Protecting snowdrops, needed ?

[snowdropcollector]

Last year I lost a lot of cultivars due to the ( late) very cold weather we had in Febr. Many snowdrops were already far developt because of the warm weather we had in Dec. and Jan. Snowdrops that did survive this cold weather were damaged and of those most have been lost the last couple of months ( due to wet summer ? ).
Now is has started freezing again ( - 11 already last night), so I decided to cover the snowdrops this time.
A lot of work, but I hope it will help.........
Does anyone else protect his/hers snowdrops in a kind of way ?

[mark smyth]

I dont nor when the temp fell to -teens in December 2010

[loes]

Richard,
In my garden in Haarlem only woronowii sufferd from the severe frost last year.Snotty leaves but they look oke this year.no big losses.
The ones I had in the glasshouse,bedded in sand but no heating,were all lost.( there were my new ones ans some special ones  )
I have never protected my drops from the frost and they do fine.I wont cover them now and I cleaned the beds from leaves because of the very many slugs in my garden.

[JacquelineJ]

My garden is pretty well frozen today.  I haven't put any protection over them and they're going to get a covering of snow tonight so hopefully they'll be feeling quite snug.  I have only one drop trying to break out of it's sheath.  I've never really thought about protecting them from frost but then this is the first time I've heard of them being lost.  I think if I had to protect them I'd use fleece sheeting over a large area or may be a Cloche over a small clump.

[Gerard Oud]

Below -10 degree Celsius and with NO snow its advisable to protect your snowdrops with 10 to 15 cm straw. The same straw they use in the horsestables. Try to make it as loose as possible and it wont harm your drops because light can still go through it and it works lika a blanket.

[RichardW]

lost virtually all my Reginae Olgae last year, at least 100 bulbs  although the previous winter was no different and they came through that fine.

one small clump looks to have survived on another bed though the flowers were coming through with the leaves (is not vernalis) and were lifted last week when more snow was forecast, bulbs weren't looking great but alive. will just have to live in pots till they've bulked up again and be protected, the others were growing happily in the same place for 10+ years.

[Maggi Young]

lost virtually all my Reginae Olgae last year, at least 100 bulbs  although the previous winter was no different and they came through that fine.

Yes, I think the cumulative effect of bad conditions is the final straw for a lot of plants.  I've spoken to so many folks who were relieved when plants ( not only galanthus) came through the grotty winter of 2010 and then succumbed last year. Mind you, grotty summer weather on top of  bad winter times doesn't  help. 

Depressing thought!

[RichardW]

True, have lost some things i would consider very hardy in the last few winters.

The RO foliage looked very sickly after the snow thawed and did consider taking them out but the conditions weren't ideal being on heavy clay soil  not seen that sort of damage before, am sure the cold/wet spring & summer didn't help.

[johnw]

True, have lost some things i would consider very hardy in the last few winters.

The RO foliage looked very sickly after the snow thawed and did consider taking them out but the conditions weren't ideal being on heavy clay soil  not seen that sort of damage before, am sure the cold/wet spring & summer didn't help.

Richard  - I think the very wet summer of 2011 cleaned out my ROs.  Only those in rain shadows, as in under overhangs, survived.  After at least 6-8 nights of -11 to -12c I see 'Cambridge' standing tall though the flowers packed it in a week or more ago.

johnw - +1c & sunny.

[steve owen]

Richard  - I think the very wet summer of 2011 cleaned out my ROs.  Only those in rain shadows, as in under overhangs, survived.  After at least 6-8 nights of -11 to -12c I see 'Cambridge' standing tall though the flowers packed it in a week or more ago.

johnw - +1c & sunny.

John/Richard
You might consider trying r/o Alex Duguid which is multiplying and flowering ok for me in open ground, albeit well-drained and a little sheltered by shrubs.

[RichardW]

Youre probably right John, they were growing in a an open space on the edge of a raised bed so thought they would be ok, but the soil was sodden for months.

Thanks Steve will have a go with that one, a small clump of another (think it is lefti?) is just about surviving but will have to come out when the snow has thawed, box of lattice pots arrived today so those I rescued will be going in a well drained mix.

[steve owen]

Richard
I was slower than some to try lattice pots but the evidence now is that using them has produced quantum improvement in growth. This summer will see a programme of taking the remaining in-ground varieties up and putting them in lattice pots.

[snowdropcollector]

Sorry to hear about you RO's Richard. But at least you still have few to go on with  , hope they will survive with you.
I only had three cultivars of RO, and have lost all three this season  .

Steve, do you mean that RO's grow better in pots ? Or do you mean all snowdrops ?
My RO's were planted in latice pond pots, but still has lost them. Maybe I have to plant them in full sunny spot in
the garden.

[johnw]

Steve - Thanks for the tip, I'll try Alex Duguid outdoors next year as it should have bulked up by then.  Still I think it will require a special spot and those special spots are getting harder and harder to come by; perhaps a trial amongst a particularly root system might be advisable.

johnw - +2c

[JacquelineJ]

Are the lattice pots above ground or below ground or do you take them up if it's very wet to dry out a little,  Sorry for my ignorance but I'll be up to speed soon!!...........I hope