Column: Santa Fe in Bloom

Snowy surprise: Galanthus nivalus

By: Carole Langrall
Published online: Sunday, February 05, 2012
Appeared in: Home, Santa Fe Real Estate Guide
Edition: February 2012 Vol. 14 No. 11

Wintertime in Santa Fe can feel like an eternity. After the holiday amaryllis and paperwhites have died, gardeners may get fidgety, restless for spring’s return and the rebirth found in every new blossom.

Fortunately, we don’t have to wait until April to get our bloom on. There is a late-winter/early-spring perennial that is about to raise its delicate snowy white head amongst piles of dead leaves and smudgy snow: Galanthus nivalus, also known as the common “snowdrop.”

Snowdrops sprout in February and March, although milder winters may see the dainty blooms poking out as early as late January. Not to be confused with the spring snowflake (Leucojum vernum), another early blooming plant with white bell-like flowers and green spots, snowdrops have pure white petals that resemble droplets of milk at the tip of a tiny green stem. Literally meaning “milk-flower of the snow,” the snowdrop plant gets its name from the Greeks: gala, or milk and anthos, or flower, followed by nivalis, which means “of the snow,” a reference to its color or possibly the time of year that it blooms, which is often blanketed in white.

Members of the Amaryllidaceae family, snowdrops are a genus of about 20 species that are native to Europe and Western Asia, with the nivalis as the most common variety. Each stem has three internal petals that are surrounded by three larger external petals. Cold-hardy and diminutive, they typically grow no taller than eight inches.

Preferring moist soil, (yes, an oxymoron for New Mexican dirt), snowdrops can still do well in Santa Fe if planted under trees or shrubs with compost-rich soil (Yum Yum Mix works well). David Salman of Santa Fe Greenhouses recommends planting bulbs in flower beds along walls that face the east or north. He suggests planting in groups as opposed to individually, and adding moisture regularly during the fall, winter and bloom times. In these settings, Salman says they should adapt and flourish.

When planting, make sure to place the bulbs in the ground as opposed to containers; Northern New Mexico’s frigid frosts can be deadly to plants in pots. If your soil is exceptionally dry or rocky, don’t bother; they will not survive. Plant in the early fall as snowdrops are only available at nurseries for a brief time and sold as undried bulbs. They don’t store well, so plant them immediately.

For such a little flower, the snowdrop has quite a big history. They are referenced in the Biblical tale of the Garden of Eden as the first flower, created by an angel. In Homer’s Odyssey, Hermes gives Ulysses an herb called Moly, which was Galanthus nivalis. Upon taking it, Ulysses became immune to Circe’s memory poisons and had brilliant dreams. This legend may be the first to credit its medical uses — snowdrop essence is used to induce dreams and slow down memory loss. (Galantamine, its active ingredient, has been synthesized into several Alzheimer’s medications).

With its honey-like scent, the snowdrop is also the birth flower for those born in January. The snowdrop symbolizes hope, purity and consolation, which makes sense as it appears just in time, as a harbinger of spring, to erase those “winter garden blahs” that have settled in.

Carole Langrall has worked in the f lower industry for more than 22 years and recently moved her award-winning f loral design studio to New Mexico. She often lectures on the importance of buying locally grown f lowers and is a consultant for beautification projects with local communities, encouraging the use of native f lowers and plants. She can be reached at agardenofearthlydelights.net.