Bulb · Amaryllidaceae
Common Snowdrop
Galanthus nivalis
Pop the bulbs in the ground in fall, and snowdrops come up through the last of the winter snow before anything else even thinks about it.
Partial shade
Every 7–14 days
32–64°F · 0–18°C
USDA 3–7
Overview
Want flowers when the garden's still asleep? Snowdrops are usually the first flowers of the year, little nodding white bells that open in late winter while the ground's still cold. They grow from small bulbs, come back on their own every spring, and slowly spread into drifts under trees and along paths. Leave a patch alone for a few years and you'll end up with a sheet of white when almost nothing else is awake.
They're part of the amaryllis family, and they're happiest in the cool, damp half-shade you get under deciduous trees. They don't last long where summers get hot, so they're much better suited to cold-winter gardens than warm ones. Find them a spot they like and they'll ask for almost nothing.
Here's the one thing to keep in mind, though. Every part of a snowdrop is toxic, and the bulb's the most dangerous bit of all. It's a lovely, tough little plant, but it's not one for a garden where pets or small kids might dig up and eat the bulbs.
Care
The short version: pop the bulbs in the ground in fall under deciduous trees in cool, part shade, keep the soil moist and humus-rich while they're growing in spring, and then just leave them to naturalize.
Light
Snowdrops like partial shade best, and that dappled light under deciduous trees works great since they're done flowering before the leaves fill back in. They'll take full sun too, as long as the soil stays cool and moist while they're growing in spring.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist while they're growing in spring, a little on the damp side in humus-rich ground, but don't let it get waterlogged. Once the leaves die back for summer, the bulbs go dormant and barely want any water until they wake up again.
Soil
Regular well-drained ground is fine, though what they really love is moist, humus-rich loam, and they'll even put up with clay. Mix in plenty of organic matter and the soil will hold onto spring moisture without turning into a swamp.
Temperature
This one's a cold-weather plant, comfy somewhere around 32°F and 64°F (0°C to 18°C). It flowers in late winter and really doesn't like proper summer heat, which is exactly why it's short-lived in warm spots.
Humidity
No need to fuss over humidity here, since ordinary outdoor air is all a snowdrop wants. Cool, moist soil matters way more than whatever the air's doing.
Feeding
Go easy on feeding. A little something in early spring as the shoots come up, or just after the flowers fade, does the trick, and a balanced bulb fertilizer or a thin topdressing of compost once a season is plenty for such an easygoing plant.
Pruning
There's really nothing to prune here. Just let the leaves die back on their own after flowering so they can feed the bulb, and only tidy them up once they've completely withered.
Repotting
Snowdrops don't need lifting very often at all. When flowering starts to drop off or the bulbs get crowded and lose their vigor, divide the congested clumps every few years, in the green just after flowering.
Size & spacing
These are tiny little things, only about 4 to 10 inches (10 to 25 cm) tall and 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm) wide. Set the bulbs roughly 2 to 3 inches apart and about that deep, then let the clumps fill in on their own over time.
When to plant
Snowdrops work on a winter schedule, and it's a pretty simple one. Put the dry bulbs in the ground in fall once the soil's cooled off, let them sit through the cold, and they'll pop up and bloom in late winter, often right through the snow, before dying back to rest over summer.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Plant dry bulbs in fall when soil has cooled and night temperatures are about 40 to 50 degrees F, 2-3 inches deep and 2-3 inches apart.
- Harvest: Blooms late winter to early spring (February to March), often through snow.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–7
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
Good news: snowdrops hardly ever give you grief, and when something's off, it usually turns up either in the bulb or as the whole clump slowly fading. Take a look at the two signs below, see which one matches, and step in while the planting can still bounce back.
Plants flop over and the bulbs feel soft and hollow
This is almost always the narcissus bulb fly, whose larvae tunnel in and hollow the bulb out from the inside. If a plant's struggling, lift it and look for a fat cream maggot sitting in the hollowed-out middle. Dig up and destroy any bulbs that are infested, and don't put new ones back in the same spot.
Fix:
- Dig and destroy infested bulbs to stop the larvae spreading
- Avoid replanting susceptible bulbs in the same spot
Clumps get weaker and flower less every year
Heat's usually the reason, since snowdrops turn short-lived once you plant them south of zone 7, and dry or badly drained ground doesn't help either. The fix is easy enough: move them somewhere cool and part-shaded under deciduous trees, and dig in some organic matter so the soil can hang onto its spring moisture.
Fix:
- Site in cool, part-shade spots such as under deciduous trees
- Improve soil with organic matter to retain spring moisture
Toxicity
Snowdrops are toxic, so they're worth a bit of care. Every part carries the alkaloids lycorine and galantamine, and the bulb's got the most. Eat any of it and you're looking at drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea, and a big dose, especially of a bulb, can lead to tremors and heart trouble. Nothing about it is safe to eat, so keep the bulbs well away from pets, livestock, and kids.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Toxic
A cat that nibbles the leaves will usually start drooling and throwing up within a few hours. The bulb's the real problem, though, and a cat that digs one up and eats it can end up trembling with a shaky heartbeat.
Dogs Toxic
Dogs are the ones most likely to dig up and chew a bulb, and that brings on heavy drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea. A big mouthful can push things further into shaking and a racing or irregular pulse.
Horses Toxic
Those same alkaloids hit horses pretty hard. If one grazes the leaves or bulbs, you'll see drooling, colicky belly pain, and loose manure, and a big dose can leave a horse weak and trembling.
Rabbits Toxic
A rabbit should never get any part of a snowdrop. Even a little taste of the leaves or bulb upsets its gut and can leave it drooling, off its food, and sluggish.
Livestock Toxic
Cattle, sheep, and goats that get into a patch of snowdrops can drool, scour, and go off their feed. More grazing risks tremors and a shaky heart, so it's best to fence the bulbs off from pasture.
Birds Toxic
Backyard hens and other birds aren't safe around snowdrops either. The lycorine in every part can leave a bird quiet, off its food, and bringing its crop back up, and the bulb's even worse.
People Caution
None of a snowdrop is food. Kids sometimes mistake the bulbs for onions, and eating one brings drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea, so keep the bulbs out of reach and wash your hands after planting.
Wear gloves when handling bulbs to avoid skin irritation, and keep bulbs away from pets and children.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Most snowdrops you'll run into are just the common species, but there are a few named forms and one bigger cousin that are worth knowing about.
Flore Pleno
This is a double-flowered one, with extra inner tepals that pack the bloom into a fuller, ruffled white skirt.
Viridi-apice
This one's got green tips on the outer tepals on top of the usual green marks inside, so the whole flower ends up looking greener.
Galanthus elwesii (giant snowdrop)
This is the bigger cousin, taller than the common snowdrop, with larger flowers and broad gray-green leaves.
Companions
Snowdrops naturalize best alongside other early bulbs that wake at the same time and share the same cool, woodland ground.
Plant near
Winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis): Blooms at the same early-spring time for a complementary naturalized display.
Siberian squill (Scilla siberica): Another early bulb that naturalizes well alongside snowdrops under deciduous trees.
Glory-of-the-snow (Chionodoxa): Early-blooming companion bulb suited to the same woodland and lawn settings.
How to propagate
Snowdrops are dead easy to increase, and honestly the clumps kind of beg to be split once they get crowded. You can divide them, pull off their little offset bulblets, or just let them seed themselves around.
DivisionEasy
Just after flowering while foliage is still green (in the green) · Re-establishes the same season; clumps build up over a few years.
Dividing is hands-down the most reliable way to get more snowdrops. Lift a crowded clump right after flowering while the leaves are still green, break it up into smaller groups, and get it replanted straight away before the bulbs dry out. They'll settle back in that same season and thicken up into full clumps over a few years.
Offsets & pupsEasy
Lift with clumps after flowering · A few years to form large colonies
Every bulb makes little offset bulblets around its base. Lift them with the clump after flowering, snap the bulblets off to grow on, and over a few years they'll fill in and make big colonies.
SeedModerate
Self-sows in fall after natural ripening · About 4 years to reach flowering size
Where they're happy, snowdrops will also seed themselves, dropping seed in fall once it ripens and spreading into new ground. It's a slow way to go, though, since a seedling takes about 4 years to reach flowering size.
Myths
Snowdrops are harmless because they're such dainty little early flowers.
Don't let the delicate look fool you, because there's real toxicity underneath. Every part carries lycorine and galantamine, and the bulbs especially will bring on vomiting and diarrhea if anyone eats them. Treat the whole plant, and the bulbs most of all, as poisonous to pets and people.