I got my very first snowdrop when I was 23 and studying horticulture at Writtle College in Chelmsford. It was Galanthus reginae-olgae and it was given to me by plantsman Bill Baker who had collected it in the Peloponnese. I now have 1,700 different snowdrops in my collection.
‘Wendy’s Gold’ was the snowdrop that got me into the collectors’ inner circle. I got a call from my mother who had spotted an unusual clump when out walking, and I realised that it was far more vigorous than the yellows that were around at the time.
The RHS magazine The Garden published a picture in spring 1987 and I immediately got letters and phonecalls from people who wanted one – and an invitation from legendary galanthophile Primrose Warburg to attend her snowdrop party, where you could meet anyone who was anyone. I was later asked to propagate another exciting new snowdrop, ‘EA Bowles’ and that got a lot of attention, too.
The Guardian: How does your garden grow: the snowdrop collector
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