Give Your Garden A Uniquely Woodland Feel With One Flower

Late winter and early spring can be kind of a dreary time in gardens, with many plants still dormant. However, if you plan ahead, your garden can be magically blanketed in blooms, even when there's still snow on the ground. Snowdrops (Galanthus spp.) are dainty, spring-blooming bulbs that can make your garden come alive with beauty and evoke an enchanted woodland setting.

Snowdrops are native to the mountains of western Asia and southern Europe, but they are naturalized in much of the United States. Their early bloom time makes them a beneficial food source for bees when few other flowers are available. With common snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) reaching a height of only about 10 inches, these flowers look best planted in massive drifts, where they can offer the most visual impact. As with many spring-blooming bulbs, they should be planted in autumn or late summer for showstopping blooms the next spring.

Most snowdrops are hardy in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 6, though some can even handle zone 2 winters. They grow best in areas with cold winters. As snowdrops are one of the first flowers to bloom in spring, they are often flowering well before deciduous trees have leaves. This makes it easy to provide these bulbs with the full- to part-sun conditions they enjoy, even in more wooded sections of your garden. Snowdrops are not overly picky about their soil type and can handle clay soil with ease, though they prefer soil that is fertile and well-draining.

As with other spring bulbs, you should allow your snowdrops to die back naturally so they can store energy for the next year's blooms. Planting them alongside hellebores or other early-blooming flowers should help to distract from the yellowing foliage. For maximum woodland whimsy, consider combining your snowdrops with evergreens. Adding in other plants that grow in partial shade will keep your garden blooming even after your snowdrops have disappeared for the year.