If you live along the east coast of the United States and especially in New England, you are probably ready for spring. As I type, it is a balmy 12 degrees outside. Thankfully, we have had a few weeks without snow and with enough sunlight to begin melting the snow. We even began mulching and adding compost to the plant beds in search of something to do outside in the garden. The ground is still solidly frozen in most places, but we do have a few spots where the snow has melted and the soil has warmed enough for the delightful little snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, to emerge and flower.
I know many folks consider the witch hazels the first plants to flower, but I take that status with an asterisk. Yes, witch hazels are pretty, but snowdrops give us that broader petaled flower that we so much need after a long winter.
Once a few clumps were spotted flowering, most of our staff at Coastal Maine Botanical Garden took off to see them. There is another patch near our home in East Boothbay that always flowers before anyone else’s. I knew that it had come into flower when friends and neighbors started posting pictures of the clumps on Facebook. There is something about the snowdrop flower that heralds the end of winter, unlike all others.
Snowdrops – Extra Special for Northerners
Growing up in North Carolina, I never truly understood the appeal of Galanthus. Because of the mild winter, we always had so many other things to look forward to seeing, including camellias. Now that we live in the sub-tundra (depending upon the year), having the little Galanthus waiting for us as soon as the snow melts is a needed welcome.
When we lived in North Carolina, I even attended an hour-long talk detailing all 19 species of Galanthus and their native habitats. It was interesting, and the speaker was fantastic but again, the market was not there with so many other plants outside in flower. This year, if I were a bulb farmer, I would be snapping pictures of snowdrops all over the landscape and images of just how brutal this winter has been. Then, this fall, when everyone is pulling together their bulb orders, I would blast images reminding us of how bad everything was and how welcome the little flowers were.
Planting Galanthus
If you are new to growing snowdrops, plant your bulbs in the fall as the ground starts to cool and before the soil freezes. You can purchase Galanthus bulbs from many different mail-order sources. Be sure to plant the bulbs in an area that is moist yet well drained.
Good spots include along the edge of a pathway or in a rock garden – these are are ideal spots as they are small plants. If you really want them to flower early, pick a south-facing, warm spot to plant the bulbs. Then smile in the spring when the clumps of white flowers melt away the memories of the white stuff that coated the garden all winter.
–Rodney
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