Illustration
Photo credits and licenses
Real photographs from naturalists and photographers worldwide, each used under its own license. Credit: Photo by Алена Ручка / iNaturalist (CC BY), Photo by mrsnowdrop / iNaturalist (CC BY) and Photo by Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas / iNaturalist (CC BY). How photos are sourced →
Snowdrop
Galanthus
Snowdrop blooms from February through March.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Snowdrop
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–7. Expect it to reach about 5 in tall and 3 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Snowdrop
Snowdrop is a fall-planted bulb: get it in the ground 6 to 8 weeks before the ground freezes, typically September or October in zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 7. It pays you back the following February to March.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in September. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Snowdrop get?
5 intall5 ft 7 inan adult3 inwideSee Snowdrop in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
Where these facts come from
Snowdrop's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 9 published sources on July 30, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionGalanthus nivalisheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionGalanthus elwesiiheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Plants For A FutureGalanthus nivalisheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Fine GardeningGalanthus nivalisheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and years to mature size
- Missouri Botanical GardenGalanthus nivalisheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- Missouri Botanical GardenGalanthus elwesiiheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- Missouri Botanical GardenGalanthus ikariaeheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- Missouri Botanical GardenGalanthus alpinusheight, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureWisconsin Horticulture, UW-Madison Division of Extension (Snowdrops, G...hardiness zones, sun and years to mature size
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 5 varieties
Same genus, similar care - pick the variety you are growing.
Compare every variety in the Snowdrop group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flore Pleno | White | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–7 | Part shade | 5 in × 3 in |
| Giant | White | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–8 | Part shade | 8 in × 4 in |
| Magnet | White | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–7 | Part shade | 7 in × 3 in |
| S. Arnott | White | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–7 | Part shade | 8 in × 3 in |
| Snowdropthis page | White | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–7 | Part shade | 5 in × 3 in |
| Viridapice | White | Feb–Mar | Zones 3–7 | Part shade | 6 in × 3 in |
Good to know about Snowdrop
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Safety
All parts are poisonous if eaten, the bulbs worst. A dog or cat that digs up and chews a bulb can get drooling, vomiting and diarrhea. per NC State and Pet Poison Helpline
Worth knowing
One of the snowdrop's toxic alkaloids, galantamine, is also an approved medicine: an Alzheimer's drug first isolated from snowdrops. The poison and the cure are the same molecule. per PMC
How much sun it needs
Sources split from full sun to full shade. It is really a woodland plant: give it a spot under deciduous trees, sunny in late winter and shaded in summer. per Wisconsin and Illinois
Deer and rodent resistant
Deer leave it alone, and so do rabbits and voles. The same bitter alkaloids that make the bulbs poisonous also make them taste awful to browsers. per Wisconsin and Michigan State
First bulb of the year
One of the earliest bulbs to bloom, opening ahead of the rest and often pushing up right through the snow in late winter. per Michigan State and Illinois
Naturalizes into drifts
Left undisturbed, it spreads by seed and bulb offsets into large drifts. A permanent, no-lift bulb, perfect for a woodland garden or a lawn under deciduous trees. per NC State
Early food for bees
Because it blooms when almost nothing else does, it gives honey bees and early bees nectar and pollen on the first mild days, when food is scarce. per Michigan State and NC State
What pairs well with Snowdrop
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Columbine
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in mid spring as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Foam Flower
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in mid spring as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Virginia Bluebells
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in mid spring as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Azalea
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in mid spring as this one finishes; stands well above at 4 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Northern Sea Oats
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in midsummer, extending the bed's season; stands well above at 3.5 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Christmas Fern
Takes part shade to full shade and moderate water; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 1.5 ft, for the layer behind it.
Autumn Fern
Shares part shade and moderate water; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 1.5 ft, for the layer behind it.
Japanese Forest Grass
Shares part shade and moderate water; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 1.5 ft, for the layer behind it.
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