Fill your garden with snowdrops
To get more of them on your plot, now’s the time to plant new clumps or split existing ones
FAlan is nursery manager at Somerset-based Avon Bulbs and is responsible for all the growing and exhibiting at shows. air Maids of February is one of the old names for the common snowdrop, and every garden should have a few clumps of this brave l little flower to announce
the coming of spring. They’re brave and also fearless, for although they can be frozen or covered in snow while in full bloom, they’ve developed to fill a niche where almost no other flowers can survive, and this is their special charm.
But whereas most spring-flowering bulbs, such as tulips or daffodils, are perfectly happy to be dried and stored ready for autumn planting, the much smaller snowdrop bulbs dislike being out of the ground for too long and don’t store well. So, to increase your stocks, go for planting pots of growing plants or lift and
divide any existing clumps in your garden. This is known as planting ‘in the green’.
As long as a few simple rules are followed, the success rate is generally high.
If the weather’s kind, snowdrops can be moved in full growth and full flower. This way the impact can be seen immediately. Never attempt to move any plants when the ground’s frozen and watch the forecast for the week ahead. Choose the biggest, thickest clumps and very slowly dig around using a strong border fork, avoid using a spade, which can inadvertently chop through and damage bulbs. Once the clump is lifted, use your hands to gently separate the bulbs into much smaller groups of three or four bulbs. This always looks better than planting singletons, which look lonely – they prefer the company of friends!
If space allows, spread the new clutches of bulbs 30cm (12in) or so apart, but avoid too much symmetry, which always looks artificial. Dig a good-sized hole with a trowel and replant immediately to the same depth or a fraction deeper. This is because most older clumps tend to work up to the surface, and therefore need to go in with a few inches of soil over the bulb. Water in at once, even if rain’s forecast. This will settle the soil closely around the roots, helping to keep the plant
supplied with moisture. Remember, those cold, dry easterly winds can desiccate all too quickly, so a repeat watering may be necessary. If severe frost threatens, then cover with fleece at night until milder weather returns.
Rodents don’t like snowdrop bulbs, unlike crocus and tulip bulbs, which mice and squirrels adore. Occasionally the bulbs can be attacked by the larvae of the narcissus fly, which eats its way out from the centre and makes the bulb soft and prone to fungal attacks. If you grow lots of snowdrops too close to each other, this can be a problem, but the great drifts of white seen in old estates, orchards and churchyards prove the hardiness and adaptability of the snowdrop.
Remember that in the wild, snowdrops don’t go on making ever-increasing clumps, they naturally spread by seed as well as the bulbs being moved around when dormant by rabbits, pheasants and other animals. If any of your clumps are showing fewer flowers each year, then it’s definitely time to lift and separate!