Late bloomers a cheery addition

THERE are two very similar looking white, bell-shaped bulbs in bloom in my garden. One is the snowdrop and the other is known as the snowflake – but everyone gets them mixed up.

Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) is a cold climate winter-flowering bulb. This is the flower that naturalises in woodlands in the northern hemisphere. It has caught the eye of passionate plant collectors known as ‘galanthophiles’ after the genus name for snowdrop. Because of their passion for these plants, rare forms sell for a small fortune.

If there’s a clump of white ‘drops’ in flower in your garden, it’s likely to be the snowflake (Leucojum aestivum), which tends to be considered the poor cousin of the snowdrop.

While galanthophiles wouldn’t look twice at a snowflake these cheery bulbs are easy to grow and don’t cost a king’s ransom.

They need little care or attention and produce lots of white bell-like flowers amid a clump of green, strappy leaves. Fine differences

Snowdrops and snowflakes are similar as both produce small white bells with green dots on their petals. A closer look reveals marked differences between the two.

Snowdrops are very elegant flowers with six white petals with three longer than the others and pure white. These form an outer ring that surrounds three short inner petals that each carries a green (or sometimes yellow) mark.

The snowdrop flower hangs on a slender flower stalk with usually one, or sometimes two, flowers per stem and two strappy leaves per plant. Snowdrops are small plants rarely growing more than 20cm high.

Snowflakes also have six petals but these are pointed and all the same length, which creates the look of a frilled full skirt. The pointed tip of each white petal carries a green dot. The flowers hang down on a slender flower stalk from a flattened stem. There are usually three to five but sometimes up to six or seven flowers on a stem. The variety Gravetye Giant has eight flowers on its stems.

Snowflakes bloom for many weeks in mid to late winter usually at the same time as jonquils and narcissus. After the flowers finish the leafy clump remains until it dies back in summer.

Despite having just a pair of leaves and one or two flowers snowdrops multiply readily to eventually create a dazzling show.

In their native Europe they can carpet the ground under deciduous trees. In cold winter climates snowdrops may bloom while there’s still snow on the ground.

Snowflakes too can have a big visual impact.

They form large clumps in gardens, paddocks or along roadsides. Each clump gets to around 45cm high and wide.

They are native to Central Europe and parts of the Mediterranean where they are often found in damp fields, ditches or beside streams.