Peter Valder recently visited the garden of Merry Garth at Mount Wilson, NSW and found snowdrops and snowflakes in bloom in the middle of winter. The true snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) is a cold climate plant and is sometimes confused with snowflake (Leucojum aestivum) which also has white flowers. Both are members of the Amaryllidaceae Family. So what’s the difference?
Common name: Snowdrop
Botanic name:Galanthus nivalis, The genus name Galanthus means milk flower and the species name nivalis means loving snow. While snowflake’s (Leucojum aestivum) genus name Leucojum is Greek for white violet and the species name aestivum means summer.
Climate: Cold climate zones of Australia.
Description: Snowdrops come from a Mediterranean climate and come up as soon as the snow melts. They flower and produce their seeds quickly and die down again before it becomes hot and dry.
There are many different varieties, including a double one which has large flowers and leaves. A true snowdrop has one flower born on each stem. The flowers consist of three large white petals on the outside with three smaller petals in the centre, each tipped with green. The snowflake which is similar in appearance to the snowdrop, is a taller plant and bears several flowers to each stem. Each flower on the snowflake consists of six petals that are all the same size and all tipped with green.
Best look: Striking when grown as clumps in a winter garden around deciduous shrubs or trees.
Propagate snowdrops by dividing them as soon as they finish flowering or immediately after the leaves have died down.
There are many different species and named forms of snowdrops available from specialist nurseries in Australia including:
Glenbrook Bulbs, 28 Russell Road, Claremont, TAS, 7011 (There is no phone number).
Hillview Rare Plants, 400 Huon Road, South Hobart, TAS, 7004, phone: (03) 6224 0770.
Woodbank Nursery, 2040 Huon Road, Longley, TAS, 7150, phone: (03) 6239 6452.
Bryan H. Tonkin, ‘Sylvan Vale’, Olinda Creek Road, Kalorama, VIC, 3766, phone: (03) 9728 1295.
These nurseries will mail order bulbs Australia wide. For plant lists and catalogues contact the nurseries in November/December.
Our segment was filmed at Merry Garth, Davies Lane, Mount Wilson, NSW, 2786. The garden is open to the public daily from 9am to 6pm from September to November and April to May 1998. For more information phone: (02) 4756 2121.
