Talkback: Snowdrop season

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I'm sure they're earlier this year. I've had some in bloom for a couple of weeks.

My best birthday present was a few years back when I received 1,000 in the green snowdrops to plant up in early March.

I worked at Hodsock Farm as a student, testing peas for their tenderness. The post was always addressed to Odd Sock Farm!

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Mine are up and out! I bought a beautiful one last year at the Chelsea Physic garden, called Galanthus nivalis 'Sandersii', and I'm eagerly awaiting that one - it seems to be a late developer.

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I agree they are earlier this year (than last anyway) which surprises me considering the cold weather we've had. Very welcome their cheery little heads are!

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I don't have any snowdrops yet but the witch hazel is still glorious. It has been in flower for more than a month but the problem is I don't know which variety it is (I inherited the garden a few years ago with mature planting); it seems too orange to be Hamamelis x intermedia 'Diane' but not sure what else. Can I submit pictures on this blog?

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I have a few wee snowdrops in my 'white garden' and when I saw the first bloom the other week I was chuffed to bits. You've got to admire them - we've had some quite hard frosts and then heavy rain, sleat and hail, followed by more frost, and there they are ... bravely flowering and looking fab!
Last Feb we visited the walled garden at Colzium House,Kilsyth as part of the Visit Scotland snowdrop festival and it was a delight.

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Mine have been out for at least a week, possibly two, aswell and I, like James, have no idea what they are - some are singles and some are doubles but they could be the rarest and most expensive sorts, or the commonest and cheapest for all I know - it wouldn't make any difference to me though, I still adore them no matter what!

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Mine are definitely later this year by a couple of weeks. Like James I started with just a few specimens which,over the years, we have divided and replanted and we now have lots of them.
We visited Hodstock Priory for the first time last year - well worth a visit. Whilst there we bought some cyclamen and winter aconites which were expensive but well worth the money as they too are now coming into flower.

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Janice, could your Hamamelis be 'Jelena'? We have it at the nursery I work at, and it is a lovely orange-red(more orange than red, really), a lot more orangey than 'Diane'.

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Snowdrops are my favourite flowers, especially the single galanthus nivalis. Mine are at various stages and have increased rapidly. The first to flower, about 2 weeks ago, were elwesii in a container -they have much broader leaves than nivalis.I have found, unfortunately, that the more expensive and unusual kinds are less hardy. Maybe it's just me. There ae some lovely snowdrop websites, especially Judy's snowdrops.

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Snow drops are the prettiest flowers how amazing they are pushing up from the frozen earth to give so much pleasure in the depth of winter when the weather is so dreary, hope this bad weather from Russia doesn't have them deciding to stay hidden when we need their cheery faces after so much gloom.

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It seems that, quite correctly, everybody loves a snowdrop. Mine (rather like the London Underground and the M25) have now completely vanished beneath the snow !
As regards Witchhazels this is Jelena (http://www.flickr.com/photos/annetanne/3203954006/) and this is Diane (http://www.flickr.com/photos/agapanthus/2216288727/) and, while we are at it, this is Arnold Promise (http://www.flickr.com/photos/agapanthus/2216288719)