Snowdrops are often the first plants to break ground in the new year, braving the cold and frost.
As they emerge, other plants gradually show their faces, too, along with evergreens that remain year-round. It’s these plants you can grow alongside snowdrops to make beautiful planting combinations for winter colour.
To get a carpet of snowdrops, you can of course plant lots of bulbs, but you can save money by dividing existing clumps in spring, just after they’ve finished flowering in spring. Watch Monty show you how to divide snowdrops.
Related content:
Check out some of our favourite snowdrop planting combinations, below.
Snowdrops and aconites
Like snowdrops, winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) are one of the first plants to emerge in the new year. They provide fantastic ground cover and are a valuable source of pollen and nectar for hibernating pollinators that briefly emerge on sunny winter days.
Ophiopogon and snowdrops
Ophiopogon planiscapus, or black mondo, is a beautiful evergreen perennial with a grass-like appearance, though it’s not a grass. The black foliage is the perfect foil for white snowdrop blooms.
Primroses, snowdrops and cyclamen
This combination of Primula vulgaris, snowdrops and Cyclamen coum subsp. coum f. pallidum ‘Album’ emulates a woodland floor to enchanting effect.
Snowdrops and hellebores
This partnering of honey-scented Galanthus ‘S. Arnott’ and lime-green Helleborus argutifolius is bursting with the freshness of spring. Perfect for a shady border near the house.
Cornus and snowdrops
Cornus are renowned for their colourful winter stems, but they’ll stand out all the more if underplanted with a carpet of snowdrops, as opposed to brown earth. Find out how to prune dogwoods for colourful winter stems.
Snowdrops with other snowdrops
There are many lovely snowdrops to grow – just ask a galanthophile. Galanthus ‘Primrose Warburg’ has yellow markings on the flowers, unusual for a snowdrop – while Galanthus woronowii has broad, strap-like foliage and nodding flowers.
Snowdrops, dryopteris and ivy
If you want snowdrops to be the stars, look no further than evergreens like ivy and the buckler fern (Dryopteris erythrosora), which will provide a verdant backdrop for the flowers.
Cyclamen and snowdrops
Planted en masse, snowdrops combined with the fuchsia blooms of Cyclamen coum creates a mesmerising sea of colour. As the flowers burst into bloom, you’ll have lots to cut, bring inside and display in small jars.
Planting snowdrops ‘in the green’
Snowdrops can be planted as bulbs, but you’re more likely to have success if you plant them ‘in the green’, which is when they’ve just flowered and still have intact foliage. You can buy snowdrops ‘in the green’ in spring from garden centres and nurseries, or see if your friends and neighbours have any to spare.
Snowdrops are often the first plants to break ground in the new year, braving the cold and frost.
As they emerge, other plants gradually show their faces, too, along with evergreens that remain year-round. It’s these plants you can grow alongside snowdrops to make beautiful planting combinations for winter colour.
This is Secret Garden content
This content is exclusive to subscribers. If you are not a subscriber you can access this content by subscribing to Gardeners' World.
