Snowdrops

Snowdrops are known as the 'harbingers of spring' at a time when there is little else in flower in the garden to brighten the dull winter months. No-one should be without these dainty white gems which can symbolize innocence, purity and hope. The author describes all known snowdrop species, the cultivation of garden-worthy varieties and their naming as well as their history in early European and English literature. He includes the earliest reference to the English word 'Snowe Dropps' in 1615, preceding the previous earliest reference to 'Snow drops' in 1633. For novice gardeners and those who have never grown snowdrops before he describes how to grow just a few reliable varieties, with advice on buying, planting, dividing, looking after snowdrops, labelling, diseases and companion plants. He also dispels the myth that snowdrops are difficult and don't survive well in gardens, giving advice on all aspects of snowdrop culture. For galanthophiles varieties are recommended to extend their collection. This advice is based on personal experience from growing over 100 different cultivars in his town garden in Oxford. The sequence of flowering of different snowdrop varieties from October to March is described, including the autumn-flowering Queen Olga's snowdrop. This diary format of their emergence will help gardeners learn how there can be snowdrops flowering for six months of the year. The book is illustrated with a stunning selection of close-up images of different varieties of snowdrops to help aid identification of these dainty flowers.Included in the chapter on snowdrop art are many historical images from the earliest-known snowdrop woodcut in Dodoens' European Herbal, 1568 to more recent 19th century images. No other author on snowdrops has attempted such an extensive description of snowdrop art over the centuries, including advice from Jacquie Hibbert on how to paint snowdrops, or has described the evolution of this art form for snowdrops. The book concludes with a useful index of all 22 recognized species and over 100 varieties with reference to international collections.

Provides information on snowdrops, flowers with white bell-shaped petals known as the harbingers of spring.

Everything you need to know about the cultivation and propagation of snowdrops: tips, tools, and sources of supply Snowdrops: the harbinger of spring, delicate and charismatic. Over 300 varieties of snowdrops are portrayed here for the first time in such abundance – brilliantly photographed in their natural environment. The reader learns everything necessary to cultivate and propagate these bulbs, about collecting them and the right tools of the trade. Indispensible for galanthophiles, the book will spark the interest of beginners and is a beautiful and practical reference work for connoisseurs.

Shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize and the CWA Gold Dagger 2011 Nick Platt is a British lawyer working in early-2000s Moscow, a city of hedonism and desperation where secrets, and corpses, come to light when the snows thaw. Nick doesn’t ask too many questions about the shady deals he works on—he’s too busy enjoying the surreally sinful nightlife Moscow has to offer. Riding the subway on a balmy September day, he rescues two willowy sisters, Masha and Katya, from a would-be purse snatcher. Soon Nick begins to feel something for Masha that he is pleased to think is love. Then the sisters introduce him to their aged aunt, Tatiana, the owner of a valuable apartment. Before summer arrives, Nick will make disturbing discoveries about his job, his lover and, most of all, himself. Snowdrops is a riveting story of love and moral freefall. Taut and intense, it has a momentum as irresistible to the reader as the moral danger that first enchants, then threatens to overwhelm, its narrator. In Moscow, as Nick’s friend Steve warns him, “there are no love stories. There are no business stories. There are only crime stories.”

Snowdrops are one of the best loved, most popular and widely grown of all bulbous plants. This book celebrates their beauty and magical annual resurrection. This newly updated and expanded edition of this best-selling book introduces the twenty known species and has been updated to cover more than 2,400 named snowdrops. Discover the vast range of shapes, sizes and markings of these beautiful flowers. With information on cultivation and planting, detailed descriptions, informative drawings and interesting anecdotes this will be an invaluable companion for all gardeners, and will inform and delight both the aspiring and seasoned galanthophile. A comprehensive directory of names, descriptions and illustrations of hundreds of beautiful snowdrops. Beautifully illustrated with 86 plus a directory of 2002 colour illustrations. Freda Cox is a writer, established botanical artist and committed galanthophile.

Snowdrops have a delicate, quiet beauty. Their white bell-shaped petals are striking alone and in a swath, and they are a harbinger of spring. The Plant Lover’s Guide to Snowdrops is the first book to make this group of bulbs accessible to the home gardener. It features profiles of 60 hybrids, species, and cultivars, with information on flowering time, distinguishing features, and ease of cultivation. It addition, it shows how to design with snowdrops, and how to grow and propagate them, also offering tips on where to see snowdrops in public gardens and where to buy them. Each Plant Lover’s Guide in the series is supported by lush, photo-driven design, featuring the most beloved plants and valued expertise of the gardening world in a visual, comprehensive resource.

The joyous appearance of snowdrops during the colder months of the year warms the heart. It seems such a miracle to see these brave little plants blooming in the most dismal weather that people of all ages and backgrounds fall under their spell. "Some Snowdrops" pays homage to the elegance and beauty of snowdrops in all their different forms and demonstrates their worth as wonderful and rewarding garden plants. Nearly 280 poignant photos of 90 different Galanthus cultivars - some of them classics, some of them still rare - focus on their unique character and are complemented by short descriptive texts. In addition, little tables give an indication of price, vigour and blooming time, which spans a period of six months.