Now it’s happening again, with snowdrops (Galanthus). True, prices are not yet reaching the farcical levels paid for tulips 400 years ago, but extraordinary prices are being paid for individual bulbs of rare varieties: $400 in 2008, $550 in 2011, $1,115 in 2012 and $2,500 in 2014 (at current exchange rates).

Are snowdrops bad luck?

For many Victorians, a single snowdrop signified death and they considered it bad luck to bring one into the home. This could be, in part, due to the bulb of a snowdrop being highly poisonous if eaten.

Are snowdrops a protected species?

Some wild plants are protected against international trade under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The only UK species to which CITES applies are Snowdrop Galanthus nivalis, if this is native, and all the orchids.