Snowdrop open days at The Gardens of Easton Lodge near Great Dunmow in February
The Gardens of Easton Lodge is opening its doors for guests to enjoy the carpets of snowdrops next month, writes trustee Jill Goldsmith.
The Historic England Grade II-registered gardens, in Little Easton near Great Dunmow, will be open for Snowdrop Sundays on February 9 and 16 as well as Snowdrop Thursdays on February 13 and 20.
Snowdrops were planted in the gardens in Victorian times and they have spread and been added to over the years since. Now there are carpets of snowdrops everywhere - under the trees at the front of the gardens, in the glade running down to the views onto the fishing lake, in the walled kitchen garden and in the mini-wood.
There is a good path for visitors to take from the gate through to the kitchen garden, but children also enjoy visiting the elephant statue, climbing up into the treehouse and finding the snowdrops in other areas in the gardens, so outdoor footwear is recommended. Dogs on leads are also welcome.
The trust has brought forward the snowdrop open days this year by a week as the snowdrops are routinely opening earlier due to the warmer winters and strong sunshine that we are having.
In 2024, the winter was wet, stormy and warm, so by February there was flooding everywhere. Snowdrop season was all but cancelled. The upside was that the trust’s volunteers planted lots of unsold snowdrops around the gardens, so this year the show should be even better than in previous years.
The trust’s volunteers have enjoyed the blue skies and cold weather this month. It has been good for keeping the snowdrops from flowering too early, perfect for tidying up forgotten corners and edges of the gardens and for winter maintenance jobs so the gardens can look their best for snowdrop visitors.
The snowdrops pushed through and have needed the antifreeze in their sap during the cold weather. Daffodils have also started to grow so if the snowdrops flower ahead of time, they will likely be succeeded early by the daffodils.
On Snowdrop Sundays, the trust’s volunteers will provide homemade soup, local bacon, cheese or hummus rolls and delicious homemade cakes, hot and cold drinks. The gardens will be open from 11am to 4pm, last entry 3pm. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Trybooking.com or www.eastonlodge.co.uk or via the gardens’ Facebook page. Adult entry is £6 and under-16s get in free. Unsold tickets will be available on the gate for £7.
On Snowdrop Thursdays, the gardens will be open from 11am to 3pm, last entry 2pm. Thursday visitors cannot visit the neighbouring garden of Warwick House, but there will still be lots of snowdrops to see, hot soup, hot and cold drinks and homemade cakes. Tickets can be purchased in advance as above. Adult entry is £5 and under-16s get in free. Unsold tickets will be available on the gate for £5.50.
There will be snowdrops in the green for sale and other snowdrop and gardens merchandise. The open days are subject to the weather permitting them. In the event that the trust has to cancel an open day, advance tickets will be refunded and the cancellation will be posted on www.eastonlodge.co.uk and our social media channels.