Galanthus ‘Kingston Double’

A historic and particularly handsome double snowdrop, ‘Kingston Double’ was discovered by Elizabeth Parker-Jervis in the early 1970s at Kingston Bagpuize House in Oxfordshire. Parker-Jervis was an important figure in the early development of modern snowdrop collecting, and her discovery of this distinctive double is one of her best-known introductions. 

A presumed double-flowered derivative of Galanthus elwesii, ‘Kingston Double’ produces substantial, brilliantly white flowers in which the additional inner segments largely conceal the normal green-marked inner whorl. On closer inspection, the remaining inner segments carry a characteristic olive-green apical V, while the numerous additional segments form an irregular but pleasingly full rosette. 

The flowers are held on sturdy stems above broad foliage, with plants reaching around 20cm in height. It is a particularly good double for its whiteness and flower size, and its clean appearance gives it considerable impact when grown in a sizeable clump. Its history is also of interest: the original Kingston Bagpuize House garden contained extensive naturalised snowdrops, including green-tipped doubles, and the cultivar has subsequently become firmly established in specialist collections. 

Interestingly, cytological work has confirmed ‘Kingston Double’ as diploid, rather than a triploid such as several of the Greatorex doubles. 

Nomenclature: Galanthus ‘Kingston Double’
Synonym: Galanthus elwesii ‘Kingston Double’
Provenance: Kingston Bagpuize House, Oxfordshire
Found by: Elizabeth Parker-Jervis, early 1970s
Type: Double-flowered selection
Flowering: January–February
Height: c. 20cm
Spread: 10–15cm
Hardiness: H5
Soil: Moist, humus-rich and well drained
Aspect: Partial shade to full sun