Completing The White Carpet

23rd January 2018

2nd February 2018

The snowdrops on the herbaceous border, Galanthus 'Magnet', gave the gardens a marvellous display in February but the delicate white flowers have faded and the bulbs are now 'in the green'. However, the carpet of white is not quite complete as the far section of the border is still void of snowdrops, waiting to be filled during this year's 'lifting and splitting' process.

2nd February 2015, A White Carpet

Galanthus 'Magnet'

Snowdrops In The Green, Right Border

Not Quite Full, The Empty Section, Left Border

Lifting Snowdrops

The project to fill the herbaceous border with snowdrops began five years ago, see blog entry 11th April 2013 Lifting And Splitting Galanthus 'Magnet', when the original clumps were lifted, split up and replanted to spread them. This process has been repeated every year since and today is, hopefully, the last time as the void in the white carpet will be filled.    

Splitting Snowdrops

Using a border fork the largest clumps were carefully lifted out of the ground, gently prised apart into two clumps, the smallest of 3-5 bulbs is replanted into the original planting space, the other larger clump placed into a trug for planting elsewhere. When the trug is full the contents are taken to the empty section for splitting and replanting.

A Trug Full Of Snowdrops

Small Bunches

 

Planting

Each of the clumps in the trug were themselves split in to groups of 3-5 bulbs and, using a spade to slice in to the soil, placed at the bottom of the spit (the length of the blade of a spade). The spade is then carefully lifted out and the soil trodden down sealing in the bulbs. The heavy rain due tomorrow will water in the snowdrops and next February the white carpet will be complete.

Planted