Top gardens to view snowdrops this winter

It’s that time of year again: snowdrops start to emerge from their dormancy to create white carpets in many public spaces and gardens.

They flower any time between January and early March, their white petals and green leaves brightening the winter months and signalling that warmer days are on their way.

So, enjoy the white swathes of these pint-sized flowers as they bring gardens to life.

Here are just a few of the gardens where you’ll see them at their best.

1. Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire

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Some of the snowdrops will emerge early, clustered under the boughs of the yew and lime trees in the east and west corners of the South Court. The Winter Border and Stumpery fringing the Elizabethan house will be awash with snowdrops, winter aconites and hellebores which help bring the gardens to life. The colours of the flowers contrast beautifully with the bark and stems of the nearby trees and shrubs.

2. Oxburgh Estate, Norfolk

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For those who want to explore this estate beyond the imposing 15th-century brick manor house, you can see thousands of snowdrops and winter aconites  each year in the Wilderness, My Lady’s Wood and on the North Terrace, in this garden, which is a mixture of formal and wilderness. The plants are allowed to self-seed, creating a beautiful, natural scene. Later in the year, you can admire drifts of bluebells across the woodland floor, along with scented shrubs, evergreen planting and mature lime trees which create a romantic illusion of an untamed landscape.

3. The Argory, County Armagh

Explore the extensive wooded riverside estate surrounding this Irish gentry house and you will come upon swathes of snowdrops on its lime walk which offers a tranquil path along the water,

4. Kingston Lacy, Dorset

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Kingston Lacy is renowned for its spectacular snowdrop walk, stretching through 40 acres of gardens. With more than six million snowdrops, this display is a must-see for both keen photographers and families. The snowdrops here typically bloom from late January through February, creating a magical white landscape.

5. Wallington, Northumberland

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Over the past few years, visitors have planted more than a million snowdrops at Wallington, and its display includes a few special varieties of snowdrop too, including the Northumbrian ‘Sandersii’ group – which has sulphur-yellow markings instead of green – and the pretty ‘Flore Pleno’ with double the usual number of petals.

6. Gelli Uchaf Garden, nr Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire

This one-and-a-half-acre garden complements the owners’ 17th-century Welsh longhouse and 11-acre smallholding, which has a sloping upland landscape to accommodate many distinct garden areas with diverse micro-climates. In the garden, trees and shrubs are underplanted with hundreds of thousands of snowdrops (more than 250 cultivars and the unique Welsh Snowdrop Collection), crocus, cyclamen, daffodils and many other bulbs in spring. Open for the National Garden Scheme on selected dates from February 21. Pre-booking essential.

7. Great Comp Garden, nr Sevenoaks, Kent

While most people will be keeping warm indoors in February, the gates to Kent’s Great Comp Garden will open for one day only to host its annual Snowdrop and Plant Fair on Sunday, February 15, to welcome gardeners eager for the first signs of spring.

The event is always highly anticipated by galanthophiles (snowdrop fans), who travel great distances to secure the best plants from specialist nurseries. Visitors can expect to find a range of snowdrops, from common varieties to the uncommon and rare beauties highly sought after by collectors.

8. Welford Park, Berkshire 

From January 28 to March 1 visitors to this beautiful private estate, home to The Great British Bake Off, can admire one of the finest snowdrop collections in the UK thriving among the five-acre beech wood, enchanting riverbanks of the River Lambourn and the glorious gardens at Welford Park. It’s supporting a number of charities on specific days including the National Garden Scheme (NGS) on February 4, which raises money for nursing and health charities.

9. Westcroft, nr Salisbury, Wiltshire

This magical two-thirds-of-an-acre garden now houses a collection of more than 500 named varieties plus drifts of singles and doubles throughout the garden. January and February are the best months to see this galanthophile’s paradise, as drifts of snowdrops carpet the floor. Many hellebores, pulmonarias, grasses and seedheads add interest. An obsessed galanthophile, the owner Lyn Miles opens every Thursday from January 2 to March 13 (except Thursday, January 23) and on a few weekend dates, for the NGS.

10. Dawyck Botanic Garden, nr Peebles, Scottish Borders

As a 65-acre regional garden of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, housing one of the world’s finest arboreta and beautiful woodland walks along the River Tweed, the snowdrop displays will not disappoint when in February delicate galanthus blanket the banks of Scrape Burn. Open daily from February 1.

Visitors to Scotland may want to check details of The Scottish Snowdrop Festival , running from January 27 to March 12 which will feature a mixture of events and self-guided walks for all to enjoy.

11. Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, North Yorkshire

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The spectacular drifts of snowdrops at this World Heritage Site are a legacy of Earl de Grey, who planted the flowers along the banks of the River Skell when he owned the estate during the 19th century.

12. Attingham Park, Shropshire

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This 18th-century estate features 200 acres of parkland, and in winter there are treasures to be found including carpets of snowdrops which are generally at their best in early to mid-February, although this is always weather-dependent. You’ll find the best displays in the woodland, the Pleasure Grounds and around the Mile Walk. The park is also staging an early evening walk to discover Attingham’s magical carpet of snowdrops on three nights this February.