The winter flowers are having a vintage year in Devon, in the unfortunate absence of visitors

There was a sense of excitement at the Garden House in Devon this weekend. A Galanthus “Primrose Warburg”, a charming white and yellow snowdrop, had just appeared. “It is a lovely one,” said visitor services manager Karen Willcocks. “It’s just a pity more people can’t be here to see it.”

Usually at this time of year snowdrop aficionados (or galanthophiles) are heading to the village of Buckland Monachorum in their droves to spy examples of the beloved flower in the grounds of the Garden House. As the days lengthen and February approaches, wonderful, subtle-scented, crowd-pleasing drifts form.

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