Galanthus nivalis 'Anglesey Abbey'
Approx. 0.5 litre pot
About this cultivar:
Galanthus nivalis 'Anglesey Abbey' is a dazzling green wonder with compact, glossy leaves so deep and lush that they refuse to entertain even a whisper of grey. That’s a rare trait for a nivalis form, but make no mistake, this isn’t some hybrid mystery—it’s just a delightfully quirky pure nivalis doing its own thing.
Flaunting generously sized blooms, the inner petals boast a crisp, well-defined green marking, while the outer ones shine in pristine white. Sometimes, the inner segments green markings fade or disappear altogether - so they are or look pure white. And if you’re lucky, this little overachiever might even throw in an extra outer petal or two.
As a clump matures the flowers have a habit of shifting towards a lovely poculiform shape (a fancy botanical way of saying that a flower’s petals or segments are shaped like a little cup or goblet).
The famous garden of Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire, owned by the National Trust, has over 500 individual varieties of snowdrop! This one was originally spotted by there by Graham Stuart Thomas, where it was found growing as a clump. A botanical gem from a botanical gem....
**Price is for 1 bulb supplied in a pot**
- Position: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil: Almost any soil, grows well in Ballyrobert
- Flowers: February, March, April
- Other features: Grows well in Ballyrobert
- Hardiness: H5 - Hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10°C), Fully hardy - grows well in Ballyrobert!
- Habit: Tufted
- Foliage: Deciduous
- Height: 10 - 15 cm (0.3 - 0.5 ft)
- Spread: 0 - 15 cm (0 - 0.5 ft)
- Time to full growth: 2 to 5 years
- Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial, bulb
- Colour: Green, white
- Goes well with: Everything!
About this genus:
Galanthus (ga - lan - thus) is a genus of 19 species first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, based on the species Galanthus nivalis. Galanthus is from the Greek gala, meaning "milk", and anthos, meaning "flower", alluding to the colour of the flowers. The common epithet nivalis means "of the snow" - which reminds you of the common name, snowdrop. Native to parts of Europe and the eastern Mediterranean region, some species contain galantamine, a precious compound used to treat Alzheimer's disease.
Galanthus do well in a variety of soils that are not waterlogged (like most bulbs). As for situation; even though they have reputation as shade plants you will find they do well in full sun, part shade or lots of shade. In our garden we have quite a wide range of cultivars in a wide range of places.
Galanthus blooms during winter months and is a great choice for naturalizing in meadows and lawns. We actually have quite a few in our woodlands and poking up at the front of borders (to surprise us in the winter!)
Plant combos - they usually look better on their own in little clumps or large drifts but they do pair well with other early spring bulbs such as Narcissus and Muscari. Some Galanthophiles even collect them in pots to bring to 'Snowdrop parties'.... I am not joking!
