Get started identifying cultivated and wild Snowdrops with a new snowdrop identification crib for gardeners and budding galanthophiles
It’s no secret that I love Snowdrops – growing them, finding them in the wild, and visiting collections have all proven rather addictive. Like many enthusiasts, I often struggle with identification – something I suspect is common, except among the most knowledgeable Galanthophiles. This challenge is partly due to the scattered nature of Snowdrop resources.
Having created a simplified key for widespread Snowdrop species found in the UK, I wanted to take it a step further by extending it to cultivated species and hybrids. Here is the result. Perhaps it will be useful to fellow gardeners who, like me, frequently misplace their labels!
Identifying Snowdrops
Well-naturalised in woodlands, hedgerows, large gardens, and other shady areas, snowdrops bring joy to many in late winter. Looking past the obvious similarities, they can be an interesting bunch to explore, and even with a tentative glance, it is possible to find several species with relative ease.
On top of this, the popularity of Snowdrops with collectors means that a great many species, most of which hail from Eastern Europe, have been brought into cultivation. Many of these are rather rare but several do crop up from time to time, as do hybrids. Cultivars are plentiful too but are not covered here (with a few exceptions). A good list can be found here.
ZUBOV, D.A. and DAVIS, A.P. (2012). Galanthus panjutinii sp. nov.: a new name for an invalidly published species of Galanthus (Amaryllidaceae) from the northern Colchis area of Western Transcaucasia. Phytotaxa, [online] 50(1), p.55. doi:https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.50.1.5.
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of snowdrops. These delicate flowers, signaling the arrival of spring, have become an obsession of mine in recent years. So much so that I spend a lot of my free time exploring the Northumbrian countryside, looking for new varieties, and browsing the internet for more options to add to our tiny yarden – much to Matt’s annoyance!
Although February is winding down and the peak snowdrop season is almost over, there are still plenty to be found in different parts of my home county. In this week’s blog post, I’ll share some of the snowdrops I’ve spotted recently on jaunts around the county. Let’s start with a new discovery for me – a snowdrop I stumbled upon while walking through rough terrain in Monkseaton last week. With it’s pleated green leaves with a distinct glaucous central band, and after some research, it seems to be the Pleated Snowdrop (Galanthus plicatus), a species not often encountered in these parts, at least according maps held by the BSBI.
Also known as the Crimean Snowdrop, this species is indigeonous to Türkiye, Romania, and Crimea and is thought to have been brought to the UK by British soldiers fighting in the 1850s Crimean war. It is widely grown in gardens but far less common in a wild state than the plentiful Common Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis).
Churchyards are great places to find snowdrops, as they’re often planted in large numbers and left to spread naturally. Some of the best spots I know locally are in churchyards, and they often have surprises in store. After a meeting with our wedding venue a couple of weeks ago, Matt and I visited two such sites in quick succession, specifically to look for a local specialty: yellow snowdrops, also known as Galanthus nivalis ‘Sandersii Group’.
These yellow snowdrops occur naturally, though not abundantly, within populations of Common Snowdrop in parts of Northumberland. They’re named after James Sanders, who first identified them at Chillingham. While they’re not as common nowadays due to enthusiasts collecting them, they can still be found if you know where to look.
During our visit, we managed to find a few isolated patches of them, alongside plenty of the double-flowered variant of Common Snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis ‘Flore Pleno’. It was a successful trip!
Fast forward to last weekend, and once again, I found myself exploring another remarkable churchyard, this time as part of a course I’m leading for the Natural History Society of Northumbria. This site proved to be quite fascinating, yielding more of the exquisite Sandersii snowdrops along with two interesting snowdrop hybrids: Galanthus x hybridus, a cross between Pleated and Giant Snowdrops (Galanthus elwesii), and Galanthus x valentini, a hybrid of Common and Pleated Snowdrops.
Interestingly, despite our thorough search, we completely failed to find any pure Pleated Snowdrops in the entire cemetery. It left us pondering whether they had bred out of existence in this particular location. Nonetheless, we were treated to large patches of pure Greater Snowdrops, characterised by their broad, glaucous leaves and the variable green markings on their flowers.
Galanthus nivalis ‘Sandersii Group’Galanthus nivalis ‘Sandersii Group’Half way to Galanthus nivalis ‘Flore Pleno’Common Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis)Greater Snowdrops (Galanthus elwesii)
Howick Hall Gardens
Howick Hall Gardens has become a go-to destination for my Sunday strolls. With its expansive grounds and rich history, it’s especially charming during “snowdrop season.” The dedicated Snowdrop Trail they offer is definitely worth checking out.
While the gardens may not feature a wide variety of snowdrop species, the sheer number of Common Snowdrops blanketing the woodland is quite remarkable. There are millions of them scattered throughout, creating a breath-taking sight.
Of course, it wasn’t just snowdrops in flower at Howick and fabulous scones aside, we also enjoyed the sight of several crocus species, well naturalised at this point, our first Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) of the year and even
Early Crocus (Crocus tommasinianus)The year’s first daffodilsBuff-tailed Bumblebee in White Crocus (Crocus vernus)Yellow Crocus (Crocus x luteus)Spring Crocus (Crocus neapolitanus)Snow Crocus (Crocus x hybridus)
And there we have it, a hopefully not too tedious account of a wonderful few weeks spent hunting for these endearing little flowers. To finish on a high, I should say that another snowdrop species, the Green Snowdrop (Galanthus woronowii) is once again flowering in a handful of wilder spaces close to home in Newcastle. A favourite of mine, I am ashamed to admit that I completely forgot to take photos. Instead, you’ll need to make do with this one from 2022.
Get started identifying the wild and naturalised snowdrops you’re most likely to spot in a brand-new crib sheet suitable for beginners.
Thank you all so much for continuing to read and download recent entries in this series of beginner’s plant cribs. It means a lot.
With a few more abundant groups out of the way, now seemed like a good time to move away from familiar urban plants and tackle something a little more challenging: Snowdrops.
Now, I know what you might be thinking – snowdrops all look the same. Small, white, and blooming usually (but not always) in late winter, I tend to agree. Or did, that is. Since I started looking at my local snowdrops here in Newcastle, it has become quite clear that they are far more diverse than meets the eye. Inspired by a few local finds, I wanted to explore the species you’re most likely to see wild, naturalised, and yes, planted, here in the North East. True to form, I have included some other species and varieties too but only because they’re bound to turn up eventually.
Identifying Snowdrops
Well-naturalised in woodlands, hedgerows, large gardens, and other shady areas, snowdrops bring joy to many in late winter. Looking past the obvious similarities, they can be an interesting bunch to explore, and even with a tentative glance, it is possible to find several species with relative ease. Especially if humans have been involved in spreading them. In this crib, we’ll look at:
