Here is something for the German forum members and lurkers.
Galantour 2009 Programme
(subject to change)
Friday, 13 February 2009
Early morning departure from Siegburg, ICE-Station (near Bonn)
Afternoon: Visit to a very nice private garden near Maidstone with about 170 different snowdrops. Tea and coffee served.
Evening: After dinner get-together and official welcome.
Saturday, 14 February 2009
Galanthus Gala: 9.30 – 10.00am: Reception with tea, coffee and biscuits.
10.00 – 12.00am: Introduction and a series of short talks by
Melvyn Jope: Galanthus reginae-olgae in Corfu, a look at variations present in G. reginae-olgae in Cor¬fu
Bryan Hewitt: E.A. Bowles, a life
Joe Sharman: Snowdrops at Myddelton House, from Bowles’ time to the present day
Richard Hobbs: Norfolk’s Finest, following on from his talk about Mr. Greatorex this is a look at some of the other varieties from Norfolk.
12.00 – 1.00pm: Sale of plants, from many of the leading snowdrop nurseries.
From 1.00pm: Lunch at the school
2.00 – 5.00pm: Visit to Myddelton House Gardens, Enfield. This was the garden of the famous plantsman E.A. Bowles, which, since his death has been cared for by many gardeners and is part of Lea Valley Regional Park. The snowdrops planted by Mr. Bowles have survived and spread and more recently some very interesting varieties have arisen there. Some areas will not be open.
Sunday, 15 February 2009
Morning: Visit to Beth Chatto’s Gardens. This garden of the famous garden designer and plant expert is a real winter garden, especially the woodland garden. The attached nursery offers a good range of high-quality plants for all tastes, and prices are reasonable considering the quality.
Afternoon: Visit to a collector’s garden with many spring bulbs and drifts of rare snowdrops. Tea, coffee and biscuits.
Monday, 16 February 2009:
Morning: Visit of Anglesey Abbey and its dramatic winter-walk. It includes special plants which have been specifically brought together because of their winter appeal and a low-level snowdrop walk which is generally not open to the public.
Afternoon: Visit to Cambridge Botanical Garden with its many naturalized spring bulbs. The famous Winter Garden is a garden with special plants, arranged and combined for their specific winter effect to be as beautiful or even more beautiful in the depths of winter as any other part of the Garden would be in summer.
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Morning: Visit to RHS Spring Show in London with the opportunity to buy plants, books, arts, crafts etc. At this well-attended flower show you will meet experts and passionate collectors talking shop. Nurseries will be exhibiting their elaborately-designed stands, and prizes will be awarded for the best-presented rare plants.
Afternoon: Visit to Benington Lordship, an English Landscape Garden which also has much to offer in the winter. The manor was build around 1700. Impressive drifts of naturalized snowdrops form the start of a snowdrop collection. The head gardener will give us a guided tour.
Evening: Talk by Joe Sharman on snowdrops.
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Departure after breakfast.
Cost: 888.00 €
This includes:
- Travel for 35 persons in a modern long-distance coach, including ferry
Calais-Dover-Calais.
- 5 nights in a double-room or a room with twin beds in the 4-star**** Tewin Bury Farm Hotel near Welwyn (
http://www.tewinbury.co.uk/). Breakfast and evening meal are included.
Single-room supplement 225.00 €.
- The tour will be led by the plant expert Michael Dreisvogt, head of the Arboretum Park Haerle near Bonn (
www.arboretum-haerle.de).
Extensive travelling library available.
Look under
http://www.iris-ney.de/35/Aktuelles/Galanthour_2009.htm to find the whole programme in German and some pictures taken by myself last February in some of the gardens we are going to visit on our tour:
Please send your applications by 31st December 2008 to:
Iris Ney
Buechelstraße 40
53227 Bonn
gartenerhaltung@iris-ney.de
