When to plant and prune Snowdrop
Snowdrop flowers from early January to early March and the dates below cover planting and flowering.
Planting, flowering and pruning by region
Snowdrop is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Plant | In flower |
|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late February to mid May | early January to early March |
| South Coast and Channel | late February to mid May | early January to early March |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late February to mid May | early January to early March |
| South East and Home Counties | late February to mid May | early January to early March |
| East Anglia | late February to mid May | early January to early March |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late February to mid May | early January to early March |
| Wales and West Coast | late February to mid May | early January to early March |
| Northern England | late February to mid May | early January to early March |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late February to mid May | early January to early March |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late February to mid May | early January to early March |
| Northern Ireland | late February to mid May | early January to early March |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late February to mid May | early January to early March |
Growing notes
Depth: no snowdrop-specific depth is published by the RHS, so use the general bulb rule of two to three times the bulb's own height (roughly 5-8cm for a typical snowdrop bulb). Best planted 'in the green' after flowering rather than as dry bulbs. Single-flowered species such as G. nivalis are the most useful to winter-active bees.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 8 cm between plants
- Eventual height
- 15 cm
- Eventual spread
- 8 cm
- Hardiness
- H5
- Sun
- Partial
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 5 litres or more
- Balcony rating
- 3 out of 5
Pruning: what to avoid
Snowdrops establish poorly from dry, shop-bought bulbs - buy and plant them 'in the green' just after flowering, or as freshly lifted bulbs as the foliage dies back in late spring.
Pruning group
No pruning required; leave foliage to die back naturally
What usually goes wrong
- squirrels digging up dry bulbs
- damping off
- grey mould in mild winters
- poor establishment from dried bulbs
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for snowdrop.