In praise of … snowdrops

Galanthus, the milk flower, is at its discreet peak. Mid-February is the moment when these polite little plants carpet damp woodland and roadside banks, so decorous compared with rowdy daffodils and narcissuses, coming shortly, or the gaudy bluebells that will show in another couple of months. They are also, for all their modesty, becoming big business – even a subject of theft. Identifying new cultivars of snowdrop takes an expert eye. It is a question of a little more green here, a slightly sharper indent there, a hint of variegation on a leaf or pedicel. Close students of how markets work will not be surprised to learn that such expertise, coupled with the notorious difficulties of persuading snowdrops to establish and naturalise, mean each tiny bulb can sell for £25 or even £30. Not quite tulip mania, but if you fancy creating your own drift of snowdrops, it will take deep pockets. Or the gardener's virtue: patience.