Gardening with Galligan: Gorgeous Galanthus

Okay, Newbies, just checking. You did do your final feeding a few weeks ago, yes? Good. Now is the time not to feed, to allow each plant to do that which comes naturally to them, that is, to begin to become dormant, to ready themselves for the winter.

And to hope that we have a winter, unlike the last one, with at least some, hopefully more than some, snowfall. It’s much too hard for the plants to do what they had to do last winter, simply to face the cold and the wind, with no additional help. I had major losses last winter, despite a heavy mulch; I don’t want to face that again.

So, it’s time to order spring bulbs/plants. And to do that, you must go to your Garden Book and review your notes from last spring, which I know you recorded carefully, in a script easily read. I did, as well, and so, we can go forward together. I usually buy from John Scheepers, having found them reliable and expect to do so again. Their number, if you don’t have their catalog and want to order one from their place in Connecticut, is 860-567-0838.

My first note to myself reads, “Wow! The Galanthus look incredible. I’d forgotten all about them. More!” And they did. Look great, that is. I also wrote exactly where the ones I was looking at actually were, so I didn’t end up digging them up when I was planting more. Always better to go for too much information rather than too little.

Scheepers describes Galanthus as follows: “Snow drops. Milk flowers. Circa 1875. These deer-proof, beloved milky white naturalizers have dainty pendant flowers with emerald-green markings. Best grown in partial sunlight, tolerant of moist soil, prized for their resilient nature, popping right back up after surprise late-season snowstorms.” Sounds good, right? I ordered Elwesii, their price $15.75 for 25.

The other plant I know I want to order, because none of mine came back, is the perennial geranium. Geranium tuberosum, a plant that has been with us since the late 1500s. Described as “a woodland naturalizer, with clusters of large, rose-purple flowers with darker edges on wiry stems above sculpted foliage.” It’s described as both deer- and rodent-resistant. As Islanders, of course, we are always leery of such descriptions; these people have never met our deer and I tend to think they are dramatically different. Over-populated, basically up against it, they do what they must.

I have three large containers on my balcony, so there I can live as dangerously as I please, and I usually plant crocuses in the smaller, middle one and tulips in the other two large ones. Last year, I chose Crocus Cream Beauty, and they were, so I think I’ll go that way again. And Tulip Hakuun, which is white and Tulip Lightning Sun, which is orange. This year I’ve chosen Tulips Purple Prince and Candy Prince, both shades of purple, one dark, the other pale, but lovely.

Hopefully, a nice change.

Much more to come, far to go, but there’s time for another column before the mail must go out. So check your Garden Book for your notes, start planning and we’ll meet again soon.