In green and white
Your snowdrops will look even better next year if you replant them after blooming, writes David Overend.
Once the year turns, a gardener’s mind tends to turn to spring – the return of life in all its glory. Unfortunately, winter is still gearing up and we have the potential of many more weeks of poor weather to come. So, we have to make the most of what we’ve got – and what we’ve got big style is the humble snowdrop, which paves the way for the more colourful and larger spring bulbs, such as daffodils and tulips.
They may be smaller and less vibrant but Galanthus are much-loved and recognised by one and all, and in some spots they are already in flower.
And unlike many of their bigger spring brethren, they are forgotten as soon as their flowering days are over. Whereas tall flowers leave behind the problem of tatty foliage, snowdrops become inconspicuous after the last flower fades, and they are so often tucked away in corners and beneath shrubs and trees, that they become an instant, distant memory.
The thoughtful gardener will, however, never forget anything which can put on a brave face when winter is doing its worst. And in a few weeks, that same thoughtful gardener may well be preparing to plant even more snowdrops.
Strange though it may seem, clumps of Galanthus bulbs, lifted and planted immediately after they have finished flowering, will fare far better than the wrinkled, dry bulbs which are offered for sale in autumn.
Those sad apologies for a splendid spring flower take time to acclimatise, whereas bulbs planted in March – “in the green”, which is a way of saying they have finished blooming but are still heavy with foliage – will carry on as though nothing has disturbed their world.
For that reason, many gardeners watch until the final flower has bloomed, then they dash out, lift and divide clumps, and replant them. It’s a cheap, easy way of propagating the species and ensuring an even better display of flowers next year.
Snowdrops like shady spots under trees and in grass, but they are capable of growing and thriving just about anywhere as long as the soil is fertile and freedraining.
Like all bulbs, they are self-contained cannibals, feeding on the goodness from their own foliage. So unless they are to be dug up, split and replanted, they should be left alone.