Double Snowdrop Bulbs

Galanthus nivalis Flore Pleno

Bulbs bought for planting in autumn are dry, and can store a short while.

We sell single snowdrops as well, which provide more food for bees.

The snowdrop family contains some of the earliest plants to flower and their small size and delicacy of petal and leaf belie their toughness.

By contrast, snowdrops bought in the green for spring planting are in growth. This helps them establish quickly, but it means they really do need to be planted promptly after receipt, within a few days. In spring, your bulbs are lifted immediately before despatch and are sent to you so that they arrive on a Thursday or Friday in time for planting that weekend.

Features

• Colour: Double, white flowers in February/March
• Height: 4-6 ins (10-20cm)
• Scent: Slight
• Not as good for bees as the single variety. 
• RHS Award of Garden Merit
• Sold dry for planting in the autumn, or
• Sold in the green for planting in early spring.

Growing Double Snowdrops

All they require, while they are in growth, is moist ground containing plenty of organic matter. If you want carpets of delicate white flowers in late winter, then you should divide the clumps every 4-5 years to improve flowering, and plant the daughter clump nearby. 

Planting Companions for Snowdrops

Because snowdrops come into growth so early, they are naturals under any deciduous tree, rose, or shrub, where there is light on the ground when snowdrops are in business.

Double Snowdrops are tolerant of a range of soil conditions from acidic to alkaline. They will do well in almost all conditions; the only requirements they have are that there is moisture in the soil and that it contains plenty of well rotted organic matter. Snowdrops multiply rapidly underground and form clumps rapidly. We suggest that you plant them in good sized "drifts" of about 25 bulbs. You can use a bulb planter or simply lift turf if planting in grass or just dig the ground over.

Plant all snowdrops (and other similar sized bulbs about 4" (10 cms) deep and ideally about the same distance between bulbs to allow space in which to spread. Always water snowdrops well after planting to ensure there is good contact between the roots and the soil. If you are planting snowdrops in the green make sure you keep them damp as they need water so help them take up the starches that drop through the plant as its foliage dies down at the end of its season.

For best flowering, lift and divide congested snowdrop clumps every 4 years or so.

specifically for the purpose of being lifted while in growth, sometimes in flower, and sold to gardeners immediately without storage.

Double Snowdrops "in the green" is a misnomer, as the foliage can be yellow and shrivelled: this is normal, and has no adverse effect.

Did You Know?

For the best support for the bees that wake up on warm winter days, you should use some single snowdrops as well.