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Summer Snowflake 'Gravetye Giant'

Leucojum aestivum Gravetye Giant  • 

Dividing

From mid June to mid July    · once

How to divide snowdrops 'in the green' 

This is similar to division of offsets, except it is carried out after flowering while the leaves (the green) are intact.

This method is often used for snowdrops (Galanthus) and snowflakes (Leucojum) as they do not re-establish well when planted as dry bulbs. 

  • Lift the bulbs with their leaves on when the soil is moist, using a border or hand fork.
  • Carefully tease the clumps of bulbs apart by hand, trying to avoid damaging the roots.
  • Ideally, replant singly, spacing them at least two bulb widths’ apart.
  • Where large clumps include small seedlings, replant the bulbs in small clusters
  • Plant to the same depth as before, indicated by a change in stem colour from green to white
  • Water in thoroughly to settle the roots

How to propagate snowdrops by division of offsets 

Some bulbs naturally produce offsets (baby bulbs) next to the parent bulb. Offsets can be removed when bulbs are lifted for storage. They will be identical in type to the parent bulb, making offsets a suitable method of propagation for cultivars as well as species bulbs:

  • Detach the offsets and pot up
  • Smaller bulbs may take two to four years to flower from offsets, but larger bulbs (Cardiocrinum giganteum, for example) may take five to seven years
  • Larger, hardy offsets can be replanted in the ground immediately. Small or tender offsets benefit from growing on in pots until they have reached a larger size
  • To encourage offset production, shallow-plant a stock bulb, or notch the basal plate of the stock bulb to promote offset formation