Last weekend, on the first of the month, we celebrated Peak Snowdrop, which fell most appropriately on Imbolc, the midway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. That night, the full moon showed itself just for a moment through a broken cloud, but the snowdrops lit the way and lifted our spirits in the half light of day. The early form down by the stream were at their glimmering best and now so numerous as to be visible from the house. The later form on the lane were just showing white and are set to take the baton in the coming week. 

This was the first time we have held a snowdrop gathering here, because it has taken time to feel sure that there is enough to see for keen snowdroppers. I have been collecting the ‘specials’ now for the best part of fifteen years and it takes time to build a clump from a solitary bulb and several growing seasons to know whether you have found a plant that is a ‘doer’. In my book a ‘doer’ should have bulked up enough to split within five years and shown that it is strong and distinctive enough to move from the stockbed on the shady side of the hawthorn hedge and into the garden.