My first glimpse of snowdrops

– Posted in: Snowdrops
15 comments

It got up to 51 F yesterday, so I took a walk to see what I could see. And what did I see, but my first glimpse of snowdrops:
Image of barely emerged snowdrop shoots, scarcely discernible on the dried-leaf-strewn ground
What! You can’t see them? Look closer:
Close-up image of snowdrop shoots barely emerged from the ground
Oh…you didn’t think I meant snowdrop flowers, did you? For that you’ll have to wait another two-and-a-half months. Seriously.

About the Author

Kathy Purdy is a colchicum evangelist, converting unsuspecting gardeners into colchicophiles. She gardens in rural upstate NY, which used to be USDA Hardiness Zone 4 but is now Zone 5. Kathy’s been writing since 4th grade, gardening since high school, and blogging since 2002. Find her on Instagram as kopurdy.

When dealing with frost it is always best to be paranoid. In the spring never think it is too late for one more frost to come. And in the fall never think it too early.

~Rundy in Frost

Comments on this entry are closed.

CommonWeeder January 7, 2008, 3:35 pm

You offer hope, but right now, even though the temperatuare is 45 degrees, I have at least a foot of snow on the ground.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter January 2, 2008, 4:49 pm

I grow G. elwesii because in warm years I have Snowdrops blooming in December (1996-97 was such a year). We seem to be getting an old-fashioned winter here, so while all my Snowdrops have sprouted, I fear I won’t see any blooms til February, even if I dig out the snow to see them.

Kathy Purdy January 1, 2008, 10:05 pm

Kelly, knowing where to look is half the battle.

Kelly January 1, 2008, 9:51 pm

Well spotted – lucky you. Me, I’m happy that this year I’ll actually have some to look for (eventually), newly planted this fall, and now somewhere beneath more than 2 feet of New Hampshire snow.

Matron January 1, 2008, 3:42 pm

You are a tease! They are such a positive, hopeful sign that another year’s gardening is soon on the way. Thank you.

wiseacre January 1, 2008, 2:34 pm

You tease. Another 8 inches of snow greeted us this morning with well over 2 feet on the ground now. But it was nice to see those buds poking up. I’ll be waiting for the flower photos.

Kathy Purdy January 1, 2008, 12:08 pm

Don and Soilman, it has since snowed since that mild day and the snowdrop tips are once again covered. The earliest I have ever had a snowdrop bloom was February. Don, if my snowdrops ever bloom before yours, I will take that as incontrovertible proof that the climate is irredeemably messed up. You would be surprised at how fast two feet of snow can disappear and how much growing those snowdrops do under snow cover.

Kathy Purdy January 1, 2008, 12:03 pm

Ellis Hollow, you and I both know it was an unusually mild winter, and snowdrops blooming in the heat sink of surrounding office buildings is not at all the same thing as snowdrops blooming in quasi-woodland. And I am pretty sure they are G. nivalis, one of the later blooming (but prolific) species. And they bloomed in March last year, when you shot some blooming in January.

Carol, I know you will see crocuses soon. You see them much sooner than I do.

Soilman January 1, 2008, 11:34 am

Wow, I didn’t think you’d see snowdrops until late Jan. Here in the UK we have some in flower already, and the daffodils are just starting to push through the soil surface. But the nights are still so LONG! I can’t wait for April…

Don December 31, 2007, 3:45 pm

Well, Kathy, I think you’ll beat me in the great almost-annual snowdrop contest this year; we’ve got almost two feet of snow on the ground and it’s supposed to be well below zero at night for a day or so.
Don

Carol December 30, 2007, 5:56 pm

I hope to have a crocus or two blooming in a month or so. Really!

It’s nice when winter gives us a break in the weather so we can get outside to see what ‘s going on in the garden.

Carol, May Dreams Gardens

Ellis Hollow December 30, 2007, 3:41 pm

Last year, I photographed snowdrops in full flower outside my office in early January. So maybe you’ll only need to wait two weeks.