The Stunning Purple Perennial That Will Complement Rock Or Woodland Gardens

Creating a rock or woodland garden is a wonderful way to bring a touch of nature right into your backyard. Yet, it's not easy to create the layered look of wild plants or to replicate their ability to thrive effortlessly in the shade of trees or between rockeries while also attracting pollinators. Still, some popular perennial bulbs, such as daffodils, crocuses, and snowdrops, can help you achieve a similar effect. Among these, glory-of-the-snow stands out as one a vibrant bulb that will bring color to your yard during drab winters. It comes in unique shades of blue and purple and can easily complement rock and woodland gardens with their resilient and beautiful flowers.

Glory-of-the-snow is the common name given to all members of a group of bulbous perennials that were previously considered a genus of their own, Chionodoxa, but have been recently merged with the genus Scilla. These plants are characterized by their small to mediumsized, star-shaped flowers that grow in clusters of two to 10. The most popular variety is called Chionodoxa forbesii or Scilla forbesii, which produces a small, upward deep blue to violet flower. You can also find an especially deep violet cultivar of that species called the Violet Beauty. What's special about glory-of-the-snow is that it blooms incredibly early in spring, sometimes as early as February, making them perfect for adding an early touch of color to woodland and rock gardens. In some regions, their deep blue, violet, or lavender flowers can be found poking right through the snow.

For many reasons, glory-of-the-snow can be a great plant to have in rock and woodland gardens. If your garden attracts deer and rabbits, they can help you keep those pesky creatures away from your beloved plants, as their bulbs produce a certain chemical called lycorine that some mammals find extremely unappealing. These bulbs are also considered low-maintenance and drought-tolerant, which means that they will generally survive better than other garden plants. They can even grow without an issue underneath the dense trees of woodland gardens, including walnut trees, and between limestones and sandstones in rock gardens.

What's more impressive is that they can also thrive in most garden soils—including clay, chalk, sand, and loam—and in any soil pH. They do prefer a well-drained soil, but will survive in more moist conditions, as long as your soil is not waterlogged. Once established, glory-of-the-snow can also tolerate cold winters, especially in zones 3 to 8.

Another huge benefit to having glory-of-the-snow is that it can help you naturalize your garden. That means that glory-of-the-snow is not a native plant to North America, but it's a naturalizing bulb that can grow and attract pollinators just like one. It's also self-seeding and will keep coming back every spring in bigger numbers without being invasive. Another benefit of glory-of-the-snow is its ability to coexist with other spring bulbs and perennials. This means that you can use glory-of-the-snow along other spring bulbs to create shade-loving plant combos for your woodland borders.

There are many ways to strategically plant bulbs in fall for maximum spring appeal. You can grow glory-of-the-snow by bulb division or from seeds, but what matters the most is choosing the right time to sow the seeds or set the bulbs. Depending on where you live, late September to November can be a good time to start. Having a soil that is around 60 degrees Fahrenheit or colder is what you should be aiming for. What matters most is that you plant them before the ground begins to freeze. This allows the bulbs to establish a good root system before winter, ensuring they're ready to bloom at the first sign of spring. Choose a location that receives full sun to partial shade and good drainage, then dig a hole that is about 4 inches deep and drop the bulb. Some gardeners recommend planting 10 to 20 bulbs together, but 3 inches apart to create a beautiful, dense spread of flowers in spring.

Once planted, water the bulbs well to settle the soil. Avoid heavy mulching or mulching altogether, as this may delay the growth of the bulb. If you let these bulbs grow on their own undisturbed, they will die out, regrow, and multiply in number, spreading throughout your garden.