How to Naturalise Snowdrops

To give your snowdrops the best chance of increasing into spectacular patches or drifts of flowers, it helps to understand the lifecycle of these winter favourites. The time to make sure you enjoy a fabulous display of snowdrops next year actually comes just as the main flowering season this year reaches its end.

We divide Galanthus elwesii ‘Fred’s Giant’ regularly at Easton Walled Gardens to build our numbers of this impressive snowdrop

The snowdrop growing cycle
During summer, snowdrop bulbs are dormant, with no sign of life above the ground. But under the soil, inside the bulb, the flower and everything the plant needs for the following year has already been formed. (If you really want to see this for real, try slicing through a spare bulb – it’s a fascinating mini world to see.)

Throughout spring, leaves and roots work hard, drawing up nutrients to power new growth, making the weeks after flowering in February the most important time for ensuring a great display next year.

When to lift and divide snowdrops for naturalising
Logically, you shouldn’t interfere with this process by lifting the bulbs when they are in full growth and flower. Should you leave the plants and let them die right back before lifting the bulbs and replanting? Ideally yes, but in truth, once summer comes, you can’t see where the bulbs grew and – if you’re anything like us – may put the job off. However, between the end of flowering and June, you can still see where your snowdrops are, using their green and yellowing leaves as a guide.

• If you’re a perfectionist, mark your bulb’s position when they are in full leaf, and dig and split them from June onwards. This may well be worth doing with expensive or delicate snowdrops.
• If you are more practically minded, lift and divide the snowdrops when you can. Our plants of Galanthus elwesii ‘Fred’s Giant’ get this treatment and are increasing strongly every year.
• Make sure you replant the bulbs immediately and water them well; snowdrops are very forgiving as long as they don’t dry out.

How to lift, divide and reposition snowdrops

If you want to start a new colony of snowdrops, ideally position your bulbs in areas under shrubs and trees that get some moisture but are shaded on very hot summer days. Each bulb will, in time, develop small offsets, so a single plant has the potential to become a clump.

• To successfully lift a clump of snowdrops, you will need a long fork, as the bulbs are always deeper than you expect. If you try and do the job with a trowel you will end up slicing off the foliage.
• Once lifted, the bulbs will look tightly packed together. Gently prise them apart, keeping as much of the roots intact as possible.
• Dig some small, deep holes – this is most easily done using a bulb planting trowel with a long, thin, pointed blade. Bulbs should be planted at the same depth they were previously growing at. Only the green part of the leaf should be above ground while the white portion must be buried.
• Place one bulb per hole, spaced about 20cm/8” apart. Put a few bulbs back in the hole that they came from. Fill in the hole and water plants well.

Then, next year, you’ll thank yourself for taking the time to divide and replant the snowdrops, with an even better display.

Visiting Easton Walled Gardens… the best time for snowdrops is February. Check out our news pages for when the garden is open