Remember to look up…

So, February has gone in a flash!

Snowdrops, snowdrops, snowdrops, right?... not always!

Now don’t get me wrong, I love them, the subtle differences of the inner and outer markings of these somewhat delicate little flowers, forcing us to bend and squat and even kneel on the cold, harsh, winter soil to admire their beauty.

Ranging from vast swathes to a single choice specimen, if you like flowers, you should like snowdrops.

Here at Fullers Mill Garden, we certainly love the little things. Throughout February, we opened two days a week to showcase our vast collection in the grounds of our spectacular gardens.

Each year, Jude Law (one of our devoted volunteers) puts together a general theme for our snowdrop days. This year we highlighted ten snowdrops that have been named to commemorate famous ‘galanthophiles’, garden owners or even loved ones. The people for whom they are named are known as snowdrop ‘Immortals’.  Dotted around the garden they were accompanied by an information board with a brief history on their origins.

As usual, this has been a huge success, so watch this space for next year’s event.

Beyond the snowdrops, once you have straightened your back and returned to an upright position, this time of year you will probably see bare open spaces in some of the beds around the gardens. Fear not, for even as a professional gardener, I too forget just how much the beds do indeed go to sleep and these large open views appear. Just remember to be patient and wait for the spring magic and the return of your perennials before being tempted to over-plant.

This of course is a good point for a quick sales pitch, to ensure you return to see what the gardens look like in the following seasons. Fullers Mill Garden is similar to other gardens insomuch as it never stands still; it is always changing and there’s always something different to see. We open for our main season from April to October, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11am – 5pm.

If you are still reading, thank you! And you now get to read my main point of interest for this time of year.

As you have transitioned from the low levels of the snowdrops, I implore you to go a little further and look up at the trees. Just take a few minutes to marvel at the sheer beauty of their skeletal form against the skyline.

We are blessed with some amazing examples: our very own Betula pendula ‘Silver Grace’ that Bernard Tickner found around the lake and had propagated and is still available to buy today. We also have an incredible Betula utilis subsp. jacquemontii ‘Inverleith’ that quite literally has a bone white glow.

Some of my other favourite trees for this time of year include Zelkova carpinifolia, Aesculus indica ‘Sydney Pearce’ and Davidia involucrata with its remaining fruits hanging like forgotten baubles left over from Christmas.

Now, I understand some may not be as enthused about such things, and that of course is fine. To those, I would suggest you keep looking up and watch out for such beauties as the winter flowering trees like Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’ also with an incredible form as well as being amazingly floriferous and bright on gloomy winter days.

Parrotia persica is another fantastic but easily missed tree, with its tight clusters of quite vibrant red flowers on bare stems, not to mention the fusing of the crisscrossing branches and wonderful flaking bark.

There are so many more to mention, but I’ll save that for another time, I’d hate for you to get bored!

So, the moral of my story for this month is: remember to look up and look around, there will always be something to see.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you soon.