Saturday 14 March 2009

snowdrops


Is it just me............? Or has anyone else noticed what a fantastic year it has been for snowdrops?

I visited to North Yorkshire, England this week and I have never seen snowdrops so late, so vigorous or so beautiful.

They often flower early in the New Year when snow is still around. the cold weather we enjoyed at the beginning of 2009 postponed their flowering and now, everywhere where there were small clumps of snowdrops there are heaving great mounds.

I thought that we had planted the blousy snowflakes in our garden by mistake until I realised that I was looking at snowdrops as I had never seen them before.

In a couple of weeks the flowers will die back. This will be the time to split the clumps. You will then have twice as many snowdrops and splitting and moving the plants encourages vigour.

2009 - the year of the snowdrop!


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have made the same observation in my garden...
Normally, I still have some Galanthus nivalis blooming in the first weeks of March, but today, my Galanthus elwesii (giant Snowdrop) still has flowers (this species is normally blooming earlier).
And just like in England, there are many more snowdrops in my garden than last year. I was even thinking my husband had been planting more bulbs in fall, but he says it was only crocuses he planted...

Rob said...

Anne,
I attribute the bumper flowers to the very cold weather we had in New Year and through February. I think that this held back the plants, resulting in their excellent growth. Was the weather similar in Belgium - or do you have a different explanation?
Rob