Snowdrop or Galanthus: how to properly plant and care for a plant in the garden

2024 Author: Arianna Cook | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-12 17:55

Description of the snowdrop plant, the rules for planting and caring for Galanthus in the backyard, advice on reproduction, the fight against diseases and pests in garden care, informative notes, types.

Snowdrop (Galanthus) can be found in botanical sources under a name similar to its transliteration - Galanthus. The plant belongs to the extensive Amaryllidaceae family, although a little earlier it was assigned to the Liliaceae family, in all likelihood due to the shape of the flower. The genus unites 19 different species and a couple of hybrids that arose naturally. If we talk about the territory of the former Soviet Union, then 12 species of the genus could be found there. Basically, the natural area of growth of snowdrops falls on the lands of the central and southern regions of Europe, the coastal Black Sea regions, as well as on the western coast of the Caspian and in Asia Minor. Most varieties (16 species) grow in the Caucasian regions.

Family name	Amaryllidaceae
Growing period	Perennial
Vegetation form	Herbaceous
Breeding method	Vegetatively (planting baby bulbs), occasionally with seeds
Landing period in open ground	From mid-summer to September
Landing rules	The distance between the bulbs is 10-12 cm
Priming	Any loose and garden, but not clay and heavy
Soil acidity values, pH	6, 5-7 (neutral)
Lighting degree	Sunny and open location or light partial shade
Humidity parameters	No watering required
Special care rules	Does not tolerate stagnant moisture
Height values	10-25 cm
Inflorescence shape or type of flowers	Single flowers
Flower color	Snow white with a greenish spot
Flowering time	End of winter or early spring
Decorative period	Spring
Application in landscape design	Flower beds, alpine slides, rabatki, in group plantings and mixborders, on lawns and next to curbs
USDA zone	4–8

This representative of the flora got its name due to the color of the petals in the flowers, so the Greeks, using the words "gala" and "anthos", called the snowdrop "milk flower". In Russian, the name bears a completely obvious source, since these delicate flowers begin to delight the eye not only when the snow cover completely melts, but also in thawed patches, where warm spring rays have access to the soil. Other flowers that bloom in early spring are often called snowdrops.

Although Galanthus is a perennial with a herbaceous form of growth, its growing season is very short - it is only no more than a month. Such terms directly depend on the area where it grows (namely, latitude and height above sea level). Snowdrops are characterized by the presence of a bulb, which reaches 2-3 cm in diameter. Its surface is covered with scales of this, last and the year before last, and it also has renewal buds. Each year brings three more new scales to the surface of the bulb, made up of one from the bottom leaf, and a couple of others will appear at the base of the leaves necessary for photosynthesis (assimilating). Babies (neoplasms that give rise to new plants) arise in the sinuses of the scales.

Two leaf plates grow, in rare cases three. Their outlines can be linear or oblong-lanceolate. They take their origin from each bulbous scale. Foliage usually unfolds during flowering or at the same time as buds. The length of the leaf can be equal to or much less than the flowering stem. When flowering is complete, the leaf plates increase and can reach 10–20 cm in length with a width of about 0.5–3 cm. The color of the foliage ranges from dark green (in Galanthus alpinus) to pale green with a yellowish tint (in Galanthus woronowii). The surface of the sheet plate can be both matte and glossy, and with a bloom resembling fat or wax. Also, the surface can be both smooth and folded or keeled on the reverse side. At the top, the leaf has a sharpness or roundness with a hood, it can be flat. In the warp, the leaf plate is widened or narrowed, gradually turning into a petiole. The leaves are collected in a squat bunch.

The flowering arrow originates from the axil of the assimilating leaf located inside the bunch. It is a lateral branch of the shoot, on which the apical bud lives throughout its life. The arrow has a slight flattening in section or it is rounded. If the species has glossy leaves, then the arrow itself is shiny, when the foliage is gray, then the arrow has a gray color. The flower arrow at the top has a single bracts and a flower with a drooping corolla. When flowering ends, the arrow becomes hollow inside. From a pair of bracts with a bifurcation at the top, the formation of a bracts occurs. That, in turn, accordingly has a pair of keels.

The bracts of the snowdrop are at their base spliced into a tube, from which the pedicel originates. Its shape is in the form of a cylinder, the surface is glossy or bluish. In length, it is the same as the bract, sometimes shorter or exceeding it. The perianth consists of three pairs of leaves, of which:

Three snow-white outer ones, reaching 1, 5–3 cm in length, their outlines are spoon-shaped, elliptical or broadly lanceolate. At the apex with a sharpness, the base is elongated and often turning into a marigold.
Three others have a reverse wedge shape, at the top they are decorated with a green speck, the top has a notch, but some species differ in this place by rounding or elongation. The patch of green color, located on the inner side of the petal, is not solid, but composed of separate stripes. The number of stripes directly depends on the shape and size of the spot.

Inside the snowdrop flower, the anthers are located on shortened staminate filaments originating at the base of the perianth lobes, an expansion is visible below, there is a strong tautness at the apex, which usually passes into a pointed tip. The ovary has three nests, has a rounded or oblong shape, with numerous ovules present in each of the nests. The column is filiform, its stigma is pointed.

Galanthus is pollinated by beetles and flies, as well as bees and butterflies. After this, the formation of the fruit begins, which looks like a fleshy capsule, when it is fully ripe, the valves open. Inside the capsule, spherical seeds are formed with a juicy appendage.

The plant is unassuming to grow and will delight anyone after the winter months with gentle flowering, but you should not violate the rules of agricultural technology below.

Rules for planting and caring for galanthus when growing in the garden

Landing place these primroses are recommended to be chosen taking into account their natural preferences. They prefer open and sunny locations, but they can grow well under the crowns of trees or shrubs. This is because the growing season of Galanthus begins at a time when leaf plates have not yet developed on the branches of higher neighbors. Also, in an open place, the snow will melt faster than in shading, which is all that plants need. The close location of groundwater is not encouraged, since plants cannot tolerate waterlogging and stagnation of moisture in the soil.
Bulbs purchase rules. It is imperative to inspect the purchased material. High-quality bulbs should have a smooth surface, and they themselves should be distinguished by hardness, damage to them is excluded. What distinguishes snowdrops from hyacinths is that their bulbs cannot be outdoors for a long time, so the storage period should not exceed more than 2 months. You should not purchase Galanthus bulbs during the flowering period, although such bushes are quite decorative, but this period is the most unfavorable for planting. If the plants survive, then flowering can be expected with the arrival of next spring.
Preplant preparation of bulbs snowdrops are carried out if they were purchased from a non-specialized flower shop, since there the material is immediately ready for planting. If the purchase was carried out in the markets or the bulbs were obtained by exchange from other gardeners, then it is worth performing certain manipulations. Usually, the bulbs are treated with fungicides for disinfection. They are kept for several hours before being placed in the ground in such means as, for example, Fundazol or Previkur.
Snowdrop soil loose, light and nutritious is necessary, but they can get along on any soil. You should not plant only on a heavy and clayey substrate. Neutral acidity values are preferred - pH 6, 5–7.
Planting snowdrops held from mid-June to early September, but in the southern regions it is possible until November - these periods fall during the rest (rest) of the bulbs. It is best to place Galanthus bushes in groups of 10–20 pieces. It is recommended to dig a hole for the bulb with a depth corresponding to 1, 5-2 of the height of the bulb itself, usually 5 cm. The distance between them is maintained about 10-12 cm. If the planting of snowdrop bulbs is very deep, then the size of the bulb will become larger over time and location to the surface the soil is closer, with shallow deepening during planting, the formation of a larger number of baby bulbs will be stimulated, but their size will decrease from year to year. It takes about 2-3 weeks for the bulbs to root, so the last planting date should be a few weeks before the stable minus readings of the thermometer are established.
Watering for Galanthus is not necessary, since their growing season falls at a time when the soil has not yet dried out from melting snow.
Fertilizers for snowdrops, despite their short growing season, they will still be necessary. It is best to apply top dressing when the plant is in the active growth phase. To do this, use such a universal drug as "Green Guy". It is also recommended to maintain primroses with fertilizers before winter, from the arrival of autumn to the first frost. The preparation for this period can be "Green Guy Golden Autumn". Do not forget that even in the autumn time Galanthuses sleep, but it is then that the buds are laid for the next spring, and the root system is preparing for wintering.
General advice on care. From May or early June, snowdrops begin to rest and the bulb goes into a dormant state, but at the same time the plant begins to form new flowering buds for the next growing season. The entire aerial part of Galanthus dies off, but still, after flowering, you should not cut off fading stems and leaves. Nutrients must independently leave the aerial part of the plant into the bulb, only in this case the latter will differ in health and strength. In one place without any problems, snowdrops bushes can grow for about 5-6 years, forming whole nests. But if it is noted that growth has begun to slow down, and flowering has become scarce, then this is a signal for dividing an overgrown bush. If the soil on the site is lighter, then this period is slightly lengthened; with a heavy substrate, it is recommended to plant it after 3-4 years.
Rules for storing snowdrop bulbs. If a decision is made to remove the bulbs from the soil in order to disassemble them (separate the children), then the best time will be a state of rest. To facilitate the process of dividing the bulbous nest, they put it in a shady place to dry out, and then the rest of the soil will crumble into it. In order to protect the bulbs from diseases, it is recommended to pickle them before storing them - hold them in a fungicidal solution. After dividing, the bulbs are sorted by size, since those that are larger will bloom this spring, the smaller ones (children) require growing for 1-2 seasons. This should be taken into account when planting in autumn. Before planting, the snowdrop bulbs should be stored in paper containers (boxes, boxes or bags), in which holes are made for ventilation. The storage location should be cool with a heat reading of about 20 degrees. Moisture values withstand 70%. It is important that the bulbs during this time are not exposed to a draft.
Wintering galanthus is not a problem, since the plants are highly winter-hardy. Even if the winter turned out to be very frosty, the primroses will be able to calmly survive this period. Because of this, it is not worth digging out faded bushes, but only very overgrown nests of bulbs are subject to extraction. Then the operation is performed at the end of spring, or if the spring is late, then this period is shifted to the beginning of summer.
The use of snowdrops in landscape design. These early flowering bushes look pretty good when paired with primroses like crocuses and muscari, chionodox and hyacintoids. It will also be nice to be close to such flowers, which bloom their buds in early spring, as various types of tulips and early daffodils. You can plant lawns and borders with snowdrop plantings, because before the period of the first mowing of the grass, they will be able to bloom and go into rest mode. Their delicate flowers in the voids between stones in rockeries and rock gardens will look good. This is because the root system of the snowdrop is quite shallow and will be able to stay even on a miniature patch of soil. Planting in mixborders, on lawns and in group plantings, as a ground cover crop is recommended. Galanthuses will look good next to evergreen conifers planted in mixborders.

See also recommendations for planting and caring for a white flower in the open field.

Snowdrop breeding tips

Usually Galanthus propagation occurs by self-seeding or by jigging young bulbs, called babies.

Snowdrop propagation using seeds. This method will not be difficult even for inexperienced florists. Sowing should be carried out immediately after the bolls are fully ripe. Sowing of seed is recommended to be carried out in beds to a depth of 1–2 cm. The soil is preferably loose, but the looser it is, the deeper the seeds are planted. From above, after sowing, the seeds are sprinkled with only a small layer of soil mixture. Galanthus grown by this method will please with flowering only 4–5 years after the moment of sowing.
Snowdrop propagation by bulbs. Each year, each adult onion grows 2-3 young baby onions during the summer. The foliage of the baby does not break off when planting, but you should wait until it dries up itself. They are engaged in division during the period during July-August, then they can always have time to adapt and take root before the onset of winter. The parent bulb is carefully removed from the soil, the children are separated from it and planted in a prepared place in the garden. With the arrival of autumn, the onion children will already grow roots, and by October the Galanthus sprouts will reach the surface of the substrate.

Important

If it is too late to plant the baby bulbs of snowdrops, then there will be no confidence that the plants will not die from the autumn frosts and if the snow cover is not thick enough.

Snowdrops grown in this way will begin to bloom in the new spring, so this vegetative method is the most acceptable and fastest. After 3-5 years from planting, it is recommended to separate the nests, since bulb families require renewal.

Disease and pest control in snowdrop garden care

The greatest problem in the cultivation of galanthus is the following pests:

Mice and moles, which break through their passages and burrows under the surface of the ground, often mice carry away snowdrop bulbs or simply damage them. Then the bulbs begin to rot, as evidenced by the slow growth of the bushes and their depressed appearance with the arrival of spring. For treatment, it is recommended to remove the bulbs from the soil, conduct an inspection and, if rotten parts are found, cut them off. The place of the cut is sprinkled with wood ash and the bulb is left in the open air until (just a couple of hours) until the wound dries up. To save snowdrop bushes from mice, some growers carry out weeding of the substrate at a distance of 3 meters from flower beds, from grass turf or perennial clumps, which serve as a "home" for pests. All due to the fact that further than the specified distance, the mice try not to move away from their nest. If it is not possible to arrange galanthus bushes in this way, then you should use special traps. These could be Success, Bros or Rotech Snap Trap Mouse. For moles that also spoil bulbs, use Greenmill or Swissinno SuperCat Vole Trap.
Shovel butterflies and their caterpillars. It is the latter who are engaged in spoiling the snowdrop bulbs. Pest collection is carried out manually in the autumn, or when weeding is performed and butterflies begin to prepare for the pupation process.
Slugs and snails, who prefer nutritious and heavy clay soils for "living". To combat these gastropods, when planting, they add river coarse sand around the Galanthus bulb or use metaldehyde preparations, for example, Groza-Meta.
Bulb nematode is the main pest of snowdrop bushes. These thin and small worms live in the ground or in those parts of the plant that have died out. But nematodes can also infect live bulbs. A sign of a lesion is the formation along the edge of tumors characterized by an irregular shape and a yellowish tinge. If you cut the onion, you can see a dark stain, which serves to separate the healthy and affected parts of it. If a pest is identified, it is recommended to remove all diseased plants, while healthy ones need to be dug out of the soil and soaked in water with a temperature of 40-45 degrees for 3-4 hours. In the area where snowdrops grew, it is not recommended to plant bulbs for another 4–5 years.

Of the diseases that can affect galanthus when grown in the garden, there are:

Viral infections manifested by marks on the foliage of a pale yellow, light green color, next to the surface that has acquired tubercles and irregularities, a strong unnatural twisting of the leaf plates is also possible. There is no way to cure such diseases, and the plants affected by them must be removed and burned.
Diseases of fungal origin distinguishable due to spots on the leaves of brown and black, gray fluffy bloom. Wet and warm weather that persists in the root zone can provoke such manifestations. Over time, the spots begin to spread higher along the stems and leaves of the plant, growing more and more than indicate the occurrence rust and gray mold. It is recommended to cut off all affected parts, and treat the remaining ones with fungicidal preparations, like Fundazol.
Chlorosis occurs due to a lack of iron and other trace elements in the soil, damage to the bulbs, poor drainage of the soil, or violation of agricultural conditions can also contribute to this. The disease manifests itself by changing the color of the foliage to yellowish-green, but at the same time the veins will remain saturated with an emerald color.

Read more about the fight against possible diseases and pests of allium.

Cognitive notes about the snowdrop flower

Galanthus is used as an ornamental culture, but only two varieties are used from the whole genus. Mistakenly, such spring primroses as scrub and anemones and some other herbs are called "snowdrop", due to the fact that their flowering falls in early spring.

Some types of snowdrop, such as medicinal or Voronova (Galanthus woronowii), have long been familiar to medicine men for their medicinal properties.

Important

Snowdrop is a poisonous plant and you should not take drugs based on it without a doctor's prescription.

The toxicity of the plant is characterized by the presence of substances such as galantamine, mycorin and galatnamidine, as well as some others. But for medical purposes, it is the first component that is used. All because of its overcoming the barrier that prevents the penetration of harmful substances into the brain and exerts an effect on the cells of both the spinal cord and the brain. When this substance is absorbed, the whole body is stimulated.

This substance is used to treat diseases such as:

poliomyelitis and cerebral palsy;
radiculitis, polyneuritis and other diseases of the inflammatory nature of the nervous system;
diseases resulting from muscle weakening;
myopathy and myasthenia gravis;
can be used to restore the conduction of damaged neuromuscular endings due to injuries;
diseases of the osteoarticular nature - radiculitis, arthritis or rheumatism and the like;
atony of the intestines and organs of the genitourinary system, since it helps to increase the tone of smooth muscles;
with diseases of the skin (furunculosis or fungal diseases), since the drugs work in the form of antiseptics and cope with microbes;
oncology, mainly preparations based on snowdrop are used by Tibetan healers, but official medicine does not recognize their action.

However, since galanthus is recognized as a poisonous representative of the flora, there are a number of contraindications for the use of drugs based on it. They are:

the period of bearing the baby and breastfeeding the baby;
epilepsy;
convulsive readiness;
diseases of the cardiovascular system;
bronchial asthma;
hypertension of the I – II degree.

In case of an overdose of such drugs, the following symptoms are possible: heart palpitations and salivation, nausea and dizziness, as well as other symptoms of poisoning.

Description of snowdrop species

Snowdrop snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)

spreads throughout all European regions, also occurs in the Balkans and the lands of Turkey, grows in the Caucasus. Prefers forest growth on the edges and among shrub thickets, can grow in open places, in various natural zones (lower, middle and alpine). The length of the bulbs is 1, 5–2 cm with a diameter of 1, 2–1, 5 cm. Their outlines can be ovoid or conical. The leaf plates unfold with the buds or when flowering begins.

Moreover, their sizes can be both equal to the flowering stem, and be much shorter than it. The color of the foliage is dark green or with a bluish tone. The leaf apex is obtuse, flattened, with a keel on the reverse side. When flowering begins, a waxy coating appears on the leaves. The length of the leaf is 8–10 cm with a width of 0.6 cm before flowering, but after it the length indicators reach 25 cm from 1 cm in width.

The flowering arrow has the shape of a cylinder. Its length is 7–12 cm, it is characterized by a wing reaching 2, 5–3 cm in length. The wing is equal to or greater than the pedicel in length or less. The flowers are arranged singly, the color of the petals is snow-white, but at the ends there is a spot resembling a horseshoe. The bell-shaped corolla, when closed, resembles a drop. A drooping flower. There are three pairs of separate petals in the perianth. The shape of the outer petals is elongated-obovate, their length is 1.5-2.5 cm and 0.7-1.1 cm wide. The three inner petals have a wedge shape with a length of 0.7–1.2 cm and a width of about 0.4–0.7 cm. The stamens are 0.6–0.7 cm long. In anthers, there is a sharpening at the end.

The flowering process occurs during the period from January to April. The fruit after pollination is a box with fleshy outlines, filled with oblong seeds. The seeds have a juicy appendage. To date, breeders have bred a large number of varieties. Among them there are terry, for example, as Flore Pleno, having a lush center. Differs in winter hardiness and has the property of active growth, which is similar to the wild form.

Elvis Snowdrop (Galanthus elwesii)

bears its name in honor of the botanist and entomologist from England Henry John Elvis (1846-1922), who found this species in the vastness of Turkey in the 70s of the XIX century. The diameter of the bulb can reach 1, 8–2, 2 cm with a length of about 2, 5–3 cm, while there is an elongated, measuring 5 cm, vagina. The color of the leaf plates is green or gray. The leaf plate can reach 7–10 cm in length, and its width does not exceed 1.5–3 cm. There is a glomerulus at the apex. The length of the flowering arrow is 10–13 cm, and there is also a wing almost 3–3.5 cm long. The length of the pedicel is 2–2.5 cm.

The outer tepals have obovate outlines, their length reaches 2 cm, the width is 1.3 cm. The inner petals, elongated at the apex with a slight expansion, their width is only 0.6 cm with a length of 1.1 cm. Around the notch there is a green spot near the base and top. The length of the stamens is 0.7 cm; the anthers have a sharpness.

Distribution usually occurs in the southern regions of countries such as Ukraine, Moldova and Bulgaria, as well as northern, southern and western Turkish regions, can grow on the Greek islands located in the Aegean Sea.