Spring snowflake

Spring snowflake: how do you recognise it?

Habit

A bulb 15–20 cm tall that grows in clumps.

Leaves

Broadly strap-shaped and glossy bright green; they appear with the flowers and die back in June.

Flowers

Nodding, broad bells about 2 cm long with six equal petals, usually one per stem.

Colour

White, with a green spot at each tip; yellow in the form carpathicum.

Bulb

Medium-sized, with a light brown tunic; it dries out quickly.

Flowering: February–March · Plants: September–October

Why grow it?

• White bells in February and March, when the garden is still mostly bare.
• Grows in moist to wet spots where many other bulbs rot.
• Early bees find pollen and nectar on it on mild days.
• Long-lived: the bulbs slowly build up into larger clumps.
• Lovely at the edge of a pond, along a stream or under shrubs in a shade garden.

Spring snowflake: where does it grow best?

• Partial shade or shade, for example under deciduous shrubs or on the north side of a hedge.
• Humus-rich loam or clay, neutral to chalky.
• Moist to wet: the edge of a pond, a stream bank or a low, damp spot is ideal.
• Avoid spots that dry out completely in summer.
• Plant about 10 cm apart, in small groups.

Light

Partial shade and shade

Soil type

Loam or clay

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

0.2 m tall, 0.1 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Marsh marigold: Yellow flowers at the same damp pond edge, a little later.
• Hellebore: Large winter flowers in the same shade.
• Lungwort: Small blue and pink flowers and spotted leaves in spring.
• Ferns: They fill the space when the snowflake’s leaves disappear.
• Snowdrop: Flowers just a little earlier, giving you white bells for weeks.

Spring snowflake: when and how to plant it?

Plant in September–October.

1. Plant the bulbs in September–October, as soon as you buy them: they do not tolerate drying out.
2. Loosen the soil and mix in leaf mould or compost.
3. Plant the bulbs 8–10 cm deep, pointed end up.
4. Space them about 10 cm apart.
5. Firm the soil and water.
6. Spread a layer of leaf mould over the spot.

Care

Watering

Keep the soil moist, also after flowering while the leaves are green. Water in a dry spring.

Feeding

Not needed. A layer of leaf mould or compost in autumn is enough.

Leaves

Let the leaves die back by themselves after flowering.

Spent flowers

These can stay; they sometimes set seed.

Mulching

A layer of leaf mould keeps the soil cool and moist.

Tip: Plant the bulbs as soon as you buy them in a moist, humus-rich spot, for example at the edge of a pond. A layer of leaf mould in autumn keeps the soil cool and moist.

Spring snowflake: when to prune it?

When: The spring snowflake is not pruned. You only clear away the dead leaves in June.

How:

• Leave the leaves until they turn yellow and come away by themselves.
• Cut off faded stems if you like, although it is not necessary.
• Leave fallen tree leaves where they lie: they feed the soil.

Caution: Never cut the leaves while they are green, or it will flower less the following year.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

Lift a dense clump after flowering, while the leaves are still green, or in early autumn. Separate the bulbs and replant them straight away at the same depth.

Seed

Sow ripe seed in early summer in a pot of moist compost and stand it outdoors in the shade. Seedlings flower after a few years.

Spring snowflake: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −25 °C: no protection needed.
• Flowers right through light frost and snow.
• In a pot: keep it outdoors in a sheltered, shady spot and do not let the compost dry out.

Diseases and pests

• Bulbs fail to come up: Dried-out bulbs establish poorly. Plant them as soon as you buy them or buy plants in pots.
• Slugs: They eat leaves and flowers in a wet spring. Pick them off in the evening.
• Few flowers: The clumps are too crowded or the spot is too dry. Divide the clumps and add leaf mould.
• Grey mould: Grey fuzz and rot on the leaves in mild, wet weather. Remove affected parts and give the plant more air.

Through the year

• January: The first shoots come up.
• February: In flower. Bees on mild days.
• March: In flower. Divide crowded clumps after flowering if needed.
• April: The leaves keep growing. Keep the soil moist.
• May: The leaves stay. Watch out for slugs.
• June: The leaves die back; clear them away afterwards.
• September: Plant bulbs as soon as you buy them.
• October: Plant bulbs. Spread leaf mould.
• December: Rest.

Edible and useful

Not edible. The small bulbs of snowdrops and snowflakes are poisonous and look like little onions: never store them with the vegetables. They cause vomiting and diarrhoea, in dogs and cats too. Wear gloves when moving lots of bulbs: the sap can irritate the skin. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The name Leucojum comes from Greek and means ‘white violet’.
• Unlike the snowdrop, all six petals are the same length; in the snowdrop the three inner ones are much shorter.
• In the form carpathicum, from the Carpathians, the spots at the petal tips are yellow instead of green.