EAST Lambrook Manor Gardens has officially opened its Festival of Snowdrops for the season, with over 140 named varieties growing in its grounds.
The cottage garden, set on the grounds of the 15th-century manor near Martock, opened its annual Festival on Saturday, February 1, for what could be the last time.
Owner, Mike Werkmeister, has been running the gardens for 18 years but will be stepping aside to let the manor's new owners take over this spring.
East Lambrook Manor's snowdrops were first planted by Margery and Walter Fish in the 1940s. The couple transformed a drainage channel between two orchards into the idyllic snowdrop scene it is today.
Each year the Festival of Snowdrops attracts enthusiasts from far and wide, many hoping to purchase some of the 90 varieties of snowdrops available at the Margery Fish Plant Nursery.
Owner Mike said: "It gladdens the heart to see the snowdrops lining the banks of the famous ditch in this gem of a garden."
But the snowdrop's rarer varieties don't come cheap, with single bulbs sold for between £3 and £80 at the nursery.
Varieties include the Galanthus elwesii 'Grumpy', nicknamed Grumpy as it features a frowning face on its petals.
Visitors will also spot several steel snowdrop sculptures by Chris Kampf dotted around the garden.
East Lambrook Manor Gardens' Festival of Snowdrops is open to visitors Tuesday to Sunday from 10am until 5pm and will run until Friday, February 28. Entry costs £7 for adults and is free for under 16s.
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