Galanthus x valentinei ‘Curly’

A delightful old snowdrop with one of the most distinctive foliage habits in the genus. The narrow grey-green leaves emerge tightly twisted and strongly recurved, often curling around one another before gradually opening out — hence the entirely appropriate name. The flowers themselves are rather more conventional, with neat white outer segments and green-marked inner segments, but it is the wonderfully wayward foliage that makes ‘Curly’ immediately recognisable. A snowdrop with character, rather than one inclined to stand to attention.

A spontaneous ×valentinei hybrid, ‘Curly’ was found by Richard Nutt and Herbert Ransom at Hyde Lodge, Gloucestershire, in 1960. Ransom was gardener to Brigadier and Mrs Mathias at Hyde Lodge, home of the Giant Snowdrop Company, while Nutt was already becoming an important figure in the developing world of galanthophilia. The plant therefore has a particularly interesting place in the history of British snowdrop collecting.

Best grown in humus-rich, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil in partial shade. Allow it to remain undisturbed for several years to develop a good clump, where the distinctive foliage can be properly appreciated.

• Hardy to at least H6 (-20 to -15°C).
• Height: 12cm; spread: 10–15cm.
• Flowers: January–February.
• Origin: Hyde Lodge, Gloucestershire; found by Richard Nutt and Herbert Ransom, 1960.