A sprinkle of snow



Crocus atticus (sieberi) 'Bowles White' and 'Firefly'

Galanthus 'James Backhouse'



The Avenue with Galanthus nivalis

Galanthus elwesii 'Green Brush'

Gardens Illustrated: Horticultural Who's Who

I am honoured to be featured in the February issue of Gardens Illustrated as their 'Horticultural Who's Who' person for the month. The picture, taken inside the cottage, is by Charlie Hopkinson, while the article accompanying it is by Annie Gatti. The magazine should be available in the next day or so.

In a rush of publicity, Colesbourne Park is also featured in the February issue of The Garden, with photographs by Torie Chugg and article by Stephen Anderton, and the same issue contains an article by me on hepaticas - though most of the information was provided by John Massey.

'Green Tear' sets a new record

Galanthus 'Green Tear'

Last March the beautiful Galanthus 'Green Tear' became the most expensive snowdrop ever sold, with a bidder paying £357 for a bulb on Ebay. Yesterday a bulb was sold by the same vendor (Ramonhoi) for £360, setting a new record price. One has to hope it will do well for its new owner...

Colesbourne featured in the Telegraph Magazine

Colesbourne Park and the snowdrop display are featured in the Telegraph Magazine today, sharing  its space (inter alia) with an article 'forensically' discussing David Beckham's underwear. Written by Stephen Lacey with photographs by Andrew Lawson, 'our' article is a well-written look at the history of the Elwes family and their connection with snowdrops, with commentary on a few good selections and the gardens themselves. It's available online.

Mellow afternoon light at Colesbourne Park



Helleborus odorus

 

Juvenile foliage of Taiwania cryptomerioides - needle is a good word for these sharp leaves.

Offensively vicious: Rubus cockburnianus 'Goldenvale'

Cyclamen coum and Galanthus 'James Backhouse'

Galanthus 'James Backhouse' - just coming into bloom. The flowers haven't expanded and opened yet.

It's a boy!

A friend in Ireland, who wishes to remain anonymous, has sent me a picture of this indubitably 'male' mandrake root lifted from his garden. In the past such strategically forked roots were particularly valued for their supposedly superior medical qualities, and it seems as if there was a quite an industry in the middle ages, fabricating little homunculi that were said to be mandrakes, complete with faces, hair and genitalia. It's now known that mandrakes (Mandragora autumnalis or M. officinarum), like many members of the Solanaceae, contain a diversity of potentially hallucinogenic alkaloids, which could have given an interesting experience in the hands of a competent herbalist - or been fatal in other cases.

No doubt to protect the trade, the ancient herbalists invented myths about the origins of the roots, and fabulous methods for harvesting them, needed because of their potency. The most famous is that when dug the mandrake shrieks, with fatal effect to all who hear it: in consequence it was necessary to very cautiously excavate the root and for the final tug tie it to a dog, while retreating out of earshot. As the dog responds to a call it yanks out the root, but in so doing hears the scream and dies. This legend dates back to classical times and is charmingly illustrated in this illustration in  a Pflanzenbuch of about 1500, by an anonymous herbalist from northern Italy, now kept in Munich (from Blunt & Raphael, 1979, The Illustrated Herbal). I've only dug up one mandrake and was really quite disappointed when it didn't scream, but it re-established, which was more important.

 

Winter brightness

Hamamelis 'Harry'

 A few photographs from Colesbourne Park on a beautifully sunny but chilly day. The mild winter has brought many plants out earlier than usual, though the snowdrop display is still a long way off its peak and the colder weather over this weekend will gently apply the brakes.

Crocus atticus (sieberi) 'Firefly'

Galanthus 'Ophelia', picking itself up after overnight frost.

Teasels (Dipsacus fullonum)

Prunus x subhirtella 'Autumnalis Rosea'

Cyclamen coum

 

Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea' and C. alba 'Sibirica'