What Grows There :: Hugh Conlon, Horticulturalist, Garden Advisor, and Photographer

Seven Winter Blooming Shrubs

Posted by Hugh on February 12th, 2024

If you live where winter temperatures are generally moderate in the low teens, a number of shrubs bloom in winter. In the Delmarva and mid-South regions (USDA hardiness zones 6-7), these seven plants bloom reliably for 2-3 weeks before spring officially arrives.

Fragrant honeysuckle (*Lonicera fragrantissima*)

1. Winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima), aka fragrant honeysuckle, are covered with small fragrant white flowers in midwinter on this vigorous 10-12-feet-high shrub. Note: winter honeysuckle is listed as invasive in some southern states because they are prolific seed producers. In the Tri-Cities area of Tennessee (Zones 6b-7a), flowers rarely produce viable seeds.

2. Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) are covered with highly fragrant yellow/slight red blotched flowers in late January into February. This deciduous shrub grows 12 feet high by 10 feet wide and is moderately drought resistant.

3. Sweetbox (Sarcococca hookeriana ‘Humilis’) is a low-growing evergreen ground cover. During warm spells in February or March, small fragrant white flowers emerge from within the glossy boxwood-like evergreen foliage. It spreads slowly by underground runners where it prospers around woodland trees and dry sites.

4. Chinese paper bush (Edgeworthia chrysantha) is a deciduous suckering shrub that typically grows to 4-6 feet tall and wide. Clusters of tiny, apetalous, tubular, yellow flowers open in February. Blooms are also delightfully fragrant. Dark blue-green, lanceolate-oblong, 3-6-inches long deciduous leaves are an added plus in the spring-summer landscape. Irrigate every 7-10 days during prolonged dry spells.

5. Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) produce sweet scented, golden yellow flowers February – March. This vine is trained to a trellis or vertical wall. It is often seen growing wild as a ground cover or pruned into 3-6 feet cascading mound. Many people wrongly call them forsythias which bloom in April.

6. Chinese Witchhazel (Hamamelis x intermedia) are hybrids of two Asian witchhazels (H. japonica x H. mollis). Shrubs grow 6-12 feet tall and wide and sucker freely at the base. Some of the better cultivars include ‘Diane’, ‘Gingerbread’, ‘Jelena’, ‘Orange Beauty’, ‘Primavera’, and ‘Westerstede’.

7a. Cornelian Cherry Dogwood (Cornus mas), native to central and southern Europe and western Asia, is a multi-stemmed, low-branched dogwood tree or shrub. Tiny, golden yellow flowers cover the branches during most of March despite some cold wintery nights. ‘Golden Glory’ and ‘Spring Glow’ are popular cultivars.

7b. Japanese cornel (C. officinalis) is filled with golden yellow flowers in very early March along with an attractive exfoliating winter bark. Both species grow 20-25 feet tall and slightly less in width. Leading varieties: ‘Kintoki’ (smaller 15 x15 feet specimen and heavy bloomer) and ‘Sunsphere’ (heavy blooming).

Rarely will you find these flowering shrubs for sale at local garden centers. It is best to buy these shrubs in late winter a number of fine on-line nurseries that do list them for spring planting. Plan on a 1-2 year waiting period before shrubs bloom for the first time.

These shrubs are also valued by early pollinating bees and butterflies. Birds attracted to red fruits in September. All shrubs are also moderately deer resistant.

Foamflowers For Your Shade Garden

Posted by Hugh on February 6th, 2024

Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) is a low-growing, clump-forming woodland perennial groundcover. It grows naturally in moist forests, coves, and well-drained bottomlands where it spreads by slender runners (stolons) to form dense, 1-2 feet wide clumps of foliage or colonies. Small spikes of creamy white spring flowers and its attractive bright green foliage are solid pluses in a shady garden. (USDA hardiness zones 3-8).

Semi-glossy, heart-shaped, 3-5 lobed leaves (3-4 inches across) sprout directly from the stolons. Leaves may have reddish variegation along the veins. Foliage stays evergreen in mild winters, often taking on a reddish bronze tint in autumn and winter. Tiny, white flowers with very long “foamy -like” stamens appear in airy racemes in spring for 4-6 weeks; erect, wiry, mostly leafless floral stems stand tall above the foliage clump to a height of 10-12 inches. Flower buds start out pinkish before turning creamy white.

Foamflower is easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in part shade to full shade. It thrives in humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil. Poorly drained or dry soils can be fatal for this shade groundcover. Fertilizing is rarely necessary. Mow high over the spent flower spikes for a neat appearance to the foliage mound. It is semi-evergreen in zone 6 and points further south where tiarellas are evergreen in winter.

A southern variety (var. wherryi), sometimes listed as a separate species, does not send out runners and the deeply lobed leaves resemble oak foliage.

Landscape Attributes: An excellent ground cover for heavy shaded sites; airy white flowers attract early pollinating small bees and flies. The heart-shaped foliage is generally passed up by deer and rabbits. Plants offer minimal wildlife value providing food or cover.

Foamflower is a great for woodland gardens and planted as a groundcover nearby the shade of acidic-loving shrubs and trees such as azaleas (Rhododendron spp.), mountain laurels (Kalmia latifolia), woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata), and flowering dogwood (Cornus florida).

Christmas Fern

Posted by Hugh on January 31st, 2024

Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) is an evergreen native fern that grows tough as nails. This native fern, also called the Christmas dagger fern, is indigenous to much of eastern North America; it grows in every U.S. state east of the Rocky Mountains (USDA hardiness zones 3 – 9). This durable fern has long been associated with Christmas, its evergreen fronds (foliage) once in popular use in making holiday wreaths. Fronds (foliage) provides winter landscape interest.

Christmas ferns are long-lived plants. They grow to about 18 – 24 inches tall and wide with all fronds emerging from a central crown. As the plant ages, it produces additional fronds, usually numbering 20 or so per plant. Transplant them almost any time that the ground isn’t frozen. They prefer light to full shade, although in most northern states can handle full sun. Plants grow larger in humus-rich soil and are not finicky if planted in heavy clay soil.

The base of the frond and the central crown is covered with brown scales. The fronds are pinnately compound, meaning there is a central axis with the individual leaflets (called “pinnae” in fern lingo). Pinnae are about 2 inches long but are proportionally smaller as you move down the midrib. Two rows of spore dots (sori) run down their length.

Christmas fern grows in a fountain-like clump with leathery, lance-shaped, evergreen fronds. In early spring, new fronds uncurl, and the old fronds wither away. Best grown in organically rich, dry to medium moist, well-drained soils in part to full shade. This rhizomatous fern does not spread or naturalize. Individual clumps increase in size over time.

Young silvery and scaled fiddleheads, referred to as “croziers”, appear in the spring. Sori, containing fruiting bodies of ferns, appear on the undersides of the pinnae only at the ends of the fronds.

Christmas ferns have no serious insect or disease problems. They are rabbit and deer resistant. Crown rot can be problematic in poorly drained soils, particularly during the winter.

Why Called “Christmas Fern”? If you pull off a single leaflet (pinna) and turn it horizontally, it looks like Santa standing up on the back of his sled; hold it vertically, it resembles a Christmas stocking or a mitten.

Why Newly Planted Trees Die

Posted by Hugh on January 26th, 2024

Proper Planting Depth (tree flare just above soil line)

The loss or decline of a newly planted tree or shrub is usually a result of multiple factors. One of the worst mistakes is planting trees or shrubs too deeply – whether they are planted by a home gardener or a landscape professional. I’ve witnessed both. Surface roots are deprived of oxygen the deeper trees are set into the ground. Less oxygen leads to slower growth and eventual root death. Burying the trunk deeply makes the bark more susceptible to attack from diseases or insects which can bring about the demise of a plant.

Nursery trees and shrubs, whether balled and burlapped (b&b) or container grown, should be set (planted) at the same depth they were growing at the nursery or in the container. The tree may also be covered over with too much mulch.

Many container-grown trees and shrubs are frequently grown in a soilless organic media such as bark, composed wood fiber, and /or peat moss. Over time the organic media will subside or reduce in volume. At the garden center or nursery, plants may be buried by soil or mulch piled up around the container to reduce irrigation and keep roots cool.

Before planting, look for the tree’s root flare which should be at or above the ground surface. It should appear clean and healthy with no cuts or injury. Avoid planting too deeply. Young trees may have little or no root flare and more evident on larger woody specimens.

B&B Tree planting steps:

1. Remove all strapping, twine or ropes from around the trunk and roots of the tree. Over time, the straps may girdled the trunk and result in tree death.

2. Next, remove the burlap, particularly synthetic burlap, from the top of the root ball and find the root flare of the tree to determined proper planting depth. This may be several inches below the soil surface.

3. Dig a shallow hole deep enough and 2-3 times the width of the root ball. Set the tree so the root flare is at or slightly above the soil surface. Do not dig deep holes. Refill the hole to the proper height will result in settling of the tree to a deeper improper depth over time.

4. Place the tree in the hole and at minimum remove all-natural cloth (jute) burlap. The burlap will wick moisture out of the soil if it is visible above the soil. Also, remove as much of the wire cage as is practical. Remove the wire basket (cage) or at least the top third. Remove all synthetic burlap whenever possible.

5. Fill the hole surrounding the root ball and pack the soil firmly around the ball to stabilize the tree. Gradually, refill the hole making sure no air pockets remain in the backfill. Do not add soil amendments (compost, manure, bagged “soils”, etc.) to the planting hole. Only soil that was removed from the hole should go back in.

6. Mulch to a depth of 3-4 inches with a coarse mulch a such as wood chips, pine bark or pine needles.

7. Water in the tree with a minimum of 5 gallons of water as weather every 2-weeks if rainfall is less than 1-inch weekly. Irrigation removes most soil air pockets and firms the soil around the roots.

8. Staking is unnecessary unless the planting site is excessively windy. The stakes and straps should be removed after 2-3 years.

New USDA Hardiness Zone Map

Posted by Hugh on January 7th, 2024

The USDA Plant Zone Hardiness Zone Map is an important garden reference to anyone who gardens in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released a new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM), updating this valuable tool for gardeners and researchers for the first time since 2012. USDA’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The new map—jointly developed by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Oregon State University’s (OSU) PRISM Climate Group—is more accurate and contains greater detail than prior versions.

It is available online at https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/. In addition to the map updates, the PHZM website was expanded in 2023 to include a “Tips for Growers” section, which provides information about USDA ARS research programs of interest to gardeners and others who grow and breed plants.

The 2023 map is based on 30-year averages of the lowest annual winter temperatures at specific locations, is divided into 10 °F zones and further divided into 5 °F half-zones. Like the previous map issued in 2023, the new web version offers a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based interactive format and is more user-friendly, including several new, significant features and advances.

The 2023 PHZM is now available as a premier source of information that gardeners, growers and researchers alike can use. A paper version of the 2023 map will not be available for purchase; instead, anyone may download and print copies as needed.

Plant hardiness zone designations represent what’s known as the “average annual extreme minimum temperature” at a given location during the past 30 years. They do not reflect the coldest it has ever been or ever will be at a specific location. It simply records the average lowest winter temperature for the location over a specified time. Low temperature during the winter is a crucial factor in the survival of plants at specific locations.

The map has 13 zones across the U.S. and its territories. Each zone is broken into half zones, designated as “A” and “B.” For example, zone 7 is divided into 7a and 7b half zones. Compared to the 2012 map, the 2023 version reveals that about half of the country shifted to the next warmer half zone, and the other half of the country remained in the same half zone. That shift to the next warmer half zone means those areas warmed somewhere in the range of 0-5 °F. Also, some locations experienced warming in the range of 0-5 °F without moving to another half zone.

‘Jeana’ Phlox 2024 PPOY

Posted by Hugh on January 1st, 2024

The Perennial Plant Association (PPA) has selected ‘Jeana’ the 2024 Perennial Plant of the Year (PPOY). This exceptional garden phlox is recognized for its impressive flower show, tall sturdy plant habit, and pollinators’ delight. (USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8).

Dense, domed lavender-pink flowers stand atop long sturdy stems from midsummer to early fall. Individually, the fragrant bloom trusses are significantly smaller than typical garden phlox — only about half an inch wide — but the show at peak is eye-popping, nonetheless. This is a case where bigger is not better, from a pollinator’s perspective anyhow.

‘Jeana’ phlox is discovered by Jeana Prewitt along the Harpeth River in Nashville, TN. Jeana phlox grows vigorously to 4-5 feet in height and 2-3 feet in spread. Stems are sturdy and well-branched to support the sweetly scented 6-inch soft lavender-pink flowers on top. Each flower comprises 15 – 25 one-half inch wide florets, each one dotted with a darker pink center or eye.

In garden phlox 3-year trial (2015 -2017) at Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware, the nectar-rich flowers of ‘Jeana’ attracted more butterflies — Eastern Tiger Swallowtails were especially plentiful — than any other garden phlox in their study. Hummingbirds and other pollinators were fans as well.

Topped with flowers, ‘Jeana’ can reach 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide, although size will vary geographically. Its bright green foliage is highly powdery mildew resistant; ‘Jeana’ stays attractive, in bloom or not in the summer garden.

Tall garden phlox provide structure and color in summer gardens and are good bridging plants between early and later flowering perennials. ‘Jeana’ is at home in traditional borders and meadows and is a natural in pollinator gardens.

Divide clumps every 3-5 years in spring. Deadheading promotes continued blooming and prevents self-seeding. Powdery mildew and spider mites may be foliar problems in hot or dry conditions. Thinning out stems improves air circulation and guards against mildew. Deer and rabbits can be pests.

‘Jeana’ phlox is a garden companion with other tall perennials including bluestars (Amsonia spp.), Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum ×superbum), coneflowers (Echinacea spp.), black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta), and switch grasses (Panicum virgatum).

Note: A brightly colored tee shirt of Phlox ‘Jeana’ is available for sale on the Perennial Plant Association website.

Growing The True Christmas Cactus

Posted by Hugh on December 25th, 2023

Despite its name, the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera buckleyi) is an epiphytic plant that grows on trees and rocks in habitats that are generally shady with high humidity. This tropical member of the Cactus family (Cactaceae) is not a true cactus. Tiny roots may cling to the plant or rock that it’s growing on. It is a succulent plant that stores moisture in its leaves. Chrstmas cactus is marginally drought tolerant, e.g. it needs to be watered more often and does not tolerate the sun’s heat and light intensity.

Christmas cactus (*Schlumbergera x buckleyi*)

Christmas cactus is rarely sold at garden shops which prefer selling the more heavier flowering Thanksgiving cactus (S. truncata). Hybrid Thanksgiving cacti bloom earlier, hence the name, and produce showier blooms than Christmas cactus. Flowers are an elongated tube, reds, pink or orange hues, or white.

Christmas cactus initiates flowering from mid-December into February. Blooms droop down toward the ground and the stem segments (clados) are flattened with scalloped edges. “Leaves” are actually elongated segments with scalloped edges and not tipped (pointed).

Christmas cactus thrives in porous sandy potting media so that water drains off rapidly quickly. Don’t allow plant roots to sit in water. Plants prefer to be slightly root-bound. Repot holiday cacti once every 1-2 years. Repotting Christmas cacti too often can cause branch segments to snap off.

Add fresh growing media to the top of the pot to replace lost potting soil after many months. Fertilize plant every 2-3 weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer like 20-10-20 or 15-5-15 from March thru October and do not feed holiday cacti from November thru February.

Temps and photoperiod are key factors to successful Christmas (winter) blooming. Plants set flower buds when fall daylengths are shorter (12-14 uninterrupted dark interval), cool night temps around 50-55 °F, and daylight temps not exceeding 75 °F.

If your cactus isn’t exposed to cool 14-hour nights, it may never flower. This is the number one reason why Christmas cactus never blooms. The fix is an easy remedy.

Bring your plant indoor in the fall and reacclimate it to the indoor environment. By mid-October start to initiate flower buds for the holidays. Set your plant(s) in an east-facing sunny window, so the scalloped leaves don’t burn. Daytime hours should be around 65-70 °F and nighttime temperatures around 55-60°F fall and not drop below 40. Sudden fluctuations in temperatures, light and humidity may cause plants to drop floral buds.

Foliage may sunburn (redden) in direct sunlight. A stressed plant may not bloom during the winter holiday season. If the healthy scalloped green leaves develop a reddish tint, they are sunburned. Foliage should recover when moved away from direct sun.

Holiday cacti are non-poisonous and safe for pets and people alike. Over the years holiday cacti may become heirloom plants and bequeath in wills and estates. With good care, you can expect your plant to at least 30 years on average. Stem cuttings root easily in a 3:1 perlite: peat or a coarse sand: peat mix.

Spider mites, scale, mealybugs, and aphids are problem pests as well as root rots from overwatering.

Vines Worth Growing

Posted by Hugh on December 19th, 2023

Vines add a vertical dimension in your garden. With many vines, you don’t need to construct expensive arbors and trellises for them to climb. Borrowing an idea from nature, vines love to ramble or attach readily onto shrubs and trees. Some vines like periwinkle (Vinca minor) and English ivy (Hedera helix) make attractive ground covers on slopes. Yes, there is no hiding the fact that some vines can grow aggressively looking weedy and choking out everything in their path. Here, I am highlighting five vines, three natives and two non-natives, that are not garden thugs.

Trumpet honeysuckle (*Lonicera* sempervirens)

Trumpet or Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is a native twining vine in the Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle) family. Flowers appear in mid-spring and is often non-fragrant. It is a nice addition to a butterfly, native, or pollinator garden. This vigorous vine is evergreen where winters are mild in the deep South. Recommend ‘Major Wheeler’ (scarlet crimson), ‘John Clayton’ (yellow-flowered), ‘Sulfurea’ (pure yellow). (Zones 4–8)

‘Betty Corning’ clematis (Clematis ‘Betty Corning’) exudes pure elegance. The sky blue/pinkish blooms curl slightly upwards at the petal tips, which makes one think of ballerina skirts in mid-twirl blue-violet bells. A sweet aroma accompanies them. Never denying a chance to soar, this clematis will eagerly climb anything it can attach its tendrils onto – lampposts, fences, and even other shrubs! Preferring overhead sunlight and cool shaded roots, mulching will keep Betty happy all season long. Zones 4-9

Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) is a vigorous self-clinging native vine in the trumpet creeper (Bignoniaceae) family. The vine blooms in early spring on new wood in clusters of two to five flowers. Its early bloom season provides a nice stopping point for hummingbirds in the area. This tropical looking vine climbs by using tendrils vigorous, self-clinging vine easily attaches itself by tendrils to almost any surface, including nearby fences or trees. Vine has dark, glossy green leaves that take on a reddish-purple color in autumn. Leading cultivars: ‘Tangerine Beauty’. ‘Jekyll’. (Zones 5-9).

Clematis ‘Rooguchi’ (C. integrifolia x C. x durandii) is a non-vining, multi-stemmed, herbaceous perennial that grows with support to 6-8 feet tall and 3-4 feet spread. You can grow it as a rambling unsupported through the garden over shrubs and tree branches or tied to supports (trellis, arbor, tripod, fence) for vertical support. Solitary, nodding, violet to plum colored, bell-shaped 2 1/2” long flowers have 4 recurving sepals with recurving tips and light lavender margins. It is also sold as ‘Rouguchi’ or ‘Roguchi’. (Zones 4-8).

Pipevine (Aristolochia macrophylla), aka Dutchman’s pipe, is a perennial vine native to the eastern U.S. It prefers full sun to partial shade and rich, moist, and well-drained soil and resents dry soil. Grow in a sheltered area away from strong winds. Flowers are usually inconspicuous, mostly hidden within the vine’s dense foliage. The small blossoms are yellowish green with brownish-purple lobes in the shape of a smoking pipe. The leaves are smooth, heart-shaped, deep green, and silver-colored underneath. (USDA hardiness zones 4-8)

Recent PHS Gold Medal* Perennial Picks

Posted by Hugh on December 12th, 2023

Each year the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society (PHS) recognizes six outstanding plants that a group of nursery owners, horticulturists, expert gardeners, and professional growers singe out as among the best performing and most beautiful for inclusion into the Mid-Atlantic Region Gold Medal program.

All seven perennials perform equally well in the mid-South (Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky and Northern Counties of North and South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.

‘Jeana’ Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata) is a great summer blooming perennial phlox that is also highly resistant to powdery mildew. Data collected at Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware reported that butterflies love its fragrant tubular, bright lavender pink flowers. This native perennial is heat and drought-resistant. It grows 2-3 feet tall and blooms for weeks in the hot summer.

‘Hot Lips’ Pink Turtlehead (Chelone lyonia) produces unique pink summer flowers that resemble a turtle’s head in shape. Enjoy over a month-long flowering period way into the fall. ‘Hot Lips’ excels in partial shade and humus-rich moist soils; an exceptional performer in a rain garden or nearby a pond or any other water feature.

Japanese roof Iris (Iris tectorum) offers beautiful showy flowers in shades of lavender blue, blush violet, and blue lilac. It performs best on a humus-rich, medium moist, well-drained soil and in full sun to partial shade. Provide shelter from dry winter winds and winter mulch. Its foliage is arranged in fans of narrow, lance-shaped, ribbed, glossy, upright leaves. It is deer resistant and grows 12 to 18 inches tall in maturity. (USDA hardiness zones 6-9).

Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica) is a native perennial that blooms in early summer featuring red tubular flowers with yellow throats held above green foliage. Flowers sit atop 18-24 inches stems and are attractive to hummingbirds. It grows best in mostly full sun and average to moist soils. Deadhead this clump-forming perennial for blooms from May into late September. It is deer proof but not rabbit resistant. (USDA hardiness zones 6-9).

‘Brandywine’ foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) is an early spring long blooming, native ground cover perennial. Foamflower thrives in part to full shade and grows best in moist soils; one-year established plants demonstrate good drought tolerance. Delicate fuzzy white flowers emerge through clean spring green foliage and bloom almost 2 months. Foamflowers attract specialist bee species and other pollinators. Deer snub the fresh green spring foliage which grows 8-18 inches tall and turns reddish bronze in fall. (USDA hardiness zones 4-8).

‘Iron Butterfly’ (Vernonia lettermannii) is a superior ironweed clone. This tough native perennial thrives in a wide range of soils and survives in hot humid or dry sites. It grows 18 inches tall. In fall the stems are topped with many fine bright purple flowers. The thread-like foliage is showy and turns brilliant golden hues in the fall. ‘Iron Butterfly’ is a great pollinator attracting plant. (USDA hardiness zones 4-8).

‘Caramel’ Coral bells (Heuchera x ‘Caramel’) is a vigorous, clump-forming coral bells that struts unique apricot foliage that stands out through spring, summer, and fall. Plant several in the landscape as a ground cover, or en masse in a perennial border. ‘Caramel’ grows best in humus-rich, moist, well-drained soils in part shade; it grows in full sun under adequate watering. ‘Caramel’ is deer resistant. (USDA hardiness zones 4-9).

*Visit the PHS Gold Medal website to view the entire 30-year-old listing.

Snowdrops (Galanthus)

Posted by Hugh on December 6th, 2023

Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) are one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring. Depending on the region where you live, snowdrops appear in the early days of spring; often snow still blankets the ground. Snowdrops are tiny plants (3 – 6 inches tall) that produce multiple small showy, white, bell-shaped flowers, which hangs off the ends of green, leafless stalks. When the bloom opens, three outer petals arch out over three inner petals. The grayish-green leaves emerge first into 3-4 inches long strap-like blades.

Snowdrops pop up in mostly deciduous woodlands (maples, lindens, ornamental cherries, dogwoods, oaks, etc.). Winter light should average 6 or more hours of filtered sunlight. Plant snowdrop bulbs in a loose, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Snowdrops do not thrive in heavy clay.

The most common varieties planted in U.S. and Canadian gardens: Common snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) grow 6-8 inches tall with many varieties including G. nivalis ‘Flore Pleno’, a double white flowering form (zones 3-7). Giant snowdrops (G. elwesii) grow 10 -12 inches tall and include varieties ‘Polar Bear’ and ‘Mount Everest’ (zones 3-8). If you are a snowdrop hobbyist, mark garden patches with a variety (cultivar) label.

David Culp’s Snowdrop Patch at Brandywine Cottage in PA (summer dormancy period)

Plant snowdrop bulbs 3-inches deep in soil that you have thoroughly cultivated. Space bulbs 3-4- inches apart. The bulb tip should be set in hole facing up. In late fall add a thin 1–2-inch layer of compost to provide the nutritional needs for next year’s bloom. Spreading a bulb fertilizer may give snowdrops a slight growth boost after flowering. Snowdrops will often naturalize. Lift and divide crowded bulb clumps if you wish to increase the total numbers of snowdrops or trade with garden friends.

Glory-of-the-snow (Chionodoxa), Crocus (Crocus spp.), Winter aconite bulbs (Eranthis hyemalis), Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia), and Bloodroot (Sanguinaria) are excellent companion plants with snowdrops in a woodland or rock garden setting. Do not buy snowdrop bulbs too far ahead of planting time to avoid them from drying out.

Snowdrops are resistant to deer and rabbits and are poisonous to pets and humans. Wear gloves when handling bulbs or plants to avoid possible skin irritation.