Giant snowdrop
Galanthus elwesii · Amaryllidaceae
A larger, earlier snowdrop with broad, grey-green leaves and big flowers marked with green. It takes more sun and drier soil than the common snowdrop.
- Size
- 8 in tall, 4 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 7
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid February to mid March
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Bulb layer
A bed built around giant snowdrop
The planner designed this bed around giant snowdrop when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why giant snowdrop stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 7, pink
- 2 Creeping mahonia × 8, yellow
- 3 Foxglove beardtongue × 3, white
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 5 Deutzia 'Chardonnay Pearls' × 1, white
- 6 Coral bells 'Berry Smoothie' × 5, red leaves
- 7 Giant snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- In the middle. At 8 in it stands ahead of coral bells 'Berry Smoothie' (18 in) without hiding it.
- 12 plants in 2 handfuls. In the gaps between other plants, which fill the space when the bulb is not in growth.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From mid February to mid March.
- Opens the season. In all that time nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- Leaves gone by midsummer. They die back and leave bare ground. A perennial that comes up late stands beside it, and grows over the gap.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Neither end outweighs the other: the visual weight is split 49 to 51, left to right. White runs through the planting: 3 of the 6 kinds grown for their flowers have it.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where giant snowdrop goes in a border
At 8 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: bulb layer. Small bulbs planted in handfuls of five or seven in the gaps between other plants, for colour before the perennials wake up.
Often in flower weeks before the common snowdrop. Plant both for a longer season. Snowdrops establish best when moved in leaf, just after flowering.
- The earliest flowers
- Under deciduous shrubs
- Warmer and drier gardens than suit common snowdrops
What to plant with giant snowdrop
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lenten rose: takes over when it finishes, flowering from late March; bold leaves against its medium ones; tall enough (18 in) to stand behind it.
- Winter aconite: in flower together for four weeks, from late February; low enough (4 in) to stand in front of it.
- Christmas fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (20 in) to stand behind it.
Questions about giant snowdrop
Does giant snowdrop need sun or shade?
Giant snowdrop grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does giant snowdrop grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 7. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does giant snowdrop flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid February to mid March. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Late February to late March |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Mid February to mid March |
| Zone 6 | Early February to early March |
| Zone 7 | Early February to early March |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should giant snowdrop be planted?
3 in (8 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 4 in (10 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 in (20 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many giant snowdrop plants do I need?
At 3 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 168 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 39 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 536 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as handfuls of five or seven, in the gaps between other plants.
In the bed above, the planner used 12 in two groups.
Is giant snowdrop poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs and cats. The bulbs cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Do deer eat giant snowdrop?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What can I plant to hide giant snowdrop's leaves after it flowers?
A bulb's leaves have to be left to yellow for about six weeks after flowering, to feed next year's flowers. Plant it among perennials that come up late and spread wide, and they grow over the leaves as they fade:
- Hosta: 18 in tall and 2½ ft wide, in flower mid July to mid August.
- Lady's mantle: 18 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower late May to early July.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': 24 in tall and 2½ ft wide, in flower mid May to mid September.
What does giant snowdrop look like in winter?
Giant snowdrop is underground: it dies back after flowering and waits as a bulb until spring. Mark where it is, so a fork does not find it first.
Is giant snowdrop good for bees and butterflies?
Giant snowdrop is visited by bees.
More Galanthus
- Double snowdrop Galanthus nivalis 'Flore Pleno'
- Snowdrop Galanthus nivalis
In these guides
- Plants that grow near black walnut
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Plants for bees
- The first flowers of spring
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 8 in (20 cm) tall, 4 in (10 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3 in (8 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid February to mid March; hanging bells; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, summer-dormant; blue-green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 7
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Amaryllidaceae
- Comes from
- Balkans, western Turkey, Macedonia, northern Greece
- Attracts
- Bees
- Stands up to
- Deer, black walnut
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.