Lovers of snowdrops, The Galanthophiles, will be starting to accept that their busy time has peaked and it will be another nine months or so before they get to admire the delicate flowers and variation within the Galanthus genus once again. But in gardens across the country the show continues, sort of, with gardeners working in public gardens well aware that an impersonator is often at large and visitors to the garden will be requesting the name of “that large clump of huge snowdrops in the far border”.
The resident gardener will know that the flower referred to is actually Leucojum vernum, better known as the spring snowflake. With six petals rather than the three we usually associate with snowdrops (excepting Galanthus ‘Godfrey Owen' and ‘flore pleno’ which also has six), it's the size that’s the giveaway. At around 35cm they’re an impressive, if somewhat oversized sized, mimic with the flower stems appearing from clumps of glossy lanceolate (sword-shaped) leaves, just like snowdrops on steroids.
If there is to be any confusion, there are a number of rather impressive snowdrop varieties out there. Galanthus elswesi, G. S. Arnott, and G. ‘Myddelton Giant’ can often reach up to 30cm in height.
A native of central and southern Europe, Leucojum vernum is considered naturalised in parts of the U.K. but is perhaps better known for growing in gardens and parkland. Variations exist, with Leucojum vernum var. carpathicum having golden tips to the petals, while ‘vagneri’ has two flowers to each stem.
Leucojums don’t stop there however. L. autumnale, as the name suggests, appears in late summer/autumn and looks far more delicate and, as the avid collector would say, “choice”. It doesn’t have the stature of ‘vernum’ but exhibits delicate, dark, wiry stems topped with nodding, narrow crinoline-shaped flowers, flushed pink at the base. To complicate matters and to keep us gardeners on our toes, these particular Leucojum have been reclassified by the botanists and are now put within the genus Acis.
Still true to the genus camp is one other snowflake, Leucojum aestivum, the summer snowflake - a real show stopper. At 50cm it is only eclipsed by the larger variety known as ‘Gravetye Giant’, a popular choice that has earned the RHS Award of Garden Merit and was discovered and named by plantsman William Robinson who observed the plant growing at his home Gravetye Manor in West Sussex.
Most of the Leucojum prefer a damp soil. Rosemary Verey (1918-2001) recommended them as a lake or riverside plant that ‘must never be allowed to dry out if you want it to form large clumps’. In the absence of water they will also do well in a partially shaded spot where she says L. aestivum pairs well with the white form of honesty which flowers at the same time. They split well and can be spread around the garden where they clump up in just a few years, something I’ll be doing over the next few weeks once flowering is over.
