Walled Garden Volunteers' Blog February 2026
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Snowdrops and cyclamen coum
The gardeners are enjoying a brief breathing space after all the hard work preparing for the Snowdrop Celebrations at the end of January.
Helen and Ross from Picton Garden and Old Court Nursery brought along special snowdrops to sell, and the walled garden team enjoyed meeting many visitors over the opening weekend, whether galanthophiles, families, visitors new to us, and those who frequently visit the Walled Garden throughout the year. Our snowdrops flowered just in time and will last a little longer.
Corinne’s Hockley’s Snowdrop Fairies made another appearance, and people explored the different snowdrops we have in our Collection, some of which featured in the catalogues of the Giant Snowdrop Co. of Hyde from the 1950s to early 60s.
It’s now mid-February, and the Garden is still in Winter…but there are small signs of the season to come, if you look carefully. At the front of the Museum, in the ‘Laurie Lee corner’, crocuses are brightening the plot, while early dwarf daffodils replace the fading snowdrops in the courtyard pots. Salix Mount Aso is in flower in the Walled Garden…
Elsewhere in the Garden, our Corkscrew Hazel (pictured below) is in Spring mode.
And it has rained, again! More muddy gardening clothes taken home for washing! Meanwhile, Geoff is working on the restoration of the dipping pond, which refuses to hold water at present.
The leeks in the vegetable plot look healthy, and also the culinary herb, stridolo – silene inflata…(more about that next time.)
There’s activity in the potting area, where Marion has been preparing cuttings ready for sale. Nicola has pruned the apple trees, with more still to do; there’s always the tidying of pots; and while the ground is still cold and wet, it’s useful to note areas where the water is slow to drain, or the frost lingers. And we absolutely must tidy the Shed!
Our Garden is not looking too bad just now! All we need are a few days of sunshine…
