Galanthus reginae-olgae var. vernalis ‘Kenneth Becketts’

A particularly interesting form of Galanthus reginae-olgae subsp. vernalis, ‘Kenneth Beckett’ was found in Montenegro during the 1970s, during the period when Kenneth Beckett was making plant-collecting expeditions in the eastern Mediterranean with fellow plantsmen including John Watson and Martyn Cheese. The plant was subsequently brought into cultivation and named for Beckett, the distinguished plantsman, author and long-standing editor of the Alpine Garden Society Encyclopaedia of Alpines.

The flowers are neat and well-shaped, with pure white outer segments and green markings on the inner segments. The foliage is relatively narrow and fresh green, appearing with the flowers and giving the plant a quite different character from the familiar Galanthus nivalis. As might be expected from its reginae-olgae ancestry, it is an early-flowering snowdrop, although the subsp. vernalis forms are generally later than the typical autumn-flowering plants, with ‘Kenneth Beckett’ flowering around the turn of the year. In some seasons the outer segments develop green-tips.

A snowdrop with particularly good historical interest as well as horticultural merit, representing the collecting work of a generation of British plantsmen who explored the Balkans and eastern Mediterranean when many of its plants were still scarcely represented in cultivation. Its Montenegrin origin also makes it a useful reminder that the wild populations behind our cultivated snowdrops are considerably more geographically diverse than the usual garden forms might suggest.

Cultivation: Grow in humus-rich, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil in partial shade, ideally beneath deciduous trees or shrubs. A sheltered position is preferable, particularly in colder gardens. Avoid prolonged drought during active growth, while allowing the bulbs a reasonably dry summer dormancy. Allow the foliage to die back naturally after flowering.

Flowering: December–January

Hardiness: H4, approximately −10 to −5°C

Height: 10–20cm

Spread: 10–15cm