We grow gentle spring galanthuses at home
As soon as the first spring sun warms up the earth a little, small green bushes with delicate white bells begin to look out of the snow cover. These Galanthuses tell us that the cold winter is receding, very soon nature will wake up and everything around will turn green.
The cute amaryllidaceae are better known as snowdrops and are often found on forest edges, in meadows, or on rocky slopes. But their charming bloom and delicate aroma are so attractive that they began to grow the culture at home. Why not, because snowdrops are absolutely not demanding, moreover, they will decorate the site at a time when the other flowers are still in the stage of deep dormancy.
Where is the best place to plant a plant called "Galanthus" and what needs to be done to create conditions for it as close as possible to natural ones? Let's talk about this today.
Choosing a flower bed for Galanthus
In deep shade, the soil is usually too moist and does not dry out for a long time, which negatively affects the development of the plant. The bulbs from excess moisture can begin to ache and rot, besides, the flowering itself there will not be so early and abundant.
As for the soil, snowdrops, or galanthuses, prefer light, loose soil. Poor and heavy clay soil requires preliminary preparation, namely the introduction of:
- sand;
- humus or other organic fertilizers.
When can you plant Galanthus?
Most often, snowdrops are propagated by bulbs. There are two ways to plant them:
- in early spring;
- from late summer to mid-autumn (if warm).
When buying galanthus, you should choose large and healthy bulbs, without signs of mechanical damage and decay.
If necessary, the purchased seed material is suitable for short-term storage in sawdust or shavings, but not more than 1 month, otherwise the bulbs may dry out. To extend the shelf life up to 3 months, Galanthus should be placed in peat or moss and kept moist all this time until the bulbs are planted.
If you got an already formed and flowering bush, you can also plant it, but this is more a necessary measure than a rule. It is not recommended to propagate the Galanthus flower in this way, since the bulb has already given up most of its strength in a flowering plant. A weakened bulb will not be able to provide adequate nutrition, and as a result, the entire aerial part will quickly fade. Moreover, next spring, such a bush may not even bloom at all, or its flowering will be poor.
There is another way of reproduction of snowdrops - seed. It is also used at home, while the seeds are sown directly into open ground in early spring, bypassing the stage of growing seedlings.
Since the seeds lose their germination very quickly, they are not stored, but sown shallow as quickly as possible.
Most of the varieties of Galanthus, the photos of which are presented below, reproduce well by self-seeding.
It remains only to transplant the bushes that have grown next to the mother plant to a separate flower bed, so as not to thicken the planting.
How to plant bulbs?
Snowdrops look very beautiful in group plantings, therefore, it is better to plant bulbs in small "companies", leaving a distance of at least 3 cm between them.
Do not deepen the bulbs too much. But if this still happened - it's okay, the Galanthuses themselves will adjust the planting and the daughter bulbs are formed already at the optimum depth for them.
When planting the bulbs, Galanthus will bloom in the second year, and the plant obtained from the seeds will only bloom for 4 years of life.
How to properly care for primroses?
Planting flowers and caring for Galanthus in the open field is not at all difficult, and will not cause much trouble for gardeners. It is necessary to water the flower bed only if the winter was little snow, and the spring does not indulge in rain. The rest of the time, the snowdrops have enough moisture that forms in the garden bed after the snowdrifts melt.
It is necessary to feed snowdrops only during the period of their active growth, using potassium phosphate fertilizers... Nitrogen-containing preparations should be used in minimal doses, since plants are actively growing foliage from them. A dense bush will not only "forget" about flowering, but may also start to hurt.
In the description of Galanthus in any scientific literature, one of their main advantages is indicated by the high frost resistance of the culture, and this is absolutely true: snowdrops winter well even without additional shelter.
In the fifth year of life, Galanthus need a transplant. Usually by this time the bush consists of a large number of bulbs, therefore, simultaneously with the transplant, young bulbs are separated and planted.
Perhaps this is all you need to know about when planning planting and caring for Galanthus. Grow the first spring messengers at home and enjoy their extraordinarily beautiful flowering and delicate aroma!