Galanthus 'Ginns Imperati'

One of those snowdrops where the nose gets there before the eyes. A vigorous, medium-sized cultivar with large, rounded, elegantly pendant flowers, narrow grey-green leaves and an exceptionally powerful fragrance of bitter almonds. The inner segments carry a clean, widely splayed green V at the apex, while the outer segments are nicely rounded and slightly pinched at the tips. Similar at first glance to ‘S. Arnott’, but ‘Ginns’ Imperati’ is generally shorter and more rounded in flower — and considerably more memorable when the scent reaches you.

The story is a good one. The bulbs were collected north of Rome by the writer and plantsman Robert Gathorne-Hardy and subsequently grown by Ron Ginns of Desborough, Northamptonshire, during the 1950s. The name ‘Ginns’ Imperati’ reflects its association with Ginns and the imperati form with which it has traditionally been associated. The RHS currently treats ‘Ginns’ as the accepted cultivar name, with ‘Ginn’s Imperati’ and Galanthus nivalis subsp. imperati ‘Ginns’ among its synonyms. 

A superb choice for planting where its fragrance can be appreciated at close quarters. On a still, mild winter day, a clump can perfume the surrounding air with astonishing efficiency. 

• Hardiness: H5, –15 to –10°C
• Height: 15–20 cm
• Spread: 8–10 cm
• Flowers: February–March
• Flower: Large, rounded, pendant; green V-shaped mark on inner segments
• Fragrance: Exceptionally strong, distinctly bitter-almond scente