White snowdrops emerging through the snow is certain to bring delight and anticipation to gardeners everywhere. Native to the woodlands of Europe andTurkey, the snowdrops have traditionally signalled the end of winter weather.

This photo is of the giant snowdrop (Galanthus elwesii) and is flowering in a garden just north of Oliver at the base of some lilac bushes and a maple tree. These snowdrops are around 16-20 cm (6-8 inches) tall and were divided and transplanted from a Vancouver garden a couple of years ago. They clearly like their new home in the Okanagan. Probably the most popular variety of snowdrops is Galanthus nivalis and though there are at least 19 species and well over 60 cultivars of snowdrops, the differences between them is often slight though doubles are available and many have flowers with distinct green and even yellow markings.

Though Snowdrops look delicate they are hardy little plants whose leaf tips push up through the cold icy ground to greet the spring. As the snow melts around them, drifts of snowdrops can make the garden seem white again with their dangling tear-drop flowers. The blossoms close-up tight during cold weather then expand and open in the sun’s warmth to reveal an inner flower hoping that a passing insect will stop by.

Snowdrops, like many popular spring flowers are bulbs which can naturalize readily spreading under trees and shrubs. The small bulbs are usually planted quite close together in the fall. Existing clumps produce many baby bulbs which can be teased apart and transplanted in the spring once their blooms are finished or later in the year when they are dormant. They should be grown in dappled sunshine in well-drained soil with a good mulch. Like all bulbs it’s important to let the leaves lengthen then turn yellow before removing them, this allows the plants to produce and store nutrition for the following year. Since they are dormant over the summer, they can be a good choice for areas in your garden which are dry and shaded during our hot summers. They are deer resistant too which is another big plus in the Okanagan.