Garden of the Season – Castle Kennedy Gardens
January 8th 2018Galanthus at Castle Kennedy Gardens
Galanthus at Castle Kennedy Gardens have most probably been naturalised since they were planted in the mid 19th Century when interest in these very early little flowers took off. Sometimes known as fair maids of February, they have spread in abundance along the North Side of Loch Crindle, known as the Black Loch and today form an important display of these flowers, especially in the Tongue Burn area where if you walk up the path beside the Burn you will find a hidden bank full of Snowdrops a magical area to view these gems of a new year, and the Galanthus, in this area are mainly Galanthus nivalis flore pleno, the double flowering form appear in abundance as well as the common Galanthus nivalis which is easily recognisable by the central part of the flower there is a little green V. These markings are common with all but appear in different positions on the flower and some appear as a dot! As you drive along this side of the Black Loch, you can get a different view to the sculptured land forms of the Gardens over the Loch. We have planted in recent years several new forms of Galanthus in the Walled Garden and in the woodland of the Garden, these are-
- Galanthus elwesii
- Galanthus nivalis floropleniflorus Lady Elphinstone
- Galanthus S Arnott
- Galanthus elwesii var elwesii elwesii Fred’s Giant
- Galanthus Magnet
- Galanthus Brenda Troyle
- Galanthus Desdemona
- Galanthus nivalis Maximus
- Galanthus x hybridus Robin Hood
- Galanthus Atkinsii
And west off the walled Garden we have planted Galanthus woronwii in the woodland this Snowdrop has a larger wider leaf than usual. An interesting fact that in the Second World War snowdrop Bulbs were crushed and the sap used as a antifreeze, that’s how Snowdrops flower very early as the can stand a cold climate and do not suffer from the cold.
