Galanthus nivalis

The single snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) is usually the first flowering bulb to appear in the new year and brings with it the promise of spring. This variety is the best to start with if you have not grown snowdrops before. It is totally hardy, establishes easily and naturalises well. If Galanthus nivalis does not like where you plant it then no other snowdrop will.

Each stem produces one nodding flower head with white outer petals and inner petals which are tinged with green. The flowers are followed by green seed pods which distribute the seeds close-by to form spreading snowdrop colonies. The leaves are long, narrow and greyish-green and have specially hardened and pointed tips to help them force their way through packed snow. We have a choice of snowdrop varieties if you would like to increase the interest in your garden in January and February.

Like almost every early spring flowering plant, they are great food for bees at a time when there isn't much else on the menu.

Great in the Garden

Snowdrops are fairly common in Britain and grow mainly in deciduous woods, beside streams and in grassland. They look best where they can naturalise in lawns, borders, around trees and near water. If they are allowed to spread, they produce carpets of white at a time of year when little else is in flower. They associate very well indeed with aconites and bluebells. A single snowdrop will look rather lost, so planting them in small groups are best.

Snowdrop Characteristics

Colour: White
Height: 4-6 ins (10-15cms)
Scent: Slight
Flowering: January-February
Bulb Size: 4-5 cms
Planting Depth: 8-10 cms
Planting Months: September - late November
RHS Award of Garden Merit

Did You Know?

In February 2012 Thompson & Morgan paid £725 for a single bulb of the world's most expensive snowdrop Galanthus woronowii Elizabeth Harrison. It has yet to come to market.

Snowdrops are a source of Galantamine, which is used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Other common names include Candlemas bells or lily, and the Fair Maids of February.

Snowdrops have been widely naturalised in the UK for around 200 years, and have been cultivated here for about 400.

Snowdrop bulbs should always be freshly lifted (ours are!) as they dry out easily. When planning their planting make sure that they will have light, air and moisture during their growing season which really starts in December and finished when their foliage dies down in late March. So they are much better under deciduous trees and shrubs than evergreen ones.

Prepare well as they will reward you accordingly. Snowdrop bulbs require plenty of organic matter in the soil to perform at their best, so unless planting in grass, dig a small bucket of compost per square metre in to the top 15cms of soil where they will be planted. Allow about 15 bulbs per square metre and scatter them across the planting area. Plant them where they fall so they end up approximately 10 cms below soil level (at least twice the height of the bulb is a good guide). Firm the soil after planting and water in well to ensure good contact between bulb and soil. Mark the spot with canes or something similar so as not to forget where they are when you are planting other plants later. In grass, lift the turf, then prepare the spoil as above, plant and return the turf.

Despite being easy to grow in in open ground, unless you are an expert, don't try to grow them in containers. Snowdrops hate rapidly changing soil conditions and so are very difficult to grow like this. If you can't plant them in open ground quickly after receipt, then keep them in a good sized container, filled with good compost and sink the pot to its rim in a cool, well shaded spot. Plant them in their final position as soon as you can.

Read our full terms and conditions here.

Delivery: Our standard delivery charges are:

Small box (Orders containing only seedlings or rooted cuttings) £7.20 including VAT per order (FREE For ORDERS Over £60 inc VAT)
Standard box (Bareroots up to 1.2m) £11.40 including VAT per order (FREE For ORDERS Over £60 inc VAT)
Large box (Pots up to and incl. 7.5L) £15.00 including VAT per order (FREE For ORDERS Over £100 inc VAT)
Trees & Hedging (Bareroots & trees 1.2m+) £18.00 including VAT per order (FREE For ORDERS Over £120 inc VAT)
Pallets (Root balls, large pots, trees etc) £60.00 including VAT per order (FREE For ORDERS Over £240 inc VAT)

*Surcharges to the Highlands and Islands still apply.

Because couriers sometimes experience delays, we schedule delivery by week, not by day. Therefore, please plan your planting day for the weekend at the end of the delivery week or for the week following delivery, at the earliest.
We will email you the day before your plants are due to arrive.

Payment: We do not charge your card until we begin to prepare your order for packing.

Guarantee: If any plants die within a year, we will replace them. We only ask that you follow our planting & growing instructions and sent us clear photographs of the dead plants in situ, so we can help to make sure that the replacement plants succeed. You only pay for the delivery of the replacements.

Please note that our guarantee is void if there is a hosepipe ban in your area: your newly planted hedging must be watered in dry weather while it is establishing. The best way to water is very thoroughly every few days: at least once a week in summer if there is no heavy rain.

Our nursery has been supplying container grown and bareroot hedging plants to gardeners, farmers and town planners since 1949. Our website started in 2003, so we do understand the concerns that you may have about buying hedging plants online. If any of your plants are damaged when they arrive or if you are otherwise not satisfied with your order after you inspect it, please repackage it and contact us. We will give you a refund or send replacements and send a courier to come and collect the unwanted plants.

Misc	RHS AGM, Wildlife Value
Shade	Full Shade, Partial Shade
Area	Coastal Areas, Exposed Windy Areas, Frost Pockets, Scotland & The North
Soil	Good, Well Drained, Acidic, Alkaline/Chalky
Colour	White/Cream
Flowering	Jan, Feb, Mar

	Buy 5 or more packs and save

SIZES	1-4	5-9	10+
Pack of 50	Out of Stock £14.95	Out of Stock£13.50	Out of Stock£13.08
	Prices include VAT

Common Snowdrop Bulbs

Galanthus nivalis

Galanthus nivalis

Snowdrop Characteristics

Did You Know?

Bareroot planting is best done between October and April
Bareroot and potted - what's the difference?

Weekend Wordsearch - Lavender

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Common Snowdrop Bulbs

Galanthus nivalis

Galanthus nivalis

Snowdrop Characteristics

Did You Know?

Bareroot planting is best done between October and April Bareroot and potted - what's the difference?

Weekend Wordsearch - Lavender

LATEST VIDEO

Sign up!

Bareroot planting is best done between October and April
Bareroot and potted - what's the difference?