A fondness for the flowers of winter

If you have a fondness for the flowers of winter, the annual Snowdrop Gala in Tullow is a must, writes Peter Dowdall.

Another new year can mean only one thing — soon we’ll begin to see snowdrops and other late-winter and early-spring treasures emerge from the soil once more. Early daffodils, Helleborus orientalis, Eranthis hyemalis, crocus are all, if not in flower yet, then surely just a few short weeks away.

They lie, seemingly dormant underground for much of the year but of course they’re not sleeping, it’s when they are under the surface that the magic begins.

The bulb and the soil combine to send forth, first, green shoots and then flower buds and blooms as the magic continues above ground, to brighten up the dreary days of January.

The calendar is merely a way of measuring the passing of time, a way to give us some structure; but the older I get, the more I am aware of our own innate connection to that same calendar. I’m as happy as the next man or woman to hibernate during November and December, but once the new year begins, I find myself more and more keen to get back to the great outdoors once again.

If snowdrops and other winter delights are your thing then you need to pencil a date into your diary. The annual Snowdrop Gala takes place this year on Saturday, February 2, at Mount Wolseley Hotel, Tullow, Co Carlow.

The gala will feature presentations from renowned Scottish Alpine and woodland nurseryman Ian Christie, who will speak on ‘Snowdrop Madness’, and fellow Scotsman Ian Young, a well-known artist, photographer and blogger.

His lecture, which is entitled ‘Waves of Colour’ will look at bulbs and other plants which can be used in association with snowdrops.

Mount Wolseley is situated near Altamont Gardens and it would be a grave oversight not to visit the fantastic gardens when in that part of the world.

Under the stewardship of head gardener Paul Cutler, these gardens are one of the finest in Ireland in which to experience the magic of winter. Snowdrops, hellebores, viburnums, hamamelis and other seasonal beauties abound in this wonderful place.

When you get there, be it as part of the Snowdrop Gala or under your own steam, make sure to get to the lake and enjoy that view of the weeping willow and weeping birch dipping their stems into the water. It’s the quintessential image of Altamont and worth the journey.

Another jewel in Ireland’s horticultural crown is to be found at Kilmacurragh in Co Wicklow. One of Ireland’s National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh is free of charge.

Seamus O’Brien, head gardener at Kilmacurragh, is one of Ireland’s most outstanding present-day plantsmen, and is widely known throughout the island, as well as in Britain. His interest started at an early age, coming from a Co Wicklow farming family,receiving his formal training at the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin. He holds an international diploma in botanic garden management from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew.

It was fitting to see that Seamus recently received The Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland’s gold medal of honour.

Seamus thanked the RHSI for instigating the award, saying: “I am greatly honoured to have been chosen, particularly given the glittering list of past recipients.”

Seamus is a corresponding member of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Woody Plant Committee.

He contributes to numerous publications, includingCurtis’s Botanical Magazine, and the International Dendrology Society’s Year Book, as well as the Irish Garden Plant Society’s newsletter.

As an author, O’Brien has reached an international audience. Published in 2018, his magnificent in the Footsteps of Joseph Dalton Hooker, a Sikkim Adventure retraces Hooker’s 1847 expedition to Sikkim, when he would discover botanical treasures previously unknown in the western world.

O’Brien’s first-hand account, based on his own travels to Sikkim, traces the discoveries which were supplied as seedlings to Kilmacurragh, many of which still grow there.

He is also the author of in the Footsteps of Augustine Henry, and his Chinese Plant Collectors, published in 2011 — again, based on his own travels to that country.

Many of Henry’s introductions are to be found growing today at Kilmacurragh.

Seamus O’Brien is known by a wide circle, for his passionate interest in the history of the Acton family, former owners of Kilmacurragh and in the estate where they assembled one of the greatest plant collections in these islands, the restoration of which he is overseeing.

For more information on the Snowdrop Gala [e-mail] or [e-mail]