Galanthus elwesii ‘Cinderdine’

A particularly handsome selection made by Daphne Chappell in 1996 from Helen Milford’s former garden at Chedworth, Gloucestershire. It was subsequently propagated at Cinderdine Cottage Snowdrops and listed there for the first time in 2001, giving the plant its name and bringing this intriguing Chedworth snowdrop into wider cultivation.

‘Cinderdine’ stands out for its olive-green scapes and unusually thickly textured outer segments, giving the flowers a substantial, rather tactile quality. The combination of the dark olive stems and heavy-textured white outers is particularly attractive as the flowers emerge from the winter garden.

Its provenance is especially appealing. Helen Milford’s former garden at Chedworth was already associated with snowdrops before Daphne Chappell made this selection, making ‘Cinderdine’ part of a remarkable chain of horticultural history rather than simply a nursery selection. Chappell subsequently introduced the plant through Cinderdine Cottage Snowdrops, where it first appeared in their catalogue in 2001.

A snowdrop with both botanical character and a proper Gloucestershire pedigree — and a very good example of why old gardens are worth rummaging around in.

• Flowering: January–February
• Height: c. 15–20 cm
• Spread: c. 10–15 cm, increasing into clumps
• Hardiness: H6, approximately −20 to −15°C
• Type: Single
• Selected: Daphne Chappell, Helen Milford’s former garden, Chedworth, Gloucestershire, 1996
• First listed: Cinderdine Cottage Snowdrops, 2001
• Key features: Olive-green scapes; thickly textured outer segments
• Nomenclature: Galanthus ‘Cinderdine