Snowdrops are Nature's way of fast-forwarding winter

 

Ever since he was a puppy, my dog Rufus has had a thing about snowdrops. Just as well, because he lives in snowdrop heaven. We have several snowdrop gardens near us here in the Cotswolds, one of which - Colesbourne Park - offers a serious shopping experience for galanthophiles.
My garden is full of the double snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis 'Flore Pleno', which looks like those starchy petticoats women used to wear under party dresses. It's very pretty, but not my favourite. 
Two snowdrops tie for this category - G plicatus 'Colossus' and G. 'S Arnott'. 'Colossus' is a great plant - nearly a foot high, with big white flowers. It's in flower from late December onwards, and still going strong as I write this. It's quite expensive, at £10 for a single bulb, but it clumps up very fast and provides a lot of bang for your buck.
'S Arnott' holds a place in my affections because of its scent, but you need to plant it in a sunny spot and provide a mild, still day on which to catch the scent.
The best thing about snowdrops, in my opinion, is not whether they are an expensive variety or have peculiar green or yellow markings, but the fact that they seem to make the winter shorter. By the time you've visited a couple of snowdrop gardens, bought some snowdrops (and probably some Cyclamen coum, or crocuses, or winter aconites as well), got the whole lot home and planted it, February is gone!