SNOW DROP IN THE OCEAN
They may have been out for a while, but the snowdrops are in all their glory now, and I absolutely adore them. They have spread themselves so prolifically in a shady part of my garden and they look like little pearls under the skeletal tree canopy. I added a few solar lights to the white carpet last week so they even look magical at night. Solar lights have come on in leaps and bounds and often don’t need sunlight to recharge, just daylight – handy at this time of year!
Snowdrops will spread naturally and quite quickly by both creating new bulbs within a clump, and by spreading further afield by seed. After flowering, snowdrop stems flop down and the seed pods will either naturally develop on the surface of the soil or often enlist a little help. Each seed has a small oil and protein-rich appendage called an elastiome, and when the seedpods open, these attract ants, which take them down into their nests as food for developing larvae. The seeds themselves remain untouched and, thanks to the ants, are both dispersed to new locations and conveniently planted underground.
So you can either let them spread under their own steam (and ant power) or speed up the process by lifting a well established clump, dividing it and replanting. You can do this before the end of the month, just after the flowers have faded but before the leaves die back – known as ‘being in the green’. Simply lift a large clump with a fork and divide it up into three or four smaller clumps with your hands. Plant these either in a brand new place or at the edge of the original group.
A neighbour has developed the snowdroplined path that Yogi is strolling down over a few years just by dividing original clumps. The effect is beautiful.
You could buy bulbs from your garden centre in the autumn. But it is notoriously difficult to establish them that way. Even the deep-green fingered Monty Don confessed to once planting 1,000 bulbs in his London garden with only 12 coming up.
Some hybrid snowdrop bulbs have been sold for hundreds of pounds each, and in 2017 a single bulb of ‘Golden Fleece’ went for £1,390 on eBay plus £4 postage. I think I
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would have given it a police escort!
Described as, ‘The first fully yellow snowdrop, which took Joe Sharman 10 years to create,’ it was much sought after by the galanthomaniacs or galanthophiles – people who collect snowdrops. Most of us just appreciate the common Galanthus nivalis, and it’s natural white carpet.
Folklore warns that it is unlucky to bring snowdrops indoors because it is thought they bring bad luck, or even death into the house, with them. However, I love displaying them on a mirror tile, which shows off the inside of their beautiful blooms, usually hidden as they shyly bow their heads.