My snowdrops (Galanthus elwesii) started blooming very early this year—during the first week of February! Since then they’ve been buried in several inches of snow and have endured high winds, freezing rain, rain, sleet and even hail. Last week the low temperature even dropped to 16 degrees (F) overnight but that didn’t slow them down either. The flowers are still hanging in there 5 weeks later.
I purchase my snowdrops from John Scheepers (no affiliation). I typically plant 5 of the bulbs together in a clump either in the lawn or in the front row of a flowerbed. The little plants grow 5-8 inches tall and aren’t bothered by rabbits or other rodents. And the tough bulbs bloom reliably year after year.
Because the plants bloom so early (normally in late February or early March in my Zone 5b growing zone), they die back well before you have to worry about mowing them over if you plant the bulbs in a lawn.
I’m happy to be providing an early source of nectar for the honeybees that have decided to venture out from their hives on some of the milder days we’ve had recently.
I took a stroll through our backyard yesterday and noticed the daffodils and tulips have emerged early as well.
