Snowdrops at the RHS Gardens

It’s always exciting to see the first snowdrops (Galanthus) peeping through the earth on a walk around the garden in late winter. These much-loved blooms are a welcome sign that spring is on the way. There are plenty of snowdrops to be found at the RHS Gardens. From drifts of snowdrops through the woodlands to exquisite cultivars and hybrids bred by galanthophiles, discover more about the snowdrop collections at each of our gardens.

RHS Garden Harlow Carr, North Yorkshire

A family look at snowdrops in the Woodland in winter at RHS Garden Harlow Carr

Take a late winter stroll through the Woodland at RHS Garden Harlow Carr to see large swathes of the common snowdrop Galanthus nivalis lighting up the woodland floor alongside early-flowering daffodils. 90,000

These are fleshy, rounded, underground storage organs, usually sold and planted while dormant. Examples include daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, lilies, onions and garlic. The term is often used to cover other underground storage organs, including corms, tubers and rhizomes.

Along the Winter Walk, there are named cultivars to spot, including the tall and elegant Galanthus elwesii ‘Mrs Macnamara’ reaching up to 25cm and one of the earliest to bloom. Recent snowdrop plantings through the Sandstone Rock Garden are starting to make an impact and extend the snowdrop season at RHS Harlow Carr into March. Large-flowered Galanthus ‘S. Arnott’ is a reliable and vigorous cultivar, while Galanthus ‘Jacquenetta’ has dainty,

A type of flower that has extra petals, often having a fuller appearance. Plants with double flowers are often considered more ornamental and showy than those with single flowers, though they are generally not as good for wildlife, having little or no pollen. Some plants naturally produce double flowers, while others may be bred for this trait. Examples of plants with double flowers include roses, sunflowers, dahlias, and zinnias.

To appreciate their exquisite flowers at eye level, head to the Alpine House and nearby raised wall to find interesting cultivars with a range of markings. The snowdrop collection has been re-organised, making it easier to spot differences between the cultivars. Favourites include Galanthus ‘Greenfinch’ with delicate green brush strokes on the outer petals and Galanthus ‘Trumps’ with markings that look like little green hoofprints. Look out for the striking yellow snowdrops Galanthus ‘Primrose Warburg’ and Galanthus plicatus ‘Wendy’s Gold’ with their glowing golden ovaries and yellow patterning.

RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey

A couple walk past a border of snowdrops by Oakwood in winter at RHS Garden Wisley

At RHS Garden Wisley, enjoy generous drifts of Galanthus nivalis on Battleston Hill and in Oakwood. In recent years, the team have been lifting and dividing this favourite bulb to create carpets of white flowers that flow through the woodland areas. There are further patches of snowdrops to seek out around the Rock Garden and Winter Walk.
 
In the Alpine Display House, admire a selection of rare and unusual snowdrops in pots. Presented in raised beds, it’s a perfect opportunity to get a closer look at their diminutive blooms and delicate markings. The display is refreshed every day from a collection of more than 160 Galanthus cultivars, so there is always something special to see. Highlights include the very unusual Galanthus plicatus ‘Diggory’, with heavily textured outer petals that appear normal in

A bud is a small, undeveloped shoot that contains the potential for new growth. Buds are typically found on stems, where they can be apical (found at the tip) or axillary (found between leaf axils) and may develop into leaves, shoots or flowers.

RHS Garden Bridgewater, Salford

Close-up of Galanthus nivalis

No winter garden would be complete without snowdrops, and RHS Garden Bridgewater is no exception. Before its revival, the garden had a few remnants of snowdrops in the woodland and since 2019 the team have added to their number every year to build up an impressive display. 60,000 Galanthus nivalis (common snowdrop), as well as Galanthus nivalis f. pleniflorus ‘Flore Pleno’ and Galanthus woronowii, now drift through a part of Lower Middle Wood aptly renamed the ‘snowdrop bank’.

Elsewhere, the Community Coppice is home to a burgeoning collection of more than 80 different snowdrop cultivars. Galanthus elwesii (Hienmalis Group) ‘Barnes’ is the earliest to flower in November, followed by a succession of snowdrop blooms right through to March, when Galanthus elwesii ‘Yvonne Hay’ and Galanthus nivalis ‘Hugh Mackenzie’ take over the show. Take time to pause and study the diversity of these elegant beauties and notice the subtle differences in their flowers. Some of the most interesting to see include Galanthus nivalis f. pleniflorus ‘Blewbury Tart’, an eye-catching double with flowers that face outwards rather than down and striking deep green inner petals, plus the delightful double Galanthus ‘Ophelia’ and Galanthus elwesii ‘Daphne’s Scissors’ with its intriguing scissor-shaped markings.

The collection continues along Rhubarb Alley, where the snowdrops planted each year have been chosen by RHS Bridgewater’s Horticultural Apprentices to create a living yearbook and includes their favourites such as Galanthus ‘Starling’, ‘Egret’ and ‘Greenfinch’. Around Gardener’s Cottage, 6,000 recently planted Galanthus elwesii contrast beautifully with the green of the yew and holly hedge, while supporting early emerging bumble bee queens attracted to their delicate honey-like scent. A further 10,000 Galanthus elwesii and Galanthus ‘S. Arnott’, chosen for their early flowering and bigger blooms, were planted in the long border of the Worsley Welcome Garden in autumn 2025.

RHS Garden Rosemoor, North Devon

Snowdrops by the Lake in winter at RHS Garden Rosemoor

Join us for RHS Garden Rosemoor’s Celebration of Snowdrops (2 – 13 February 2026) as we celebrate these early harbingers of spring. Join a free guided walk with one of our horticulturists to discover more about our snowdrops and other early spring-flowering bulbs, or follow the fun family trail to seek out the best snowdrop displays in your own time.

Snowdrops are a favourite feature in the Winter Garden and through the woodland borders, all the way down to the Lake. Delicate drifts of Galanthus ‘Atkinsii’ make the perfect foil for the vivid red stems of dogwoods and willows, such as Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ and Salix alba ‘Britzensis’, while other snowdrop planting partners include grass-like Carex morrowii ‘Fisher’s Form’ and Acorus gramineus ‘Variegatus’. In the redeveloped and extended Winter Garden, the snowdrop collection has been expanded, with new additions including the unusual Galanthus ‘Snow Fox’, with a faint green line on the tip of its outer petals, and Greatorex doubles, charming hybrids of Galanthus nivalis f. pleniflorus ‘Flore Pleno’ and Galanthus plicatus with delightful double flowers. The greater snowdrop Galanthus elwesii mingles here with drifts of Cyclamen coum and hellebores.
 
Also look out for Narcissus ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’, an early daffodil flowering away in our Cottage Garden, as well as the striking hoop petticoat daffodil Narcissus bulbocodium dancing through the meadow in Lady Anne’s Arboretum – the first of many daffodils that herald the arrival of spring at RHS Rosemoor.

RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Essex

Close-up of Galanthus ‘Magnet’

Nestled among the plants of RHS Hyde Hall’s Winter Garden are pockets of the greater snowdrop Galanthus elwesii. Much grander than the common snowdrop, its large, pristine white flowers have a distinctive green spot on their inner petals and its handsome grey-green foliage is broader than many Galanthus, beautifully balancing its bigger blooms. Around 15,000 bulbs were originally planted in 2017 and have been added to in more recent years. They look particularly effective snuggled beneath the fiery stems of dogwood Cornus sanguinea ‘Anny’s Winter Orange’ or contrasting the zingy yellow leaves of Luzula sylvatica ‘Aurea’. In the colder months, the Winter Garden is a feast for the senses, bursting with colour from radiant stems,

Bark is the outermost layer of woody plants (trees, shrubs and woody climbers). It is several cells thick and provides protection against physical damage, disease and environmental stresses. Bark comes in a wide variety of colours and patterns, and these can help gardeners when identifying plants. The fissures and crevices of bark on older plants also creates valuable habitat for many garden creatures as well as lichens and small plants.

Gardeners often use the word variety when referring to a specific plant, but the correct botanical term is 'cultivar'. Whichever word you use, it means a distinctive plant or plants, given a specific cultivar name and usually bred to enhance certain characteristics, such as flower or fruit size, colour, flavour or fragrance, plant size, hardiness, disease resistance, etc. Additionally, it is worth knowing that, botanically, variety has another meaning - it refers to a naturally-occurring distinct plant that only has slight differences in its looks. For example, Malva alcea var. fastigiata differs from typical plants by having an upright habit.

cultivar