Where to See Snowdrops in London

It was a freezing Saturday morning in February. On a grassy bank near Hyde Park Corner, little white bells were hanging in clumps under the railings, with daffodil shoots pushing up between them. People hurried past in hats and scarves.

Seeing Hyde Park inundated with mini carpets of snowdrops and daffodils warmed my soul with fresh hope: yes, spring is on its way (at last!). I just had to brave another stormy February first.

That walk, from the snowdrop banks down to the Serpentine, comes first. After it come the other places for snowdrops in London, from Kew to a plantsman's garden in Enfield, with the odd curiosity about the flower along the way.

When Do Snowdrops in London Flower?

The Royal Parks give late January to February as snowdrop time in Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Green Park and St James's Park. Plantlife says the flowers usually appear between January and March, and the National Trust says January to early March.

Kew has kept flowering records for more than 50 years, and they show the season creeping earlier. In the 1950s common snowdrops at Kew opened in late February. Since the 1990s, Kew says, the first flowers have usually appeared in January.

Snowdrops in London are usually at their best in the first three weeks of February. Late January is worth a try in a mild year. By March the daffodils take over, and by late April it's bluebell time.

Where Can You See Snowdrops in Hyde Park?

The Royal Parks include snowdrops and daffodils among the spring highlights on their Hyde Park walking route. My first clumps were on a sloping bank near Hyde Park Corner, tucked against the railings where the grass is left alone.

The best patch that morning was a grassy slope beside black railings, so thick with snowdrops that the grass barely showed. People walked past on the path just below, most of them without a glance.

The Royal Parks point out that snowdrops have a natural antifreeze in their cells. That's how they shrug off frost on mornings like this one. They also flag them as an early source of food for bees, at a time when little else is flowering.

Further into the park the daffodils were already open in places. One bed of yellow trumpets stood in front of a lawn and a tall tree still hanging on to its russet leaves from autumn.

What Can You See on a Winter Walk Along the Serpentine?

From the snowdrops I walked down to the Serpentine, the lake that splits the park in two. It is older than it looks. In 1730 Queen Caroline, wife of George II, had the River Westbourne dammed to make it. The royal gardener Charles Bridgeman carried out the work.

On the south bank stands the Serpentine Lido café, a low pavilion with a little cupola right beside the water. The Royal Parks list Colicci as the operator. The lido swimming area next to it opened in 1930.

The café terrace had tables pushed up against the railings, facing the lake. That morning there were more swans on the water than people on the chairs.

At the eastern end of the lake is The Dell, a sheltered garden where the Serpentine spills out over a small waterfall. The Royal Parks describe a meadow of early flowers here in spring. In February it was mostly palms, ferns and the sound of running water.

Somewhere among the shrubs I found a stone urn on a carved pedestal, its inscription weathered, with a bare willow drooping behind it.

Heading west, the path runs along the water towards the Serpentine Bridge. Its five arches were designed by John Rennie the Younger in the 1820s. The bridge marks the boundary between Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, where the lake becomes the Long Water.

The sky couldn't make up its mind that morning. It went from flat grey to bright blue and back, and the reeds along the bank turned russet whenever the sun came out.

If you want more ideas for cold-weather days out, I've gathered them in my list of things to do in London in winter.

Which Birds Will You See on the Serpentine in February?

The swans were the busiest things in the park. A whole group had gathered by the green railings near the tall pale grasses, and walkers kept stopping to look.

Along the stone edge of the lake a greylag goose sat quite still. Behind it, gulls lined up in a neat row on a pontoon.

One goose let me get close enough for a portrait. It fixed me with a steady stare over that bright orange beak.

Further along, an information board stood by the path, while more birds rested on the bank below it.

Near a metal ladder at the water's edge, two swans drifted past together under a grey sky.

Where Can You See Snowdrops at Kew Gardens?

Kew points snowdrop lovers to the Rock Garden, especially in late January. According to Kew, its collection holds all 19 known Galanthus species, two subspecies and more than 50 cultivars. Kew also lists delicate snowdrops in its extended Winter Garden.

Kew's favourite oddity is Galanthus elwesii 'Grumpy'. Its green markings look strongly like a frowning face, and Kew says it can appear in late January. The Londonist guide also sends snowdrop hunters to the Davies Alpine House, in the same part of the gardens.

Kew is a very different place in spring and summer. I wrote about its Japanese corner in discover Japan at Kew Gardens, if you want a reason to go back later in the year.

Is Myddelton House Worth Visiting for Snowdrops?

Myddelton House Gardens, at Bulls Cross in Enfield, was the lifelong home of the plantsman E. A. Bowles (1865–1954). He was known as the Crocus King, and he loved snowdrops too. Bowles probably coined the word galanthophile, a lover of snowdrops.

He is said to have written to a fellow collector, Oliver Wyatt, as "Dear Galanthophil". A snowdrop found in the gardens was later named Galanthus plicatus 'E A Bowles' in his honour.

The Lee Valley Regional Park Authority runs the eight-acre garden. Its own guide lists snowdrops in the Alpine Meadow in late winter. Its press releases also mention natural snowdrop carpets in the borders, beds and meadows.

Entry to the gardens is free, and they open daily from 10am to 4pm. Parking costs £3 for a car. The garden also has a café, the Bowles Tea Room.

Every year on a Saturday in late January the gardens hold the Ultimate Snowdrop Sale. For 2026 it fell on 31 January. In 2024 the gates opened at 7am and the sale ran from 10.30am to noon, with a £5 entry fee. Bulbs started at around £5.

Does Chelsea Physic Garden Have Snowdrops?

Yes, plenty. London's oldest botanic garden, founded by the Society of Apothecaries in 1673, has around 75 types of snowdrop, according to Gardens Illustrated. The garden closes for part of the winter and reopens in late January.

In 2024 and 2025 it marked the reopening with Heralding Spring, a self-guided snowdrop trail with a spring plant sale. For 2026 it ran winter plant tours with a senior gardener on 28 January and 18 February.

As of September 2026 the garden opens Sunday to Friday, 11am to 5pm, and is closed on Saturdays. Adult tickets cost £13.50, or £15 with a donation. My Chelsea Physic Garden visit guide has more on what to see there.

Where Else Can You See Snowdrops in London and Nearby?

The other Royal Parks are free and easy. The Royal Parks name Kensington Gardens, Green Park and St James's Park alongside Hyde Park for snowdrops from late January.

Just outside London, RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey has generous drifts on Battleston Hill and in Oakwood. More grow around the Rock Garden and along the Winter Walk. The RHS says Wisley has over 160 Galanthus cultivars.

Rare Wisley snowdrops are shown in pots in the Alpine Display House. For 2026/27, adult Saver tickets cost £15.20 on weekdays from October to March, or £20.50 on the day.

For serious collectors, Great Comp Garden near Sevenoaks in Kent held a Snowdrop and Plant Fair on 15 February 2026. It was curated by the snowdrop breeder Joe Sharman.

Snowdrops are only the first act. Once they fade, London moves on to magnolia blossoms in March and carpets of bluebells in late April.

Are Snowdrops Native to Britain?

Probably not, even though they feel as British as a wet February. Plantlife says the common snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis, was first grown as a garden plant here in 1597. It was not recorded in the wild until 1778, in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.

The Latin name means milk flower of the snow. Folk names are prettier still: Candlemas Bells, Mary's Taper, Snow Piercer and February Fairmaids. Candlemas falls on 2 February, and Plantlife notes that snowdrops were once scattered on church altars that day.

Please leave them where they are. Plantlife records an old belief that a single snowdrop brought indoors could bring death, perhaps because the plant is toxic. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, uprooting any wild plant without the landowner's permission is illegal.

Why Do People Pay Hundreds of Pounds for One Snowdrop?

To most of us a snowdrop is a snowdrop. To galanthophiles, the tiny differences are everything: the green markings on the inner petals, a yellow tint, a double flower or an unusual shape.

In 2015 a single bulb of Galanthus plicatus 'Golden Fleece' sold on eBay for £1,390. That record fell on 21 February 2022, when 'Golden Tears' sold for £1,850 plus postage. Both came from the same parents, and 'Golden Tears' was bred by Joe Sharman of Monksilver Nursery.

Myddelton House's head gardener has said the rarest variants can fetch thousands at auction. For everyone else, the carpets of common snowdrops in London's parks are free.

Visiting Hyde Park's Snowdrops: Practical Notes

📍 Where: Hyde Park, W2. The snowdrop banks I saw were near Hyde Park Corner; the Lido café is on the south side of the Serpentine, near the Diana Memorial Fountain.

⏰ Opening: Pedestrian gates open 5am to midnight. The Serpentine Lido café opens 8am to 5pm in February and March, card payments only.

🎫 Admission: Free. Myddelton House Gardens are free too; Kew, Chelsea Physic Garden and RHS Wisley charge, so check their websites for the season's prices.

🚇 Getting there: Hyde Park Corner (Piccadilly line) for the snowdrop banks and the eastern end of the lake.

☕ Food: Serpentine Lido café by the water, run by Colicci.

⏳ How long: An hour for the snowdrops, The Dell and a walk to the Serpentine Bridge. The Royal Parks' spring walking route is 3.3 miles.

📷 Best time: The first three weeks of February, on a bright morning after frost.

🗺️ Nearby: Kensington Gardens, Green Park and St James's Park all have snowdrops in late winter.

♿ Access: The Royal Parks describe the Hyde Park spring route as flat, with only shallow slopes in the south-east corner.

Have you found a carpet of snowdrops in London that I should add to this list?

_______________________

Did you enjoy this article? If you'd like to contribute to the running costs of WithinLondon, click the button below:

All photos were taken by Ina/WithinLondon, unless stated otherwise.