The dazzling white snowdrop, which has the Latin name Galanthus, has leaves of different shapes and colors, depending on its species. They appear simultaneously with flowers, and their shape can be linear, narrow, flat or lanceolate. The color of the leaves is either dark green or grayish green.
How does a snowdrop differ from other plants?
Snowdrop is a small-bulbous plant that breaks out from under the cold ground with the arrival of the first sunny spring days. A straight pedicel with a single white bell-shaped flower appears from the bulb. "Bells" look drooping, and they bloom in early April. The tips of the dazzling white snowdrops are green.
Three inner petals with green tips, surrounded by three snow-white petals of a larger size, help to distinguish a snowdrop from a similar white flower. White snowdrop has pleasantly smelling white flowers with a yellow spot inside, and its flowering is long.
In decorative floriculture, 2 types of snowdrops are usually grown - the Elves snowdrop and the snowy snowdrop. Their main difference is their height. In tall Elves, flower stalks have a height of 15 to 25 cm.
Where can you find this beautiful flower?
Nature is rich in various types of snowdrops. The genus of the plant is represented by 18 wild-growing species, which can be found in the Caucasus, in central and southern Europe, in the west of Asia Minor.
Mountain meadows, forest edges and river banks are ideal conditions for the growth of snowdrops. In city parks and home gardens, the plant can also grow, the main thing is to provide access to the sun's rays.
As for the soil - a breeding ground for snowdrops, it should be loose and moderately moist. The plant does not like sandy soils, shaded areas and areas with stagnant water, but heavy clay soils can be diluted with sand.
How does a snowdrop reproduce?
Some species of snowdrops, found only in the Caucasus, are already listed in the Red Book and are subject to state protection as rare, endangered species, which are strictly prohibited to pluck. But a piece of nature can be recreated at home by growing snowdrops in your own garden or in an apartment.
It is not difficult to grow a folded snowdrop. Its propagation in the form of bulbs is very active. Compared to other varieties, which form only 1-2 bulbs, it produces 3-4 bulbs per summer.
Home-grown snowdrops do not like nitrogen-containing fertilizers. It is necessary to enrich the soil with potassium and phosphates.
A plant transplant cannot be done in the spring during its flowering; it is better to do this in late August or early September. Reproduction of a snowdrop by seeds is also not burdensome. After collecting the seeds, they are immediately sown in the ground, but the first flowers with this method of planting will appear no earlier than 4-5 years. In the future, they will multiply by self-seeding.
