Snowflakes vs snowdrops
Both of these plants produce white, bell-shaped flowers with green markings in winter, but which is which? JENNIFER STACKHOUSE explains how to tell these delicate beauties apart
There are two pendant white flowers with green markings on their petals that bloom in late winter. Both are popular garden plants grown from bulbs, and people often get them mixed up.
Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis), which is native to a wide area of Europe, flowers from winter through to very early spring. It naturalises in Northern Hemisphere cold-climate gardens. Around the world, it has caught the eye of passionate collectors of the species, known as galanthophiles, with rare forms of snowdrops sometimes selling for a small fortune.
Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum) is native to Central Europe and parts of the Mediterranean, where plants are found in damp fields, ditches and beside streams. It is also a winter- to spring-flowering bulb. Because it isn’t fussy about having to grow in a strictly cold climate, it is most likely to be the plant that you see thriving in Australian gardens.
Even better, snowflake bulbs don’t cost a king’s ransom to buy, and this trusty little plant grows from the bottom of Tasmania to the subtropics. It needs little care or attention and, even with neglect, produces many stems of white bells amid a lush clump of strappy green leaves.
spot the difference
At a glance, snowdrops and snowflakes look similar, as both are small white bells with green dots on their petals. A closer look shows there are marked differences between both the flowers and the plants.
Snowdrop flowers have six white petals. Three are pure white and longer than the others. They are called tepals and form an outer ring that surrounds three short inner petals, which each carry a green
(or sometimes yellow) mark. The overall shape is long and elegant.
The flower hangs on a slender stalk, with one – or sometimes two – flowers to each stem, and two strappy leaves per plant, which rarely grows more than 20cm high.
Despite having only a pair of leaves and one or two flowers, snowdrops multiply readily and form a dazzling show when
they are growing en masse. Their white flowers can often be seen carpeting the ground under trees. In areas with cold winters, they may bloom while there’s still snow on the ground.
There are many named snowdrop varieties, including those with double flowers and ones with blooms that show variations in the size of the outer petals or the colour of the dots on the inner petals. The double snowdrop is known as G. nivalis f. pleniflorus ‘Flore Pleno’. There are also some hybrids between
G. nivalis and other galanthus species, including G. elwesii.
Snowflake flowers also have six petals, but they are pointed and all the same length, which creates a rounded hanging bell or a full, frilled skirt. The pointy tip of each white petal carries a distinctive lime-green dot.
The flowers hang down on a slender stalk from a flattened stem, and there are usually three to five – but sometimes six or seven – flowers on the stem. The large variety, Leucojum aestivum ‘Gravetye Giant’, has eight flowers on each stem.
The lovely, snow-white flowers bloom for many weeks in mid to late winter, usually at the same time as jonquils and narcissus. When the flowers finish, the green, leafy clump remains until it dies back in summer.
Snowflakes are easy to grow and can form large clumps in gardens, paddocks and along roadsides, with each clump measuring about 45cm high and wide.
grow your own
Snowdrops will only grow successfully in cold climates (regions with cold winters and mild summers). They are occasionally available as bulbs in autumn, but should not be stored or allowed to dry out.
Snowdrops are more commonly sold in flower in pots in late winter or early spring. They are also available ‘in the green’, when established clumps are divided after flowering but before the leaves die down. Snowdrops can be grown from seed, too.
Plant them in groups in a well-drained spot that receives dappled light during winter and shade in summer, such as
under deciduous trees or shrubs, or grow these little treasures in pots.
Snowflakes are usually planted as dormant bulbs in autumn, and grow well in a range of climates, from cold to subtropical. They are not often seen as flowering potted plants in garden centres, but may turn up at markets or fetes during winter or early spring. They can also be grown from seed, and clumps can be divided after flowering.
Grow snowflakes in a spot that’s sunny in winter but more shaded in spring and summer. They like moist soil, so may need extra water when conditions are dry, but most get by without any special attention.
medicinal value
Both snowdrops and snowflakes contain a medicinal chemical called galantamine, which has been found to assist in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (but is not a cure). They also contain alkaloids that are toxic to humans and animals, so the plants must not be eaten.