Snowdrops, Galanthus - The first welcome flowers of the year

The exact number of Snowdrop species is a disputed fact, but the general number seems to be around the 20 mark. As for different cultivars in each species, there are simply hundreds. So there’s definitely one out there for you.

The correct scientific name for snowdrops is Galanthus, although you don’t often hear it. The common name really has taken over.

Whatever they are called, I absolutely love them. I don’t know if it’s because they are white, as I’ve always had a soft spot for white flowers. Or it could be that they are the first flower of the year, very welcome!

Mine are now finally out! Most of them are in semi-shade, so they do tend to be a bit later flowering than most peoples. Leading to me having snowdrop envy, in January.

My 3 varieties

When mine do finally flower, I have three different varieties. One type I brought with me from our last garden. The other two varieties were her in this garden when we moved. We found them as we were digging the garden up landscaping it.

As we kept finding bulbs, I just planted them into pots to see what came up.

Once we had finally finished the white garden, I dotted them around, especially under our gorgeous walnut tree.

Nearly all of my snowdrops are down in the white garden, which is quite far away from the house. As they flower in winter, I was conscious that I only saw them briefly when visiting the compost heap. Although the cats keep their eyes on them.

Planting snowdrops in pots

Last year I acquired some black grass from a neighbour. It’s called Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’. I’ve seen it used in some interesting ways, and I thought it might look good with snowdrops coming through it.

I have two shallow terracotta pots, and I thought they would be just the job.

The best time to lift and split snowdrops is just after they’ve finished flowering, but still have their leaves. This is called ‘in the green’.

So at the very beginning of March last year, I lifted them, split them and planted them into the pots. I covered them over with compost and planted the few bits of grass on top.

I’m thrilled with the effect this year, but know they will only get better each year, as they both multiply.

Snowdrop Carpet

Someone in our village, has planted a carpet of snowdrops on the grass verge outside their house. This means I get a real treat on the way to work in January, and February. Great start to the day!