Galanthus elwesii 'Chiltern Queens'

A distinctive neat double-flowered Galanthus elwesii selected by Paul Barney from a garden near Brightwell Baldwin, beneath the Chilterns in Oxfordshire. The plant was retained as a particularly worthwhile double and named ‘Chiltern Queens’ in reference to the former Chiltern Queens bus company of Woodcote, whose distinctive red-and-cream buses once served the villages and towns around the southern Chilterns and Thames Valley. The company was established in 1955 and operated from Woodcote until its eventual closure in 2002. 

The name therefore has a strong local connection to the landscape in which the snowdrop was found. A charming piece of Oxfordshire horticultural and transport history, as well as an attractive double G. elwesii for the winter garden.

Cultivation: Grow in humus-rich, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil in partial shade or beneath deciduous trees. Excellent for naturalising in woodland-style planting. Allow foliage to mature and die back naturally after flowering.

Flowering: January–February
Hardiness: H5, approximately −15 to −10°C
Height: 15–20cm
Spread: 10–15cm