2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Galanthus (Latin Galanthus) - a flowering bulbous perennial from the Amaryllis family. The second, much more popular name for the plant is snowdrop.
Description
Galanthus is a low bulbous perennial. Each plant has two linear leaves, the length of which varies from ten to twenty centimeters. As a rule, these leaves appear together with the peduncles at the same time.
Single drooping Galanthus flowers always have a bell-shaped shape and are painted in a deep white color.
In total, the genus Galanthus combines about twenty species. And on April 19, residents of many countries of the world celebrate Snowdrop Day - for the first time this holiday was established in England in 1984.
Where grows
In natural conditions, galanthus can most often be found in Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Crimea, as well as Southern and Central Europe. At the same time, the greatest variety of Galanthus species is characteristic precisely for the Caucasus - as many as sixteen species grow there!
Usage
Many varieties of Galanthus are quite actively used in ornamental floriculture - they are one of the most famous and most popular early spring ephemeroid plants. But snow-white galanthus invariably enjoys special popularity. In order for handsome galanthuses to look especially impressive, it is recommended to plant them in small groups, each of which includes from ten to thirty pieces, placing them in light partial shade under bushes or trees, or in the form of white lawns located right in the middle of lawns. They will also look great from the north side in rockeries.
Growing and caring
Galanthus will grow best in well-lit areas, however, this plant is also very loyal to partial shade. As for the soils, the most suitable for growing Galanthus will be nutritious, well-drained, sufficiently loose and properly moisturized soils. Also, in the process of preparing the site for planting, it is recommended to add well-decomposed humus to the soil, and on heavy soils, sand will be a real salvation. Planting plants in the soil is usually done between July and September, while transplanting flowering plants is also allowed, but in this case it does not hurt to know that this approach can decently weaken the bulbs.
Galanthus care is required quite standard, only feeding must be completely excluded, because they will stimulate the vegetative growth of the plant to the detriment of its flowering.
Reproduction of Galanthus is carried out using baby bulbs, planted to a depth of five to seven centimeters approximately at the end of summer. The bulbs should be planted immediately after dividing, while trying not to break off the roots, because dried bulbs have an extremely unimportant survival rate. If the bulbs need to be stored for a very short time, then it is recommended to place them in wet sand or peat. By the way, ideally, it is recommended to plant the nests of bulbs every five to six years, even despite the fact that they are able to develop and grow well for much longer without transplanting. Plants usually produce between one and three baby bulbs during each season.
You can try to propagate Galanthus with freshly harvested seeds - in this case, the seedlings will bloom only in the third or fifth year. And this plant is also able to reproduce by self-sowing, however, this process is not particularly active, moreover, with this method of reproduction, some varieties of Galanthus are able to interbreed with each other.
