Snowdrops in the green are lifted while they are growing: in leaf and quite possibly in flower.
This is done because, providing they are transplanted quickly, they tend to establish more readily than stored snowdrop bulbs, with some other pros and cons.
How many Snowdrop bulbs do I need?
Allow about 75 per square metre to create beautiful looking drifts.
Of course, you could use fewer bulbs and be patient waiting for the planting area to fill out.
Before your snowdrops in the green arrive:
The planting area should be well-prepared before your snowdrops arrive.
Choose a site in semi-shade. Snowdrops in the wild thrive in moist soil under deciduous trees that are in the shade all Summer.
- If you are planting in flowers beds, dig over the soil and enrich with well rotted organic matter.
- If you are planting in a lawn, mow the grass and rake out thatch if necessary.
When your bulbs in the green arrive:
- Unpack your bulbs on receipt. Lightly spray with water. Keep them cool and well ventilated.
- Plant as soon as possible! Bulbs in the green deteriorate if not planted within 72 hours.
How to plant snowdrop bulbs in the green:
- Snowdrops are best planted at the depth that they grew previously: the white part of the leaf stem was underground, the green part above ground. If in doubt, 8-10cm will be about right.
- Most people want to enjoy the sight of nice clumps without delay, so plant 3-5 bulbs together.
- If you plant them singly, they will look sparse for a couple of years, but snowdrops multiply quite quickly, and you can cover a wider area.
- Either way, if you plant the bulbs in small circles, it gives the appearance of a full clump that much quicker.
- Use bulb starter rootgrow for best results (universal rootgrow is fine too)
Aftercare:
- Do not mow or cut snowdrop foliage until it has completely died down.
- In the future, lift and divide overcrowded clumps immediately after flowering.
It is illegal to dig up wild snowdrops in the UK!
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protects all wild plants: you can’t legally dig them up or pick their seeds from the plant without the landowner’s permission.
You can collect fallen seeds, but it’s still polite to ask.
Snowdrops are the only British plant that is also on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, CITES, list of plants that are potentially endangered.
All our bulbs in the green and other flower bulbs are grown in a nursery, never harvested from the wild.