SNOWDROP WONDER
Snowdrops are like horticultural popcorn. At a certain moment in very late winter or very early spring, individual plants or small clumps pop into flower one by one. A week later more blooming clumps seem to appear out of nowhere, and finally, if you know where to look, sheets of the white flowers cover lightly shaded areas.
Small as they are, snowdrops are members of the Amaryllidaceae family, which also includes daffodils and hippeastrum, the showy holiday amaryllis. A look at the tiny snowdrop bulbs reveals a strong resemblance to the giant bulbs of its larger relatives. When those bulbs sprout, the white flowers hang from the stems, with three wing-like outer petals surrounding three small inner segments that can be marked with green, or in relatively rare cases, yellow. When the sun warms the garden in early spring, the snowdrops emerge and the little wings open wide.
In my yard, I have a good number of common snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis. They are up and blooming now by the stone base of the decrepit ornamental wishing well. This spring, once bloom time is over, I will divide them as I do every year, so that next year’s show is a little bigger. Snowdrops love to be moved or divided in spring while they are “in the green”. On a practical level, it is also much easier to divide the plants before the leaves disappear for the year.
Not far from the clumps of Galanthus nivalis, I have installed their more exotic cousins, obtained over the years from the somewhat mysterious Temple Nursery in Trumansburg, New York. A nice patch of big, muscular Galanthus ‘S. Arnott’ commands immediate attention and admiration, the stems rising at least an inch taller than those of G. nivalis. The blooms are fragrant, not to mention being bigger and easier to see. Now that I have a respectable clump of ‘S. Arnott’, I mean to pick a few for the house, bringing a little spring indoors by mixing them with a few sprigs of variegated euonymus.
I have a weakness for double-flowered varieties, so I have gradually increased my stock of Galanthus nivalis ”flore pleno’. Sumptuousness is relative when you are talking about four inch tall plants, but I think the green and white, downward-facing inner petals of ‘flore pleno’ look like layers of petticoats. I also have a few of the wonderful double-flowered hybrids bred by an eccentric English ex-cavalry officer with a marvelous name–Heyrick Greatorex. Greatorex died in 1954, but his varieties, most with Shakespearean names, live on. I have ‘Hippolyta’, named for the mythical Amazon queen, who makes an appearance in A Midsummer Night’s Dream; and ‘Jacquenetta’, namesake of a character in Love’s Labors Lost. Both are vigorous, tall doubles, with lots of spring green on the frilly inner petals.
I covet the unusual snowdrops with yellow–rather than green–petal markings. ‘Lady Elphinstone’, an aristocrat if there ever was one, is a double-flowered variety with yellow on the inner petals. If I were rich, I would throw caution to the wind and order one hundred ‘Lady Elphinstone’s’. ‘Primrose Warburg’, named after a famous English plantswoman, is a single variety with yellow markings. Since the yellows are among the more rare and expensive snowdrops, I have to acquire them one or two at a time. They don’t seem to increase as fast as their brethren either, so it will take me years to get enough of them. When I win the lottery or write a successful bodice ripper, my neighbors will know it, as the garden will suddenly be awash in yellow snowdrops.
If you have no snowdrops and are suddenly in need of some, the best thing to do is find a gardener who is about to divide his or her own plants and ask for a clump. You will most likely get Galanthus nivalis, which will increase quickly. Plant the clump in a relatively sunny, well-drained place when you get it, or, barring that, wrap the ball of soil in a damp paper towel and plant as soon as possible. You can also wait until next fall and order bulbs from one of the many vendors that stock common snowdrops. G. nivalis grow the best from dormant bulbs, though I have also had some success with the ‘Flore Pleno’ double variety. Brent and Becky’s Bulbs offers both, plus a few other varieties. Find them at 7900 Daffodil Lane, Gloucester, VA 23061, (877) 661-2852; www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com. Free catalog.
To obtain the more exotic, expensive and sometimes harder to grow types, write to the Temple Nursery and ask to be put on the catalog mailing list. The nursery has no website or printed order form and does not take credit cards. The catalog, which is not illustrated except for a cover picture, usually comes in late fall. Snowdrops are shipped “in the green” in April. Though Temple is a no frills operation, the plants are wonderful. The address is: The Temple Nursery, Box 591, Trumansburg, NY 14886.