Description
Galanthus reginae-olgae Cambridge is a lovely autumn-flowering snowdrop which is said to have arrived in the UK 1960s from ‘a lady in Corfu’ who sent the original plants to the Cambridge Botanical Garden. However any further, or more accurate, details have long since been lost. It was at the time thought of as Galanthus corcyrensis but the name corcyrensis, which based on when the leaves emerged in relation to when it flowered, has been discredited and dropped.
It is probably worth saying that unless Cambridge Botanics got just one plant originally (which is unknown) then the origins and introduction mean that this is most probably a strain rather than a true clonal form, though no doubt there are many clonal forms of it by now, which have been raised by gardeners who themselves started with just one bulb. All of these, even if slightly different, are still Cambridge. The Snowdrop Bible records that the outer petals have a thickened and ridged texture and a tiny point to the tips of the petals, whilst the inners have a good, strong, green mark (all of which are visible in our main picture, which is of our own, exact plants).
A wonderful plant, it was one of the first reginae-olgae cultivars to be named. It has been completely hardy here, outside (it has taken -17°C in the garden, without damage) and it is always a talking point for both its early appearance and for its delightful scent of Wallflowers. It really should be in every garden. It is vigorous and a good garden plant, in every way the true species (not a hybrid) just a good cultivar of the species.
Cultural perfection is a slightly limey soil in a south-facing sunny spot, but it is tolerant and easy to please and will grow in light shade in acid soil if you wish and we even have some in mid-shade, under Apple trees where they have been for over 20 years. It is one that is best left to clump.
AM (RHS) 1989
for UK sales ONLY NOT available for export