Snowdrop - 24

Elegant flowers dressed in simple white and green, snowdrops look far too fragile to deal with wintry weather.

But that's just what they do, and they have become treasured by horticulturalists for their ability to flower in the earliest parts of the year.

In this book, Gail Harland explores the role snowdrops have played in gardens and popular culture alike, as a treasured genus for enthusiast growers and an important symbol of hope and consolation.