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Newbie Help - Snowdrops

RM98RM98 Posts: 43
in Plants
Hi all,

First post here but I’ve been reading a while trying to soak up information.

For the first time in my life, I’ve bought a house with a garden - it looked great in the summer when we were viewing the house but once we moved in, the reality kicked in that I now had to maintain and develop it! Needless to say it’s looking a bit sorry now that winter is here but I have some big plans for it and have bought a few books and watching all the gardening programmes I can on TV to try and get my head around it - it’s a bit overwhelming I have to admit.

Anyway, I’m making this post to see if anyone can help. It looks like the previous owners of the house had planted a clump of snowdrops under a bush. I noticed the green shoots appearing in the last week or two but today, it looks like there a quite a few bulbs around the main clump just laid on the surface - is that normal? I don’t know if they’ve been dug up by something or there’s another reason for it but there doesn’t seem to be any signs of digging.

Picture below - any wisdom would be gratefully received! Thank you.


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Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    I think it might be due to a process known as "heaving". I have a similar situation in my own garden.


  • RM98RM98 Posts: 43
    Thanks Anni - just had a Google and that sounds like it’s the issue. 

    Do you know if the bulbs can be replanted to flower this year? And if those bulbs with good green shoots in the main clump, where the bulb is right on the surface, whether those can be pushed down a bit to sit more in the soil rather than on it?

    Thanks again.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    They look unharmed so can easily be replanted, with soil twice the depth of the bulb above each bulb to avoid any further disturbance. Welcome to the forum and good luck with your new garden!
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    edited 2 January
    I wouldn't push the existing bulbs down @RM98, just add more soil on top to avoid root disturbance.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I would be interest to see those when they bloom,  they’re not like my snowdrops. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • RM98RM98 Posts: 43
    I’ve assumed they’re snowdrops because of the emergence timing and also when I uploaded the picture to the RHS app to use its ‘Plant Identifier’ feature, that also said snowdrops so I’ve just assumed that’s what they are.

    That said, I don’t really know what I’m talking about at this stage so could be wrong - either way, I’ll keep you up to date when they bloom!
  • Songbird-2Songbird-2 Posts: 2,349
    That outer rounded leaf reminds me of Lily of the Valley  but I don’t think other leaves are right for it. Most intriguing! 🙂 my snowdrops don’t look like that either I’m afraid. 
  • RM98RM98 Posts: 43
    I suppose that’s part of the fun of inheriting a garden, there’s lots to discover! I’ll report back when there’s more to see …
  • Songbird-2Songbird-2 Posts: 2,349
    Excellent idea @RM98- love to see what comes up. It will be so exciting to see what starts to appear in your garden as the time progresses. Enjoy! 
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