Galanthus nivalis
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Galanthus nivalis Family: Amaryllidaceae (gah-LAN-thuss niv-ALL-iss) Common name: snowdrop |
| Description: A bulbous perennial with narrow, smooth-textured, green leaves and delicate white flowers composed of six perianth* segments. Flowers are held dangling from the tip of the flower stem. After flowering, a capsule forms, roughly spherical in shape. Several brown seeds are held within the fruit capsule until they are ripe enough for release.
Special Notes: Native to Eastern Europe and southwestern Asia, snowdrops have been introduced, and naturalized, in many parts of the world including the United Kingdom, western Europe, and North America. A true harbinger that spring is coming, its strap-like leaves begin to poke up in late January or February. Flower buds follow with bloom time happening from late February through to late March…even into April, depending on weather conditions. Planting a few bulbs will gradually produce a lovely colony through self-seeding and bulb offsets, called bulblets. Plants will tolerate weak winter sun but best to plant under deciduous trees or herbaceous perennials which will provide shade to the resting bulbs below ground through the heat of the summer. Keep the snowdrop bulbs watered during drought. Allow leaves to yellow after flowering. During this time, they are sending energy back to the bulbs. If left alone, the leaves will naturally die back and disappear by late spring as the bulbs go dormant for the rest of the year. Snowdrops are easy care, tolerant of a range of soil types including clay. Purported to be resistant to the chemical juglans released by the black walnut tree, under which nothing will grow. They are also deer resistant. Cut flowers will last 5 to 7 days.
In our Zone 7a garden: I have noticed the patches of snowdrops in John’s back garden generally start appearing before mine in the front garden. The reason, I believe, is because my snowdrops are in shade from surrounding evergreen plants and the neighbours’ conifers…whereas John’s snowdrops are planted under deciduous shrubs and trees.
*Note: perianth – the outer part of a flower made up of the calyx (sepals) and corolla (petals)
Posted on January 17, 2018 |
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Quote of the Week
by Leslie Cox; Sunday; February 11, 2018
The shortest day has passed, and whatever nastiness of weather we may look forward to
in January and February, at least we notice the days are getting longer.
Minute by minute they lengthen out. It takes some weeks before we become aware of the change. It is imperceptible even as the growth of a child, as you watch it day by day,
until the moment comes when with a start of delighted surprise we realize that we can
stay out of doors in a twilight lasting for another quarter of a precious hour.
~ Vita Sackville-West
This week in the garden…
by Leslie Cox; Saturday; February 10, 2018
Sun! And it happened on a day with no appointments, meetings, contractors, volunteer duties, or town errands. Something that has not happened in this house for quite some weeks now. What a treat!
Of course, this does not mean we took a leisurely hike with Sadie…well, we did go the beach for our daily walk…or sat on the porch soaking up the rays. Nope. Dug out all the pruning tools, including the chainsaw and got to work on some serious pruning. John tackled our huge grape while I got to work on some much needed remedial hacking on my over-large Rhododendron macropyllum, (Pacific rhododendron).
Foto Friday
by Leslie Cox; Friday; February 9, 2018
I am looking forward to summer in the garden once again. While it is nice to have a winter breather from all the work, there is nothing more uplifting than to sit in the garden on a warm day and enjoy the riotous fruits of one’s labours.
Quote of the Week
by Leslie Cox; Sunday; February 4, 2018
The shortest day has passed, and whatever nastiness of weather we may look forward to in January and February, at least we notice that the days are getting longer. Minute by minute they lengthen out. It takes some weeks before we become aware of the change.
It is imperceptible even as the growth of a child, as you watch it day by day, until the moment comes when, with a start of delighted surprise, we realize that we can stay out of doors in a twilight lasting for another quarter of a precious hour.
~ Vita Sackville-West
