Plant some snowdrops with our gardening team this month at Glamis Castle

Is there anything more uplifting than seeing the bloom of a snowdrop? This year, we are delighted to see the return of our snowdrop planting sessions where members of the public can come into the gardens and plant the iconic little flowers.

Is there anything more uplifting than seeing the bloom of a snowdrop? It’s a life affirming sign that spring is on the way. It’s proof that the days are getting longer, and warmer days are not too far away.

Here at Glamis Castle, we are proud to have an abundance of snowdrops to admire every year. This year, we are delighted to see the return of our snowdrop planting sessions where members of the public can come into the gardens and plant the iconic little flowers.

The popular sessions, which celebrate Discover Scottish Gardens’ Scottish Snowdrop Festival 2023, are led by our Head Gardener Des Cotton and his gardening team who are inviting horticulture enthusiasts to plant snowdrops on the Nature Trail in the castle grounds, where visitors will be able to admire the flowers en masse.

Those who come along to take park will be re-planting Galanthis Nivalis and Galanthis Nivalis ‘Flore Pleno’, more commonly known as the double snowdrop. Each have been admired in the grounds of Glamis since Victorian times.

“Snowdrop bulbs tend to dry out really easily, so rather than planting them in the autumn as a bulb, we lift them when they’re in the green,” explains Des. “We have a few large 100-year-old drifts of snowdrops tucked away in the woods that we lift clumps from to transfer to the public spaces in the gardens. The snowdrops benefit quite well from being lifted and divided, and it’s nice to be able to spread them further in the gardens.”

Des also expects to see some familiar faces on the Nature Trail. “We’ve been doing this long enough that we have people who have developed a connection with the gardens and return every year to plant more snowdrops. People like to come back and find their snowdrops that they planted.”

For those who would like to lift, divide and re-plant snowdrops in their own gardens at home, Des has some handy tips for success and beautiful results.

  1. Soil wise snowdrops are not fussy, so most soil will work well. There’s no need to feed the soil either.
  2. They don’t compete with other plants, so put them under a tree or shrub that’s deciduous.
  3. Plant them as green and don’t let them dry out. Once they’re planted they’ll be fine, but they can dry out easily out of the ground.
  4. Plant them at two and a half times their depth.

For those who would like to plant some snowdrops here at Glamis Castle, the gardening team will be on site during the snowdrop planting sessions in the Nature Trail behind the Italian Garden at Glamis Castle from 10.00-15.00 on Saturday 18th, Sunday 19th, Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th February 2023. The Pavilion Gift Shop will also be selling potted snowdrops for those wishing to take some flowers home to plant. To find out more about planting snowdrops in the gardens at Glamis click here.