JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



267 



THE SNOWDROP. 



FEW years ago, when the .subject of .spring 

 flowers was much discussed in the gardening 

 periodicals, and there were wanii disputes 

 respecting the comparative merits of tlie 

 different Forget-me-nots, it seemed to me 

 vei-y strange that but little was said about 

 one or two plants wliich bloom several weeks 

 before any of the Myosotis family. I visited 

 some of the Loudon parks in Januaiy and 

 February last, and judging from these and 

 "what I have learned in other quarters, I am led to the 

 conclusion that one of the earliest and also one of the 

 hardiest and most easily gi'ownof our early spring tiowers 

 is little taken notice of by those who assume to lead the 

 fashion in spring gardening ; yet in point of beauty it yields 

 to none of its comjieers. Perhaps its easy culture may 

 have kept it in the background ; but let us now examine 

 what advantages the Snowdi'op possesses over other early 

 spring flower.^. 



With the exception of the Christmas Eose, the single 

 white Pruni'ose, and perhaps the Winter Aconite, I am 

 not acquainted with any low-gi'owiug plant which tiowers 

 so early as the Snowdi'op, and that, too, with so httle 

 attention — nay, it may often be said it flowers in spite of 

 the iiidest treatment or neglect. It is almost as tenacious 

 of life as the Horseradish and Jerusalem Ai-tichoke, for 

 it is seldom we find a dead plant. It is not easily strangled 

 or smothered by strouger-gi-owing plants. Therefore, as 

 regards easy cultiu-e it has many things in its favour. 

 The purity of its blossom contrasts strongly -with the 

 moist gi'ound in which it is grown, or the other herbage 

 by which it is suiTounded ; and even when the flowers are 

 dying-oif, wliich they did this year by the 1st of March, 

 their appearance is less untidy than that of the Crocus at 

 the same stage ; and for weeks afterwards the healthy 

 glaucous hue of the neatly-curved and fluted foliage is 

 Tery pleasing, especially when the plant is gi-own in a 

 continuous line of moderate thickness, the fohage falling 

 in a diagonal du-ection, and presenting some resemblance 

 to a plait or coi'd. Another, and to me veiy important 

 merit, is that mice and other veiinin do not attack it as 

 they do the Crocus. The latter we cannot preseiwe at 

 this place, except in the immediate ueighbom-hood of 

 buildings, but the Snowch'op flom-ishes in the most out-of- 

 the-way places, and sustaius no injury. The only enemy 

 it is necessai-y to guard against in oui- case is the scythe, 

 •when the plant is gi'own on the gi-ass. When cultivated 

 in the borders, allow its foliage to become matiu'ed before 

 it is removed. In all other respects it seems to require 

 no attention. 



The Snowdi-op may be transplanted at any season, the 

 most convenient time, though certainly not the best, 

 being when it has started into growth, and is just showing 

 itself above gi'ound. It is then easily handled, and in 

 general succeeds veiy well. It is not necessaiy to take 

 the bulbs out of the gi-ound as is done with Tulips and 

 Hyacinths, but large patches should be divided occasion- 

 No. 671.— Vol. XXn., New REBtEs. 



ally. In places where this plant is requii-ed to fill beds, 

 I would simply allow large piltches of it to remain where 

 they are gi'owing until they show themselves in January, 

 or if the season be late, till February, and then take them 

 up, and plant them where wanted. We do not transplant 

 the Snowdrop much at tins place, our pui'pose being to 

 give it a permanent position some distance fi'om the more 

 showy parteiTes, where it is allowed to bloom and to 

 matm-e its fohage without interference. For temporary 

 pm-poses we sometimes take up the plants. 



In most gardens, or rather pleasure gi'ounds, there are 

 gi'oups of shrubs, more or less massive, forming the bound- 

 aries, or it maybe isolated clumps on the lawn. In many 

 places the turf is allowed to ran up to, or merge into the 

 outer line of shmbs, which in most cases are evergreen. 

 This blending of the one with the other is genei-aUy re- 

 garded as indicating good taste, and we adopt it exten- 

 sively. All our Comfers and other trees and shitibs after 

 the first few years are allowed to stand out upon the 

 turf, occupying more and more of it as they advance in 

 gi'owth. We have been in the habit of planting lines of 

 Snowtlrops in front of these shnibs and upon the grass, 

 a thin single line foUowing the sinuosities of the outside 

 branches, and in some cases a little attention is paid to 

 making an agreeable-looking ciuTe. In no case, however, 

 has any tiu-f been distm-bed fmther than when the Snow- 

 drops are planted. A notch a few inches deep is made hi 

 the tm-f, which is turned back, the bulbs put in at the 

 proper depth, and the tm-f replaced. We have sometimes 

 planted veiy small bulbs 4 or .5 inches apart, even when 

 they were in flower, and in two years had a weU-fiUed 

 line. The only thing to be guarded against is mowing 

 where they are gi-owing until after the middle of May, or 

 a little later, by which time the fohage of the Snowtifops 

 wUl have matm-ed. In the foUowiug Januaiy they will 

 come up more true to the line they were planted in than 

 anything else I know, and when iu flower they have the 

 appearance of a string of pearls. So well is the Snow- 

 di-op adapted for this description of spring ornament, 

 that I have extended om- plantations of it so much that a 

 friend infoi-ms me we have considerably more than a mile 

 of Snowdi-op edging. 



Snowdi-ops have been planted on grass for many years ; 

 it is certainly more than fifty years since I i-emember a 

 ring of yellow Crocus forming the margin of a cu-cular 

 grass plot on the carriage fi-ont of a mansion, and occa- 

 sionally since I have met with them in other places. 

 Where mice and other vermin can be kept away. Crocuses 

 may answer as well as Snowth-ops, but the latter are 

 earlier, in my case at least, more easily propagated, and 

 not hable to be lost. These properties, as well as others, 

 entitle the Snowdi-op to preference as an edging plant. It 

 is equally appUcable for early flowei-ing iu beds, but for 

 this pui-pose we find a single white Pi-hnrose much more 

 convenient, flowering earher, and continuing also later. 



I prefer the single Snowdi-op to the double one for 

 facihty of propagation and general thi-iftiness. I find 

 that a batch of double Snowdi-ops that we had half a 

 dozen years ago increase very slowly. It is only when 



No. 1226.— Vol. XLVn., Old Seeies. 



