Flower · Amaryllidaceae
When to sow snowdrops
Flowers in the depth of winter, often before any other plant in the garden has moved. Dry bulbs establish poorly, which is why experienced growers move snowdrops as growing plants instead.
Days to maturity
110-160
From sowing to a first picking.
Hardy in USDA zones
3a to 7b
Winter cold sets the limit here, not the calendar.
Frost tolerance
Very hardy
How much cold the plant itself will take.
Those weeks become real dates once you name a place.
Timing, in frost-relative terms
Snowdrops are anchored to the first autumn frost rather than the last spring one, so the useful offset runs backwards from the end of the season instead of forwards from its start.
- Expect 110–160 days to maturity, counted from sowing.
- Hardy in USDA zones 3a–7b.
- Can also be sown in late summer for an autumn crop or to overwinter.
Getting the timing right
Plant dry bulbs in early autumn, as soon as they are available and while they still feel firm - they dry out faster than any other common bulb, and a shrivelled one will not grow. Far better, move them in the green: lift and split clumps just after flowering, while the leaves are still up.
Frost tolerance
Hardy to -30C and flowers straight through frost and snow. Wants a cold winter and cool summer shade; it is the least happy of the common bulbs in a hot climate and rarely persists past zone 7.
Classified as very-hardy, with damage expected below -30°C (-22°F)-22°F (-30°C).