Snowdrops

Every northern garden needs some snowdrops.  These tiny flowers shyly hide their beauty but they are the very first flowers to bloom in the spring, bringing hope for the season ahead.  Here in my zone 5 borderline 6 garden they bloom at the end of February if the snow isn’t deep.  That’s generally a couple weeks before the crocus and winter aconite blooms. Snowdrops can be planted anywhere there is at least a small period of cold weather, from zones 2-8.  They need a cold rest period to keep them healthy and blooming.

Snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis are native to Eastern Europe and northern Asia but have naturalized in many areas of the world.  Another similar species Galanthus elwesii (giant snowdrop) is native to Yugoslavia, Romania and Western Turkey.  It has slightly larger flowers than regular Snowdrops and blooms a bit later. Galanthus woronwii is another native species very similar to G. nivalis and has been used medicinally. All species are on the Cites list and can no longer be collected from the wild.

When snowdrops were introduced to English gardeners in the 1500’s they quickly developed several cultivars from odd sports and sub species that occurred in wild plants.  There was 'Flore Pleno', a double flowered variety, some light yellow cultivars developed from a wild sub-species G. nivalis var. sandersii and some cultivars that had more of the green coloration developed from another sub species G.nivalis var. Viridapicus.

‘Sam Arnott’ is an older cultivar one can sometimes still find in specialty catalogs which has larger flowers with more heart shaped markings.  'Ray Cobb' and 'Savill Gold'  are yellow flowered cultivars that can sometimes be found.  However many Snowdrop varieties have been lost to time and most gardeners will only find the species G.nivalis offered.

The cold journey to bloom

Snowdrop plants are tiny but tough.  Each long narrow leaf has a tough layer of cells at its tip to help them push through partially frozen ground. The two leaves appear first, then a tube shaped stalk appears in the center and a white bud facing upward emerges from the side of it.  The tube shaped stalk protects the bud as it pushes through the cold ground.

Over the course of a day or two, depending on weather the bud curves out away from the stalk and dangles downward.  The stalk elongates beyond the flower and appears like a curved hook at the top.  The bud opens downward, into a 6 petal flower, 3 of which are observed from above.

You have to tip an open snowdrop flower up to see the delicate beauty inside this shy maiden.  There is a swollen green base, 3 longer white petals on the outside and 3 shorter broader petals on the inside.  Each inner petal has a notch in the center, making them appear heart shaped.  The petals are delicately marked with a flush of emerald green.

Inside the flower are 6 yellow cone like stamens (male parts), surrounding the rod like pistil (female part) in the center.  The pistil extends beyond the cone stamens.  The green streaked area of the flower exudes sweet nectar that will hopefully attract early flying bees, which act as pollinators.

If the flowers get pollinated a round seed cone develops with tiny brown seeds inside.  Each seed has an elaiosome, a sticky curved appendage that is attractive to ants. The ants carry the seeds underground to eat the elaiosomes and effectively plant the seeds.

If the plant doesn’t develop seeds it can also spread by multiplying its bulbous roots.  Snowdrops will slowly spread by bulb offshoots and seeds to form colonies when they are in good conditions.

A few weeks after flowering the leaves of the plant will disappear and the plant goes into dormancy until the following year. 

Growing Snowdrops

Gardeners will want to start with bulbs.  Since these small bulbs dry out rapidly plant them as soon as you receive them.  Plant them in a partly shaded area or under deciduous trees in a rich loamy soil.  They can be naturalized in lawns if you are willing to let the foliage yellow and die back naturally before mowing.

Plant the bulbs about an inch apart in clusters, about 2 inches deep.  It will take about 150 snowdrop bulbs to make a good show in a square yard of space.  I recommend planting snowdrops where you are likely to see and enjoy them in early spring, along a path, near a doorway or steps. They are good subjects for early bloom in rock gardens.  Plant them between hosta crowns for an early spring show before the hosta leaves enlarge.

Snowdrops need even moisture, and a well-drained area. A light sprinkling of a granular, slow release all-purpose garden fertilizer around then in early spring helps them multiply.  Deer and other animals do not eat the plants or bulbs.

Make sure you mark your snowdrop planting.  I find I forget about them and dig up the bulbs when planting other things.  It’s easy to miss the bulbs and rebury them in odd positions or too deeply, or leave them exposed.  If you do want to move or divide the bulbs do so right after the leaves die back and immediately re-plant them in their new location.  Keep 2-3 bulbs together in each division.

Medicinal uses

All parts of the snowdrop plant are poisonous.  When eaten they can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea.  They are also an abortifacient (cause abortion).  That said there were a few older herbal remedies using them.  Crushed plant parts were rubbed on the forehead for headaches and some experienced herbalists used concoctions of the plant to help with neurological problems.

Observations of herbalists using the plants to treat polio resulted in scientific studies of the plant and several chemicals have been extracted from snowdrops and used in modern medicines.  Galantamine, a substance extracted from the plants is used in Alzheimer medications and for myasthenia, myopathy, sensory and motor dysfunction. The US army has a patent on a galantamine product that is used to treat organophosphate poisoning.

Snowdrop lectin is being experimented with as an insecticide. The product proved effective against most types of insects.  It may soon be used in genetically modified crops.  However some studies show animals fed snowdrop lectin genetically modified food products had intestinal damage.