It’s Wild Snowdrop Time!

All of a sudden there are white patches everywhere in the woodland, Galanthus nivalis and Galanthus nivalis flora pleno  have popped up to join in with the “specials”. This is earlier than last year when it was mid February before they put in an appearance

Galanthus nivalis

Galanthus nivalis flora pleno

They started flowering as soon as they came through the soil and have taken a couple of weeks to reach their final size. This is a clump of the double ,Galanthus nivalis flore pleno.

Mrs McNamara with nivalis

Here Mrs. McNamara is still flowering with clumps of G. nivalis and G.nivalis flora pleno, they look tiny in comparison.

G nivalis and Mrs. McNamara

The snowdrops are all increasing nicely and don’t seem to mind being divided as soon as flowering is over, once they have formed a sizeable clump. These smaller clumps don’t take long to bulk up and soon need splitting themselves, making it very easy to have drifts of these beautiful wild flowers in a matter of a few years.

Lots more “specials” have now opened up, I keep rushing out if the sun shines in between all the showers, as it is then that the petals open up and show the beautiful markings inside. Soon they will have a special post of their own.

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30 Responses to It’s Wild Snowdrop Time!

  1. Annette says:

    What a cheerful sight, Pauline! Had to go to a nearby snowdrop wood a few days ago to cheer myself up in this awful weather. Just to look at them lifts the spirits 🙂

    • Pauline says:

      Masses of wild snowdrops lift the spirits Annette, don’t they. We are so lucky in that we have lots of gardens that are open for us to see their collections, they have hundreds, if not thousands of them under trees and they look so fantastic.

  2. Chloris says:

    Isn’t it wonderful when the snowdrops start coming out? I love Mrs. Macnamara. I’m looking forward to seeing which other ones you have.

    You can’t beat plain nivalis for giving you sheets of lovely white though. And the double on is beautiful too.

    • Pauline says:

      To see thousands of them Chloris, under trees is wonderful, that such a tiny flower can give so much joy at this time of year is amazing. I really must split quite a lot of my wild ones, then I will have the beginnings of a drift!

  3. Hi Pauline, what a beautiful sight, they really light up the understory. I am really happy to be gardening somewhere that snowdrops clearly enjoy, can’t wait to have dividable clumps of my own. Will be ordering more to help things along a bit, being an impatient soul with some things – I want to see snowdrops under the new birches, and under the trees and shrubs in the back garden too. You never know, I might even venture away from planting just the native, if only to extend the season…

    • Pauline says:

      Janet, I started out by buying 50 bulbs of G.nivalis from one of my gardening magazines, I can’t imagine how many wild ones I have now, as well as giving so many away to friends. You sound as though you are a fledgling Galanthophile, once you buy special ones, you are hooked!

  4. wellywoman says:

    Such a welcome sight. Mine are out and flowering now although some have been nibbled by slugs. That is really quite demoralising. Heaven only knows what the slug population will be like this summer.

    • Pauline says:

      After I’d posted the photo of the double snowdrops WW, I noticed that some had been chewed, probably by slugs. At least they will keep our blackbirds and thrushes well fed!

  5. Wendy says:

    Oh how beautiful. We are coming into the season for woodland flowers and I do love to see them so much. The snowdrops are much earlier this year here, too. It seems a long time since I’ve seen them so early in January.

    • Pauline says:

      Yes Wendy, once all the woodland flowers open up, the little woodland looks very pretty, just a couple more weeks now. The hellebores and crocus are almost out so it won’t be long to wait. I too think the G. nivalis are early this year, but then we have had it very mild down here so I shouldn’t be surprised.

  6. Peter/Outlaw says:

    Such sweet little harbingers of spring. Mine are just starting to show a bit of white, quite a bit behind yours. And a new gardening season begins…

    • Pauline says:

      Lovely to hear from you Peter, the gardening year has started! More and more snowdrops will open over the next few days, soon the woodland will be covered with flowers.

  7. rusty duck says:

    Keep an eye out for that pheasant, especially if he brings all his lady friends around… although in the woodland, strangely, they seem to leave them alone. It’s the ones out in the open that are targeted.
    I shall be doing a lot of dividing this year too. It seems to be a good year for snowdrops, as well as early.

    • Pauline says:

      Jessica, I haven’t noticed any damage yet, thank goodness, maybe he is waiting for my fritillaries! It is a good year for them, soon there will be so many of them.

  8. Anna says:

    Oh they can’t be beaten Pauline. I’ve been pleasantly surprised this week to find some sprout from nowhere or so it seems 🙂 Just wish it wasn’t so squelchy out there so that I could nip out to see mine more often during the day.

    • Pauline says:

      Anna, they almost seem to pop up overnight don’t they. Fortunately the woodland here has a nice bark path through it, not like the rest of the garden which is absolutely sodden!

  9. Cathy says:

    All so lovely, Pauline – and I was thinking the same that the nivalis seem to be budding up as soon as the emerge. Mine are not quite ready to open, but like you I shall split bigger clumps as soon (or even during) as they have finished flowering – straight out and back in again! Do you keep your specials labelled amongst your others? Your photo of Mrs MacNamara really showed the contrast in size.

    • Pauline says:

      Yes Cathy, they won’t be out of the ground long when I split them. Most of my specials are along the sides of the path in the woodland and the wild ones further back under trees and shrubs. Mrs McNamara is by the front door along with Faringdon Double and a few clumps of the wild ones. They were all labelled to start with but some labels have mysteriously disappeared I also have a few labels without snowdrops, that is even more worrying!

  10. Cathy says:

    I feel as if spring really is on the way seeing all your lovely snowdrops! Mine are taking their time as we have barely had any sun and now there’s a bit of snow too. Not long now though! 😀

    • Pauline says:

      I feel it too Cathy, now that so many are popping up. Enjoy your snow, your snowdrops will be quite safe underneath. Our weather forecasters are saying that by the end of the week we could have snow too!

  11. pbmgarden says:

    This are cheerful flowers Pauline.

  12. Christina says:

    I have to admit I’m one of those gardeners who prefers the species rather than the specials! I just love drifts, not just snowdrops but I do love seeing them in winter, but they do seem a flower of winter rather than spring, I’m not sure why, maybe just the name.

    • Pauline says:

      When I first started gardening here Christina, I just wanted one of everything, but as I’ve grown older and maybe wiser! I now would much rather have drifts of happy plants that like my soil. Snowdrops, narcissus, candelabra primulas, meconopsis etc.etc. I also consider snowdrops flowers of winter, considering that we have a couple that start flowering at Christmas and New Year and others take over the baton and flower till the end of March.

  13. Kate says:

    How lovely, Pauline!

    Mine are mostly still at the inch-high-with-a-bud stage, but I shall go out and speak to them firmly. Snowdrops are just what you need to cheer you up when the garden looks like a bog!

    • Pauline says:

      Mine were flowering down at soil level Kate, but they are getting taller each day now. I can agree with you about the garden being a bog, I’m keeping off the rest of the garden while it’s so wet, thank goodness most of my snowdrops are in the woodland which is fairly dry, or the path is anyway!

  14. debsgarden says:

    Lovely! Lovely! I would dream of a woodland carpeted with these!

    • Pauline says:

      More and more are coming through each day now, soon we will have clumps of white everywhere in the woodland. I have a horrible feeling they wouldn’t survive in your hot summers unfortunately.

  15. I can’t wait to see photos of all your special snowdrops, although I too like drifts. Someday I envision drifts of specials.

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