This little traditional English garden plant was brought to Britain in Roman times and in late January and February these beauties defy the cold winter weather to burst forth into delicate white blooms, bringing with them the promise of spring.

Galanthus nivalis, their Greek name means literally milk flower and they are often called the fair maids of February.
A person who seriously collects these plants is called a Galanthophile!

Cultivation

Snowdrops like rich, moist and well drained soil that will not dry out in warm weather.

To improve the soil dig in plenty of leaf mould – to improve drainage dig in plenty of grit.

They are suitable for hardiness zones 4 – 7 and prefer a lightly shaded area, doing really well planted around deciduous trees as they bloom before the leaves appear on the trees.

Because of this there are many woodland gardens that open in late January and February so you may appreciate the beauty of this delicate plant.

Growing snowdrops from seed is a very slow job and buying the dry bulbs is also not a guarantee of success as the bulbs will take a few years to actually bloom their best.

The most successful way to buy them is in the green - that is after they have flowered with their leaves on.

They only grow to 4 - 6", and look their best when planted in clumps of 8 to 10.
Plant about 4 - 5" deep and then every few years split the clumps before they get too big, otherwise the plants in the middle will not flower so well.

Water them in well and in their first year do not forget to water in dry periods.

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These are three of my favourites –


Galanthus Ginns – which has lovely scented blossoms.
Flore Pleno - has double white flowers.
Viridapicis - which has blotches of green markings on tips of both outer and inner petals.

Don't forget to check out your local newspaper for gardens open in the spring for snowdrop walks.

Enjoy your English Garden!