Spring Snowdrops
Spring doesn’t officially begin for another three weeks, but at my Bedford, New York farm, signs of the coming season are emerging more every day.
Among the first bulbs to bloom this time of year are the snowdrops, Galanthus. Snowdrops are not only beautiful, but easy to grow. With buds like alabaster pearls dangling from gently arched stems, these delicate flowers make wonderful additions to many woodland gardens and landscapes. And, if you love gardening as much as I do, these charming white blossoms are always a welcome sight against the brown earth of winter.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Snowdrops are the early spring flowering bulbs that open between January and March. We started seeing these blooms last week here at the farm.
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- The genus name refers to the white color of the flowers – gala is Greek for “milk,” while anthos is Greek for “flower”.
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- Even though they are dormant during summer months, snowdrops do enjoy the summer shade and should be planted in moist but well-drained soil under trees, shrubs or on the shady side of the house.
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- There are less than 100-different species and varieties of snowdrops and they are all white. One of the most cultivated is Galanthus nivalis, usually known as the garden snowdrop.
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- Galanthus nivalis is native to a large area of Europe, stretching from the Pyrenees in the west, through France and Germany to Poland in the north, Italy, northern Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, and European Turkey.
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- The white flowers hang from a single stem with three inner petals, tepals, curved into a tight pointed oval and three external petals loosely opening outwards.
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- These flower heads can be ‘single’ – one layer of petals – or ‘double’ – multiple layers of petals. The snowdrop’s grassy foliage is a vibrant light green.
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- Plant snowdrops in groups of 10 or 25 or more to create an eye-catching display.
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- And plant them at a depth three times the height of the bulb.
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- We’ve planted snowdrops in many different areas – around my Winter House, in beds surrounding my Tenant House, and in various tree pits near my front entrance.
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- They are also planted under my espalier of Gravenstein apple trees.
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- Snowdrops don’t often multiply from seed in a garden, but they will multiply by offsets – new bulbs that grow attached to the mother bulb.
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- Because the leaves are vital to build up the bulbs’ food reserves and allow new daughter bulblets to form, never trim or tie them into bunches.
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- It’s a good idea to apply a potassium-rich general fertilizer during winter.
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- Snowdrops are a pest-free plant. Rabbits and deer won’t eat them, and most chipmunks and mice leave them alone.
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- Don’t confuse snowdrops with snowflakes. These two types of plants have similar flowers but they bloom at different seasons -snowflakes appear later in spring or even during the summer.
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- When large clumps of snowdrops have become well-established they can become reluctant to flower – digging up and dividing the bulbs every few years will ensure prolific and annual displays.
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- In British folklore, snowdrops have come to symbolize hope and purity.
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- In modern medicine a naturally occurring substance within the plant, called galantamine, is used to help treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. However, the bulbs themselves are poisonous.
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- Have your snowdrops emerged around your home? What are your favorite harbingers of spring? Share your comments below – I always enjoy reading them.
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