Galanthus nivalis ‘Courteen Hall’

A lovely old green-tipped Galanthus nivalis, producing neat white flowers with distinct green markings towards the tips of the outer segments and a stronger green mark on the inner segments. It is a pleasingly traditional snowdrop rather than an over-engineered modern curiosity, and makes a particularly good garden subject when allowed to naturalise in grass or beneath deciduous shrubs.

The name almost certainly refers to Courteen Hall in Northamptonshire, the historic country estate south of Northampton. However, I have not found a sufficiently reliable primary source establishing who selected the snowdrop, when it was found, or precisely how it came to bear the estate’s name. Specialist lists consistently treat it as G. nivalis ‘Courteen Hall’, so I would avoid attributing a finder or date until better evidence emerges. 

There is also some modern confusion between ‘Courteen Hall’ and ‘Modern Art’, so keeping the provenance conservative is particularly sensible. 

• Hardy: H6 (-20 to -15°C)
• Height: 10–15 cm
• Spread: 10–15 cm
• Flowers: January–February