A Capital Gallery Of Galanthus

Chelsea Physic Garden, Chelsea, London SW3

A botanical and horticultural haven in the heart of London, Chelsea’s ancient Physic Garden has enthusiastically jumped on the snowdrop bandwagon in recent times.

- Jacky Hobbs

Some 10,000 naturalised snowdrops illuminate the four acres of the Chelsea Physic Garden in London SW3, in the depths of winter and its Galanthus collection now extends to approximately 120 named species and cultivars, although not all of them are in the open ground.

The present head gardener, Nick Bailey, recalls that a number of influential figures spanning the garden’s history have made significant contributions to its burgeoning population of snowdrops. ‘Philip miller [1691– 1771], who was head gardener here from 1722 until shortly before his death, was responsible for doubling the number of ornamental plants grown in the UK during his tenure. He would certainly have initially cultivated Galanthus nivalis, together with a selection of naturally occurring hybrids as they became available.’

Things ticked along, but, between 1891 and 2015, the number of cultivars has increased 40- fold, says Mr Bailey, with the most intense period having occurred in the past few decades. Christopher Brickell, botanist, snowdrop enthusiast and a former chairman of the Physic Garden’s advisory board, introduced and named several new cultivars, including pagoda-shaped Trym, which continues to flourish in the garden.