Why we celebrate the snowdrop

James Allen, the first person to breed Snowdrops from the wild, was born in Shepton Mallet. Our Snowdrop Project celebrates his legacy, the history and heritage of our town and the beauty of the snowdrop. Each year we plant thousands of bulbs on roadsides, roundabouts and public spaces. Our aim is to blanket the town white with snowdrops! In February we hold a Snowdrop Festival, with specialist plant sales, workshops, art and craft, and poetry and photography competitions.

Our patron is Dan Pearson OBE, an award-winning plantsman and garden designer known internationally in horticultural circles for his naturalistic and informal planting.  

The Snowdrop King

The Snowdrop King

James Allen was born just outside Shepton Mallet in 1830 and lived all of his life here. Although he worked from an early age in the family business he was passionate about snowdrops. In the late C19th he was one of Britain’s most well regarded breeders and probably the very first person to deliberately cross and raise different snowdrop hybrids from seed. James Allen is credited with breeding at least 100 snowdrop varieties. Sadly only two of them, Magnet and Merlin, survive today but his legacy and his title of Snowdrop King still live on.  

 

2024 Competitions

2024 Competitions

Passionate poet? Prolific photographer? Why not enter? The Poetry and Photography Competitions have grown from strength to strength, with entries from across the globe. Each year we decide on a theme and invite a poet and photographer with national, often award-winning, reputations in their respective fields to be our judges. We'll publish details of our 2024 competitions, the judges, and how to enter in October. 

Snowdrop Festival 2024

Snowdrop Festival 2024

The 2023 Festival was probably our biggest and most extensive yet. We went truly global, with competition entries from across the globe and visitors from Holland, Austria, Sweden and across the UK. 

This year's festival runs from 12-18 FEBRUARY 2024.

We hope you’ll enjoy every bit of it. Whether you’re a galanthophile, a gardener, a plant collector, or someone who loves beautiful things there’s something at the Festival for you. There are walks, talks and workshops too, and many of them book up fast so make your choice soon.

As it’s February half term we’ve included lots of creative activities and workshops for children and families, and they’re all free.

If you're an organiser of a tour, let us know. We'd love to see you.

Open Gardens

Open Gardens

Thanks to our amazing supporters some of Shepton Mallet's gardens will be open on Sunday 18th June 2024. Another amazing fundraiser for the Project.

 

 

Bulb Planting & Sales

Bulb Planting & Sales

We have finished our autumn snowdrop bulb planting for 2023 but why not get involved in 2024.

If you've enjoyed the February snowdrop spectacle on the verges, the sheep roundabout and public spaces in and around the town, join us then to plant yet more.

Volunteer to be part of our planting teams, or join with neighbours and friends from your community to brighten up a space near you.

We'll be selling bulbs in the autumn of 2024 again too.

We've already planted almost 500,000 bulbs around the town- can you help us plant more next year?

 

Latest News

Follow our Poetry Trail

Follow our Poetry Trail

On January 24th  a group of local poets and writers came together at a ‘Found Poetry’ workshop led by author, Polly Hall.  They were: Bangles,  Becky Watson,  Jo Munroe,  Jan…

Flower arranger? Gardener? Winter forager?

Flower arranger? Gardener? Winter forager?

Shepton Snowdrop Festival has thrown down a challenge to people of all ages to bring the natural world into the church of St Peter and St Paul, one of the venues for this year’s Festival.  There…

Something for everyone!

Something for everyone!

It’s just a matter of weeks now until the 2024 Shepton Snowdrop Festival, and the programme is packed with something for everyone.  For adults (and older children too), there is more than ever to…