snowdrop week

So where did my outing take me on the beautiful day that was yesterday (unlike today)?

Well, after packing a yummy lunch the heading could only be to one place, Altamont and the snowdrops and treated myself to three hours of wandering and sitting amid the spring snowdrops bathed in the warmth of the sunshine.

The collection of snowdrop are planted along the pathways, in borders, tucked among the ferns and grasses of woodland edges. Some are labeled, most are not

The central hub of the garden is the deep and tranquil lake, surrounded by trees and shrubs with drifts of snowdrops creating small splashes of white

Hellebores - the Christmas Rose, in shades of pinks, purples, creams, greens and whites are planted as a subtle foil for the pristine white of the snowdrops

Somehow, managed to come home with 100 common snowdrop bulbs in the green (€25) and a newer snowdrop cultivar called Modern Art (2 bulbs €11) and even a clump of Polygonatum verticillatum (a form of Solomons Seal which looks like bamboo with hanging green flowers) which I have been looking for, for ages.

A beautiful day, beautiful place and beautiful flowers. Well recommended for a day trip at any time of the year but particularly during snowdrop time