Drop-dead gorgeous star of winter
Now is the time for the snowdrop to shine – in all its 3,000 varieties
SOME bulbs are pushing through the cold soil, their flower heads like periscopes checking out the winter landscape. There are a couple of crocuses sallying forth but the stage in January belongs to the snowdrop.
It’s a symbol of hope in the midst of winter and a signal that spring will surely follow in a couple of months.
I had the opportunity this week to talk to a snowdrop expert and get his top tips for cultivating this species.
Paul Smyth is a plantsman who has worked in specialist nurseries, such as Crug Farm in Wales, and with a number of galanthophiles or snowdrop enthusiasts, such as Tom Mitchell, a contemporary plant hunter in Bath who has a big collection.
Paul recommends growing them where they want to grow, ideally in a woodland setting but he says they are very adaptable. They like a bit of shade but they will also take full sun.
They tolerate damp soil but they don’t like to be left waterlogged. They can bake in the summer – they originate in mainland Europe where they get scorched each year.
What they do appreciate is a humus-rich soil so Paul recommends a good mulch every year using garden compost.
He concurs with the standard advice about always planting them “in the green”. He explains why this is – because the bulbs are so small, say compared to daffodils or tulips, they tend to dry out and shrivel up. As a result they are much better bought in the green, having been dug up in full growth in February or March after flowering.
There are more than 3,000 named varieties of snowdrops collected by galantophiles and some of the very rare ones can cost hundreds of pounds per bulb. Many of these collectables aren’t suitable for the normal garden because they’re difficult to grow and require specialist conditions.
For example, some will only grow in glasshouses. For the average garden, there are a couple that Paul recommends.
‘Mrs Mcnamara’ is a vigorous, early flowering variety which will bulk up quickly. It’s relatively tall with big flowers and a distinctive green chevron mark. For mid-season, go for the well known ‘S. Arnott’ which is taller and the flowers have a gentle honey scent. And for something a little different, he suggests ‘Wendy’s Gold’, a mid-season variety with yellow ovaries and markings.
Paul advises planting them en masse for full effect if you can and then letting them naturalise. After flowering, let them die down completely, or you can lift and divide them then to establish different clumps across the garden.
He also suggests you companion plant them with hostas, hellebores and other spring bulbs, such as wood anemones.
One of his favourite combinations is planting them with aconites, which flower at the same time, to create a lovely yellow and white planting scheme.
Recommended suppliers: Avonbulbs-co.uk, woodland-bulbs.co.uk