Meaning of Galanthus

• Victorians feared snowdrops as symbolic of death because they grew beside graves.Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
  
  The name, Galanthus, is Latin for "milk-white flower." Some say the snowdrop resembles three drops of milk on a green stem. The snowdrop symbolizes hope, purity and consolation. An ancient myth describes a snowdrop blooming to give hope and consolation to Adam and Eve after they left the Garden of Eden. A symbol of purity, brides carry snowdrops. In addition, Catholics leave snowdrops at the shrines of the Virgin Mary. However, in Victorian times, snowdrops were ominous because they bloomed around gravesites.
  
  

Harbinger of Spring

• Once called the Fair-Maids-of-February, Galanthus nivalis often blooms in the late winter snows. Flowers, in some areas where the temperature stays cool, bloom until early March. Many people throughout Europe, but especially in Britain where gardeners regale snowdrops for their beauty, covet the clusters of white blossoms that spring forth in January. Snowdrops have a honey-like scent, making them a favorite flower for cut arrangements in the early spring months.
  
  

Planting Snowdrops

• Experienced gardeners recommend planting snowdrops in late May after the flowers die back and the greens turn yellow. The belief is that this allows the bulbs of the plant to gain the resources needed to flower the following year. When transplanting, bunch five bulbs together for immediate planting. Place bulbs in cool, moist soil preferably at the edge of a hedgerow or beneath deciduous trees. Galanthus nivalis and Galanthus elwesii, "Giant Snowdrop" are garden favorites.
  
  

Overcultivation

• The cultivation of snowdrops, along with other species of native plants, is problematic. For example, in Turkey, where snowdrops are a native wildflower, overcultivation destroys habitats, damaging the ecosystem for that region. Conservation is necessary worldwide to keep native wildflowers such as the snowdrop from disappearing in the wild. Gardeners are wise to acquire bulbs or plants from reputable gardening centers, rather than removing plants from the woodlands, meadows and pathways where they grow wild.