Snowdrop

Questions about snowdrop

Does snowdrop need sun or shade?

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 soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.

What zones does snowdrop grow in?

USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).

Above zone 8 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 snowdrop flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers early March to late March. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.

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 snowdrop be planted?

4 in (10 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.

It grows 6 in (15 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many snowdrop plants do I need?

At 4 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 107 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 31 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 343 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 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.

Is there a pet-safe plant like snowdrop?

These come closest to doing what snowdrop does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:

• Grape hyacinth: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers mid April to early May, blue, not white.
• Spring starflower: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers early April to early May, wants average soil.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat 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 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:

• Siberian bugloss 'Jack Frost': 16 in tall and 18 in wide, a recorded partner, in flower late April to late May.
• Cranesbill 'Rozanne': 18 in tall and 24 in wide, a recorded partner, in flower early June to early October.
• Hosta: 18 in tall and 2½ ft wide, in flower mid July to mid August.

What does snowdrop look like in winter?

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 snowdrop good for bees and butterflies?

Snowdrop is visited by bees.