Snowdrop Folklore Talk from 12pm until 1pm on Monday 27th January 2025. As winter loosens its grip and the first snowdrops emerge, join the Chelsea Physic Garden in exploring these beloved harbingers of spring. Known botanically as Galanthus—meaning ‘milk-white flowers’—snowdrops have been cultivated at the Garden for over 200 years and are a key part of the garden’s Heralding Spring celebrations. These delicate blooms carry a wealth of symbolic and folkloric meaning. Often seen as a sign of hope and renewal, snowdrops also hold a more mysterious association with death and the afterlife, appearing in funeral traditions and grown around graves. Their links to both life and death make them a fascinating subject for this season of transition. Leading this talk is Roy Vickery, author of Vickery’s Folk Flora, and an expert from Brompton Cemetery. Over the course of an hour, Roy will delve into the rich folklore of snowdrops, their symbolic meanings, and their medicinal uses, including their connection to treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and ongoing scientific research. Following the talk, enjoy time outdoors exploring the snowdrops in bloom. A self-guided trail will help you discover the fascinating varieties in the Chelsea Physic Garden’s collection, as well as the seasonal beauty of London’s oldest botanical garden, home to a wealth of winter plants. To complete the experience, attendees also enjoy a cup of tea as part of this special event. For all the details and to book your place, please click here. The Chelsea Physic Garden, 66 Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HS, open their gardens from 11am until 4pm from Sunday to Friday (the Chelsea Physic Garden is closed on Saturdays). There’s a snowdrop trail and visits can be booked in advance online, for all the details, please click here. Information for disabled visitors to the Chelsea Physic Garden can be found here.