• Galanthus nivalis 'Bishop's Mitre' snowdrop flower
  • Galanthus nivalis 'Bishop's Mitre' snowdrop – photo 2
  • Galanthus nivalis 'Bishop's Mitre' snowdrop – photo 3
  • Galanthus nivalis 'Bishop's Mitre' snowdrop – photo 4
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WRJ SNOWDROPS

Galanthus nivalis 'Bishop's Mitre'

Galanthus nivalis 'Bishop's Mitre'

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Galanthus nivalis 'Bishop's Mitre' was found by Matt Bishop in H.A. Greatorex's former garden plot at Brundall, Norfolk. It is a small plant of very nice form and the characteristic 'bunny ears' signalling its place in the 'Scharlockii Group'. It performs well here and increases steadily.

H.A. (Heyrick) Greatorex raised his double snowdrops in his garden at Brundall in the 1940s and early 1950s, crossing G. nivalis 'Flore Pleno' with G. plicatus, and named many of them after Shakespeare's characters.

According to the monograph, Matt Bishop spotted it early in 1999 on a visit to the old garden with a group of Norfolk galanthophiles, and the name refers partly to the spathe, which looks rather like a bishop's mitre.

Brian Ellis also confirms that 'Bishop's Mitre' is a snowdrop from the Greatorex plot, alongside 'Cordelia' and 'Hippolyta', and describes it as a very short Scharlockii type that may become splashed.

What makes it so unusual is how short the stem is compared with the pedicel that carries the flower. The blooms swing out and dangle low over the soil. Slim, green-tipped outers open to show a tidy green 'V' on each inner.

Sources
Some of the background here comes from Bishop, Davis & Grimshaw, Snowdrops: A Monograph of Cultivated Galanthus, Brian Ellis, 'Some finds from Snowdrop Acre' (HPS Galanthus Group newsletter, Autumn 2020), Brian Ellis's talk, 'Snowdrops and a Norfolk Connection' (HPS Galanthus Group Study Day, Stalham, Norfolk, February 2024), Brian Ellis (by email, October 2026) and Shakespeare's Snowdrops (The Pleasaunce).

(I like to describe the plants I sell as best I can from my own experience of growing them.  For the history of each individual snowdrop, I use books, websites and information from friends and others in the snowdrop world, some of whom have given me insight into information about cultivars that isn't readily available elsewhere.  Where information has come from a third party, I always try to make sure the source is credited.  Please note that not everything written about snowdrops in books or on websites is completely accurate, so if you spot anything on my website that you believe is wrong, I'd be really grateful if you would get in touch and let me know.  The same goes for any information you may have about any of the snowdrops on my website: if you'd be willing to share it with me and happy for me to publish it here, I'd love to hear from you.  I'm always open to changing the information on my listings, and I'll always credit any new sources.  My ultimate aim is for this website to be a trusted reference for snowdrops, so it is vital to me that the information is accurate.)

Price: the price shown is for one bulb of this variety, unless otherwise stated in the description.

Delivery: UK mainland only (excluding Northern Ireland). A flat rate of £6 per order, or free when you spend over £100.

Dispatch: I aim to send all plants out within 48 hours, and everything is sent by Royal Mail Tracked 24.

Plant Passport: all plants are sent with a Plant Passport, as required by Defra.  My Plant Passport registration number is 143957.

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