SPRING sun on Saturday helped The Courts gardens get off to a flying start to 2017, with more than double the number of people visiting the gardens to enjoy their Snowdrop Weekend than called in on the same weekend last year.

The gardens in Holt have reaped the benefit of the mild winter and early spring, with hundreds of clumps of snowdrops, some from unusual varieties, now bringing interest to the borders and lawns.

Altogether 274 people on Saturday and 270 on Sunday poured through the gates, following the Snowdrop Trail around the grounds and enjoying the delights of the tearooms.

"Having the sun helped, but it does show what a difference the snowdrops made," said head gardener Paul Alexander.

"There is something a bit different for people to see in the collection. Snowdrops have a huge following. People who are seriously into them call themselves galanthophiles, from the flower's Latin name.

"I understand people pay thousands for a single bulb of some varieties.

"We don't have any that rare here, though we do have lots besides the Nivalis which is the common variety people are probably familiar with.

"We have S. Arnott, Ketton and Hill Poe, which is my favourite. It has five petals not three and is a really beautiful flower, with a nice blanching. It looks totally white but actually it's not.

"You have to look carefully to spot these little differences and we hope that's what visitors will do."

The Courts will be open on every weekend in February from 11am-5.30pm for the Snowdrop Specials. Usual admission of £7.40 adult, £3.70 child applies, and there is parking opposite the gardens in the village centre, behind the village hall.