally a native of alpine areas of Europe and Asia, it was considered to be a holy plant, a symbol of chastity and purity. According to my little book of plant folklore Snowdrops should only be brought into the house with a 'white purification' ceremony otherwise it's unlucky to have them indoors.

Brother, 

Joy to you

I've brought some snowdrops; 

only just a few,

But quite enough to prove the world awake,

Cheerful and hopeful in the frosty dew

And for the pale sun's sake.

Christina Rosetti

 

 

SNOWDROPS

I like to think 

That, long ago

There fell to earth

Some flakes of snow

Which loved this cold,

Grey world of ours

So much, they stayed 

As snowdrop flowers

 

  Mary Vivian

 

But back to my new garden - with it's one flower and some leaves - unlike Clay Cottage where there were clumps everywhere. Then I had a brainwave.............Anglesey Abbey! I wanted to go there in 2019................

 It would be good to make an effort/be brave enough on my own, to get to the National Trust  Anglesey Abbey which is along the A14 just into Cambridgeshire, they have a collection of dozens of different species of Snowdrops.Their snowdrop gardens are open from mid January, I've made a note.

 I wasn't brave enough in 2019. I'd had nearly two years of driving along the busy A14 and A11 back and forwards to Addenbrookes Hospital but after Colin died in May 2018 I didn't need to drive so much and lost a lot of the confidence previously gained .

But just recently I've been making an effort to drive on busy roads more, rather than always going cross country so felt it would be a possibility.

And it was, and I went and came home with these from the Garden Centre there, ready to plant out today.

Tomorrow I'll post about the winter gardens and everything else I saw at Anglesey Abbey.

Back Tomorrow

Sue