Plant of the Month: February

Galanthus elwesii Common name: snowdrop Family: Amaryllidaceae Vital statistics Height and spread: From 10-20cm (4-8in) high Form: Bulb Life span: Perennial Soil: Any moist, humus-rich soil Aspect: Partial shade Hardiness: Hardy throughout the British Isles

Snowdrops are planted throughout the Rock Garden and Bowles' Corner while individual specimens grown in the frame yard are displayed in the Alpine House when flowering.

Galanthus

Galanthus is a small genus of about 19 species of bulb commonly found throughout Europe and western Asia in upland woodland and rocky sites. It blooms mainly from late winter to mid-spring though in their natural habitat they often flower just as the snow is starting to melt.

The genus Galanthus was established by Linnaeus in Systema Naturae, published in 1753. The name Galanthus is derived from the Greek words gala, meaning milk, and anthos, meaning flower, in allusion to the colour of the flowers. The plants are more commonly known as snowdrops, from the German Schneetropfen, and refers to a style of earring popular in the 16th and 17th centuries in Germany. Several English vernacular names pre-date the name snowdrop, including Candlemas bells and fair maids of February, both of which are associated with Candlemas Day, 2 February, which is the peak of the flowering season.

The genus has become popular, with most species and a large number cultivars available in cultivation. Hundreds of garden cultivars have been listed over the years and many have received awards for their horticultural worthiness.

Galanthus elwesii

Galanthus elwesii is a robust bulbous perennial with broad glaucous leaves. It bears slender, honey-scented white flowers from late winter to early spring. Each of the inner petals in every flower is marked with two green markings. The number, shape and position of these markings is often used to help identify different species of Galanthus.

Native to mountain summits in western Turkey, Galanthus elwesii was discovered by M Balansa in 1854. It was named by Joseph Hooker after Henry John Elwes (1846-1922) an English naturalist, sportsman, traveller, dendrologist, horticulturist and author of Monograph of the Genus Lilium (1877-1880) who introduced it into cultivation in 1874.

AGM

The Rock Garden Plant Trials Subcommittee awarded Galanthus elwesii an Award of Garden Merit and described it as: 'Bulbous perennial to 30cm, with broad, glaucous leaves and nodding, solitary white flowers with outer segments to 2.5cm long, inner ones flared at tip, with both basal and apical green marks'

Cultivation

Snowdrops should generally be grown in cool shade in any humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil which does not dry out in summer. Some forms of G. elwesii, however, do well in a more open, sunny position, mimicking better their natural habitats. If clumps become overcrowded lift and divide to promote flowering.

Snowdrops are prone to narcissus bulb fly, which will tunnel into the bulbs and destroy them, and also grey mould, botrytis, which will appear on the leaves but then rot the bulbs. More information on grey mould on snowdrops can be found in the advice section.

Propagation

Seed can be sown as soon as ripe in containers in an open frame, though as Galanthus species readily hybridise the seed may not come true.

Galanthus can easily and quickly be propagated by twin scaling in late summer, or early summer. With this technique a bulb is cut into pairs of scales, each of which produces bulblets. More information on bulb propagation can be found in The Garden, August 1999, Volume 124 Part 8, 'Slicing Through - Making more of bulbs' by David Hide and Alan Toogood.

Galanthus bulbs can be increased by lifting and dividing clumps of existing plants. Unlike may bulbs, clumps of Galanthus species should be lifted in the green, as soon as the leaves begin to die back after flowering. Replant each bulb individually, at the same level as before, in holes sufficiently wide to spread out the roots. More information on dividing snowdrops can be found in the advice section.

More information

The NCCPG National Collection of Galanthus