365 Urban Species. #084: Snowdrop

[urbpan]

photo by cottonmanifesto
Urban species #84: Snowdrop Galanthus nivalis

As the twentieth century came to a close, I found myself living in a house in the Boston neighborhood of Brighton. The house had a very small but lush yard, and I made it my business to learn the names of the plants in it. An old book from my mother's library, Peterson's Guide to Wildflowers, was my tool in this endeavor. I learned about black swallow-wort, white snakeweed, black medick, and others.

Summer passed into fall and winter, and with field guide in hand I waited for spring. The first new flowers to arrive were precious little white ones, dangling like tiny three-petaled bells. The Peterson's guide did not identify them. How, I wondered, could such a distinctive plant be skipped from the book--these little flowers growing in an urban yard, surely they should be easy to find and name.

Of course my mistake was in thinking that they were wildflowers. Like so many plants found in the city, snowdrops are deliberately placed in the landscape. They're a good choice for Boston; they are hardy, and the blooms last longer in gloomy weather--a given, in our late winter, when they appear. Often there is still snow on the ground when their bulbs send the blooms up.

Snowdrop is native to Europe, but despite its widespread introduction, is not natualized in North America. When encountered here, it has been planted.

Comments

[momomom.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've noticed it is quite difficult to spread. I dug some up in order to divide them 2 years ago, they only just bloomed this year. They have already gone to seed here so something pollinates them in order for me to see a fat seed head forming. I have tried dropping the seed pod to the ground and burying them but I'm not sure if it worked or not. Anyway, the patch does not seem to be expanding by any means!

This reminds me though, I remember there is a woods near here that seemed to be FULL of snowdrops. I wonder if they really were.

[artemii.livejournal.com]

the best thing to do with snowdrops is to transplant them while they're still "in the green". people do it either before or after bloom; unlike with most garden bulbs, it doesn't really seem to matter if you wait till afterwards.

[bezigebij.livejournal.com]

I agree with the transplanting them while they're green comment. My snowdrops keep spreading (by means of making baby bulbs, not by seed), but I'm not sure if it matters that I'm in Europe and thus their native soil...

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I suspect that snowdrops don't naturalize here because of some mycorryhzzal reason: either there's a fungus in europe that they need, or a fungus in North America that interferes. But I really don't know.

you made me curious

[artemii.livejournal.com]

i seemed to recall something vague about this, but not specifics, so i did some looking around on the web.

apparently g. nivalis has a "high incidence" of mycorrhiza in springtime (c. march in the uk). i tried looking for specifics, but all the articles i could find that might have given them required registration to read. you might be able to find something if you're more persistant about it than i was.

ok, i will stop posting about snowdrops already :).

[artemii.livejournal.com]

there are some other kinds of snowdrops that you can find in boston. the most common one, besides the so-called "common snowdrop" (galanthus nivalis) and its cultivars, is the one that's most often called "giant snowdrop", giant, of course, being a relative term. :)

Galanthus elewesii

[bezigebij.livejournal.com]

I planted some "giant snowdrops" about 2 years ago. While the individual flower is quite striking, I have to say that I prefer the overall effect of Galanthis nivalis more.

[artemii.livejournal.com]

i don't know what you mean by "overall effect"?

[bezigebij.livejournal.com]

While I find the individual flower of G. elewesii more interesting, in groups and drifts I find G. nivalis more attractive and subtle. The proportions of the flower and leaves (which are more blue, rather than the shiney green of the G. elewsii) is lovely.

[artemii.livejournal.com]

ah, i see what you mean. i like that they bloom earlier here, and that they can be grown in warmer climes than g. nivalis (which i imagine matters more here in north american than it does in northern europe). i like that g. nivalis naturalizes more easily (within the confines of a garden, i mean, not the spread-all-over naturalism urbpan meant above) here and how dainty a group of them look, sort of like little perched butterflies.

[(Anonymous)]

I have seen that picture before in one fishing guide. It is wonderful.
http://www.fishingguidedirect.net