The Shepton Snowdrop Festival is set to return for its tenth year in February 2026, with organisers promising the most ambitious programme yet.

The two-day festival will take place on Friday, 20 and Saturday, 21 February, with headline guests including renowned landscape designer Dan Pearson, photographer Huw Morgan and garden writer Tania Compton. Pearson, who is patron of the festival and the wider Shepton Snowdrop Project, will speak about Hillside, the Somerset garden he helped design.

James Allen, known as the "Snowdrop King" and one of the most important hybridisers of snowdrops in the 19th century, is at the heart of the festival's inspiration. Allen's grave in Shepton Mallet is marked by a distinctive obelisk, reinstated by the project in recent years.

A panel of expert gardeners will offer spring advice at the festival, including:

• James Cross (Bishop's Palace, Wells)
• Arthur Cole (The Newt, formerly Colesbourne Park)
• Clare Greenslade (formerly Hestercombe)
• Mike Burke (Castle Gardens, Sherborne)

Festival Director Amanda Hirst has also announced a brand new feature: the Great Snowdrop Gardens Trail of Somerset, connecting top snowdrop sites from Dunster to East Lambrook, with support from Yeo Valley Organic Garden, Hestercombe, the Bishop's Palace and others.

Two private gardens in Wells will open to the public for the first time as part of the trail.

Other highlights include:

• A talk by Clare Greenslade: Beating the Winter Blues
• Plant sales from RHS award-winning nurseries
• Artisan market stalls
• Popular workshops including willow kokedama

The international photography and poetry competitions are now open, judged by Jason Ingram and Wendy Pratt. This year's theme is In the garden, with entries welcome from around the world.

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Amanda Hirst said: "No other town can claim to be the home of the Snowdrop King. Our aim is to encourage a passion for snowdrops and all plants, from large gardens to window boxes. We already know of at least one overseas snowdrop tour, and we're ready to welcome visitors from near and far."

The full programme and booking details are available at www.sheptonsnowdrops.org.uk.

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