Galanthus elwesii ‘El Bandito’

A rather charming “faced” form of Galanthus elwesii, ‘El Bandito’ has strongly contrasting green markings that give the flower a distinctly expressive appearance—rather in the same tradition as the famous ‘Grumpy’. The broad, glaucous foliage and substantial flowers are typical of G. elwesii, but it is the face-like arrangement of the green markings that makes this particular plant worth seeking out.

Origin: Found by Paul Barney in 2011 in the old garden of the late plantsman Bill Baker, near Pangbourne, Berkshire. Bill Baker’s garden was famously rich in snowdrops, and old gardens such as this are particularly valuable hunting grounds because decades of open pollination can produce unexpected seedlings and hybrids. Paul selected the plant for its distinctive facial markings and subsequently propagated it. 

In the garden: A choice collector’s snowdrop, best planted where its markings can be viewed at close quarters. Give it the usual snowdrop conditions of moisture-retentive, humus-rich soil in partial shade, allowing the foliage to die back naturally after flowering.

Height: 15–20cm
Spread: 15–20cm
Flowering: January–February
Hardiness: H5 (−15 to −10°C)
Aspect: Partial shade
Soil: Moist, humus-rich, well drained

• Provenance note: The 2011 discovery in Bill Baker’s garden is particularly significant. Baker was a renowned plantsman whose Pangbourne garden contained a remarkable collection of snowdrops; several named snowdrops are associated with his garden, including ‘Bill Baker’s Green Tipped’.