Aha! I've finally found the diamond white flower I have been searching for. The elusive Snowdrop. Also known by its latin name Galanthus 'Nivalis'.

Believe it or not, I have been searching for a place to buy these bulbs for over a year and a half. Last year I failed to purchased them online, because I waited until December to order them, and by then the retailer informed me the bulbs were no longer viable.

This year I remembered to check early, and managed to get my order in during the month of October. The package arrived. I was thrilled.

The Package

Only a few weeks after my package of bulbs arrived, I have been finding the exact same flower bulbs for sale at many local stores. What's the deal? Last year I checked around and none of the stores seemed to carry it. At least I finally found what I wanted.

Maybe this is the kind of flower that does not bloom for very long. I am not sure. I have never seen Snowdrops sold as a growing potted plant in my area.

The Bulbs

So what's so special about these boring brown bulbs?

It's just a white flower, right?

Not just any white flower! These ones bloom in winter!

I fell in love with these flowers after watching a video. In that video, an English gardener takes the viewer on a journey through the woodsy forest where a thick mat of snowfall has been blanketing the mossy earth.

Until you realize, that's not snow. It's flowers! He literally plucks them out of the garden a clump at a time, divides them up, and makes a profit selling them for an English Pound for a pot of 10 plants every year! And I overpaid, at close to 10 dollars for 10 bulbs, but I have no regrets.

Imagine the most glorious delicate green stalks emerging with fresh white flowers from the hard frosted ground floor. Each appearing with a white angel radiance that blends in with the brilliant snow, fog, and frost. It's hard to imagine anything so lush and green could be alive and blooming.

After watching that video a couple year ago I decided I had to have these flowers closer to my home to more deeply enjoy the experience. Simple and easy to grow, and perfectly suited for my cold, wet climate. It is very unusual to find any flower blooming in winter, and I certainly would not mind having this as a regular re-occuring miracle in my home garden.

First Planting Location

Here is one of the two locations I decided to plant my bulbs. Behind the Lily of the Valley and next to the stumps, I know this area receives full sun only for a few hours, because it also receives lots of shade hours from the nearby hedge. The ground here is almost always soggy wet and cool.

Dig a hole a few inches down, and toss in five bulbs. Then add a few heaping handfuls of my own garden-made compost mixed in with the topsoil I dug out. Pile it up real good, and hope the rodents don't dig them out.

Second Planting Location

For my second planting location, I decided to head over to the zone where the Ash trees grow. The area is always loaded with leaves in the winter, and weeds tend to grow in these areas like crazy on any exposed soil. That is one reason why I also keep the soil here covered with wood chips.

On this lawn border I also have some small patches of Crocus, Dutch Violets, Coreopsis, and some mixed wildflowers. There may also some daffodils and tulip bulbs hidden here. If I accidentally dig into any of these, they should be dormant, and it will be obvious when I strike into them. They will split and smell like onions.

Think I got lucky, because the earth here looked free of any other flower bulbs or plant roots. There were a few tree roots I had to chop out, but that's all. The ground in this area is a bit tougher than the other spot. The soil is very compacted by the tree roots over time.

Planting bulbs into the garden is supposed to be beneficial for trees. I'm not sure exactly how. I like to believe that they slowly slide up and down in the soil as they change from being dormant and active, and this creates beneficial air pockets to help new roots grow.

Bulbs also deter certain animals and act as an underground barrier to block moles. However, in winter a hungry deer will probably chew up just about anything it can fit inside its mouth.

I think flower bulbs also attract certain beneficial bugs that will improve the deeper soil, possibly because flower bulbs form roots that decompose reliably every year, and a fresh compost source is a great benefit for any forest.

Conclusion

Here is a quick review of everything I want gardeners to know about Snowdrops

• Search for it by the Latin name: Galanthus 'Nivalis' (most common variety).
• Buy it in the Autumn when the bulbs are dormant.
• Plant them right away, 2 to 3 inches under the soil level.
• Choose a planting location that receives some shade and plenty of moisture from rain.
• One of the first plants to bloom in Winter. The white flowers should return every year and multiply on their own.
• A great addition to the forest floor where they grow naturally between the roots of trees. These would also make a good pathway border plant.

Cover Photo is a free image from Pixabay.

All other photos are my own.

Thanks for viewing!

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