A SNOWDROP bulb went for £150 at auction during a gathering of the flower’s fans at Myddleton House.

The special bulb will grow to be a rare E. A. Bowles snowdrop from the country house in the Lee Valley Regional Park.

The snowdrop, or Galanthus plicatus Poculiformis Group E. A. Bowles, to give it its full name, was discovered by visiting snowdrop expert, Mike Myers. What makes the plant unusual is that all of the petals are of equal length and are without any green markings.

And uniquely, there are six outer petals and no inner ones.

It is believed that the plant became a hybrid naturally some time ago and was subsequently named after former owner Mr Bowles at the suggestion of the then head gardener Christine Murphy, who created the gardens at Myddelton House in the late 19th century.

The bulb from the prestigious plant was dug up and given to a nursery in Cambridgeshire to be grown.

Then at the International Galanthus Gala, staged at Myddelton House on February 14 and 15, one of the bulbs sold for bumper figure.

Now plans to grow the bulbs financially could net the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority a tidy sum in royalties on their sale.

The International Galanthus Gala attracted over 300 visitors from Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and all over Britain.