IN THE GARDEN
1 Look through seed catalogues and plan what you’re going to grow from seed this year. Gardening jobs for January
2 Finish clearing debris and leaves from the garden.
3 Cut back hellebore leaves to reduce the risk of black spot and to expose the flowers. 4 Continue covering tender plants if frosts and snow occur.
5 Clean pots and tools and tidy tool sheds.
flowers and learning more about them. If you’re looking to do just that, visit botanic.cam.ac.uk/whats-on . A word of warning though: once you’ve dipped your toes into the world of snowdrops, you may be in danger of developing galanthophilia! IN BLOOM ‘Magnet’ (bottom left), ‘Scharlockii’ (top right) and ‘James Backhouse’ (bottom right) are just a few examples of snowdrop varieties
or even somebody else’s garden. Several popular East Anglian gardens have stunning snowdrop displays, including Chippenham Park, Benington Lordship Gardens, Easton Walled Gardens, Walsingham Abbey and Anglesey Abbey. Here at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden, we have a lovely snowdrop trail that is a wonderful way of discovering the subtle differences between these joyful
Be sure to get your snowdrops from a reputable source. Many are protected in the wild as their habitats are under threat of destruction for housing or agriculture and because wild populations have shrunk due to collecting for the horticultural trade. Where to see snowdrops in the area Of course, you may prefer to simply admire the snowdrops in local woodland
Sally Petitt is head of horticulture at Cambridge University Botanic Garden
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK JANUARY 2026 89
Powered by FlippingBook