Rode is one of the few gardens in the North West which opens for Snowdrops in February.

 

A SUDDEN WARMTH

A glorious trick Winter played:
Earth lay dead, cold snow her shroud,
The scything wind the Reaper’s edge.

A sudden warmth greened the blade
And full-formed snowdrops stood and bowed,
There! beneath the hawthorn hedge.

W. Terry Fox

The snowdrops here were originally introduced by Sibella Egerton at the time of her marriage to Randle Wilbraham in 1833. In recent years the collection has been expanded significantly and currently there are over 40 different varieties to be seen.
In addition, in a mild winter, there will be hellebores, early daffodils and rhododendrons flowering at that time.