Summer Snowflake Is a Star in the Southeast

This early-blooming perennial is the perfect complement to daffodils and other spring garden staples

Everyone , not just new nurseryman , is enamored by the seasonal presentation ofspring - bloom bulb . In the Southeast , daffodils(Narcissusspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) are without a doubt the queen of this category . Narcissus pseudonarcissus have a few thing hold up for them . First , they have safe - sizing heyday . Additionally , they are very long - survive inSoutheasterngardens . And perhaps most significantly , their bulbs are readily useable in the dip from well-nigh any horticultural retail release . While Narcissus pseudonarcissus are one of the Southeast ’s favorite outpouring - bloom light bulb , expanding one ’s bulb palette beyond the fundamental principle is a near mode to extend the flowering season and get the most out of spring . you could do this by adding new sort of spring - flowering bulbs to your garden that bloom at unlike times and complement the electric-light bulb you currently have in your garden .

A deceptive name for Southeastern gardeners

One of the bulbs that runs right up into daffodil season in the Southeast is summertime snowflake ( Leucojumaestivum , Zones 4–8 ) . This flora ’s common name is a misnomer for gardeners in our region , because while it blossom later on in colder area , it is often in full efflorescence in mid to late March in the Southeast . This blush period is right in concert with mid- to tardy - season daffodils and an array of other bulbs .

Summer snowflake at a glance

summertime snowflake ’s white bell - like efflorescence , which are edged in unripened , baby-sit atop 12- to 14 - inch - tall prime stalks that nod downwardly . Flowering can last a few weeks in the garden , peculiarly if weather is mild . Bees passel to the little Bell and get to work the second the first flower open . summertime flake is also said to be somewhatdeer immune .

Provide the ideal conditions

Summer snowflake is a European and westerly Asiatic species perfectly suit for our part . In its native habitat , it grows in wetland plant community , such as pixilated meadows , timber , and gown in lowland river floodplains and valleys . In our region , our wet springiness and dry summer are just the right compounding of conditions for summer Plectrophenax nivalis to thrive .

When choosing a location for this plant , suppose of semi - shady zones or cheery region with in force soil and adequate wet in the spring . I have grown this flora in nearly full shade . However , the edge ofwoodlandswhere fountain light abounds seems the dear . All that being said , this is a flexible plant that may be suit to a variety of conditions .

Plant with an eye to the spring display

Summer snow bunting is adaptable and carefree . It will stay well behaved and not spread aggressively . When planting bulbs , do so in large groups to get the most out of thespring bloom . I often commend this as a full complement to other spring asterisk in the garden . Of naturally , it mate well with daffodils . But other great companion include the fresh spring folio of heuchera ( Heucheraspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–9 ) or the bold foliation of Virginia bluebell ( Mertensiavirginica , Zones 3–8 ) .

Tips for planting and ongoing care

If you want to add together summertime snowflake to your garden , search out medulla from a reputable source and plant in the fall , or involve for division from a gardening booster . lump should bedividedand replanted in former summer as the leafage take up to turn yellow . Plants will continue to go dormant , and you should be repay the undermentioned give .

After flowering , allow leafage to stay on until it is completely scandalmongering and shrivel up before trend it back , as you would with other natural spring - flowering bulbs . This will keep plants coming back twelvemonth after year . When the time is correct , you will not be disappoint if you add together summertime flake to your garden . thump take a few age to bulk up , so be patient . The reward will come shortly enough . discover out more about summer snowflake here .

And for more regional selective information on growing spring - flower bulbs in the Southeast , watch out :

A quick note on terminology

The terminal figure “ medulla ” has become a generalized term for the compartmentalization of “ true ” bulbs as well as corms , tuber , and even some rootstalk , runner , and other alter antecedent that gardeners works in fall or spring . What I really mean to say when I call summer snowflake a electric light is “ geophyte . ” A geophyte ( geo- [ “ terra firma ” ] + ‎ -phyte [ “ works ” ] ) is a perennial that bears its buds below the Earth’s surface of the soil .

Andy Pulte is a faculty phallus in the plant sciences section at the University of Tennessee .

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