The Wonders of Winter–Snowdrops & Winter Gardens of England

Winter may seem an unusual time for a garden tour to England, but it is the only time to see one of the country’s greatest garden spectacles—the annual flowering of the snowdrops in woodlands, gardens, and estates throughout the countryside. For gardeners “in the know”, snowdrops are one of the most popular bulbs amongst collectors around the world, but the mania started with the collections in England, Scotland, and Ireland. While diminutive on their own, collections begun a century or more ago now have bulbs numbering in the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands and the displays are some of the most impressive in the gardening world.

For one week, we’ll explore the best public and private collections of snowdrops from the Cotswolds to Yorkshire. For good measure, we’ll include some visits to gardens and nurseries with impressive displays of hellebores, witchhazel, crocus, and many other late winter and early spring flowering plants, as well. A friend who is one of the world’s foremost authorities on snowdrops is kindly helping me curate our stops on this tour, making it a truly unique and one-of-a-kind experience.

In the Cotswolds, we’ll use the beautiful town of Cheltenham as our home base, eventually making our way north to York. Near Birmingham, we’ll also include a visit to the world-renowned Ashwood Nurseries, some of the original breeders of modern-day hellebores. Estates and gardens on the tour will include Colesbourne Park, Kingston Bagpuize House & Garden, Biddulph Grange, Painswick Rococo Garden, Millichope Park, Castle Howard, and many more.

For complete details, please email:  troy@troybmarden.com