SNOWDROPS - A PROMISE OF SPRING (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

SNOWDROPS - A PROMISE OF SPRING

4:44pm Sunday 30th January 2011

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Now that we are aware of the longer daylight hours we look forward eagerly to seeing the first sure sign that spring is on its way as snowdrops, with their exquisite white flowers tipped with bright green, enchant us in our gardens. Several friends have told me that they have had snowdrops in flower for a couple of weeks, whilst others are still waiting for those precious flowers to appear. Despite their fragile and delicate appearance they always seem to survive whatever dreadful weather we experience during the winter months.

If you are introducing snowdrops (Galanthus) into your garden for the first time if at all possible buy bulbs that have only recently been lifted. As it is really difficult to be absolutely sure of this the next best thing is to buy plants ‘in the green’, meaning those that are growing in a pot of some kind. Never be tempted to buy bulbs that look dried out. As snowdrops don’t adapt well to life in a confined space and also dislike being moved it pays to settle them into their permanent position as soon as possible. For the best results plant in fertile, moisture retentive soil enriched with plenty of organic matter. Once established they look wonderful planted in drifts under trees and shrubs.

If you have clumps of snowdrops and want to break them up to replant in other parts of your garden there has now been some rethinking on the best time to do this. I was always taught that snowdrops should be moved immediately after flowering whilst the leaves are green. However, the thinking now is that this is best done a bit later on in the spring when the leaves begin to turn yellow or even when the plants are fully dormant. The idea is to lessen any damage to the roots. Whenever you decide to move your plants take as much soil round the roots as possible. To divide established clumps pull them apart very gently to whatever size you want so that the leaves and roots are intact. Replant straight away at the same depth in full sun or partial shade.

February is a great time to visit any of the stately homes or large gardens where snowdrops are a feature. Its well worth turning out into the cold just to see them growing in their thousands, a truly inspiring sight.

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