Galanthus nivalis f. pleniflorus Flore Pleno

Galanthus nivalis 'Flore Pleno' is an adorable double-flowered variety of snowdrop that needs no introduction. This vigorous and lively little bulbous plant will charm you with its wider corollas, which timidly hide under long, tear-shaped white petals with white frills touched with green. Plant the bulbs before December, while dormant, for a nice surprise at the end of January. It can also be forced in a pot for Christmas flowering. Plant the bulbs in a moist rockery, in light woodland, or along the edge of a border to admire it up close. It naturalises easily and quickly in the garden.

Galanthus nivalis is a perennial herbaceous bulbous plant from the Amaryllidaceae family, native to central and southern Europe. its beautiful blooms herald the arrival of spring. 'Flore Pleno', undoubtedly of hybrid origin, has been in cultivation since 1703 and is still highly sought after by snowdrop enthusiasts. It forms a lovely clump, 15 cm (6in) in height, composed of fairly dark green ribbon-like leaves with a touch of grey. From late January to March, depending on the climate, it produces one or two stems per bulb, each bearing a 4cm (2in) wide flower, facing outward from the clump and inclined towards the ground. The flowers consist of 3 to 5 airy, rounded, white sepals, topping a small central white corolla composed of 12 to 21 short petals, with green spots at the tips of the outer petals and green markings on almost the entire inner surface. The flowers are lightly scented and nectar-rich, with a few rare thread-like and abnormally-shaped stamens producing little or no pollen. This 'Flore Pleno' variety does not produce seeds and only multiplies through the production of numerous bulblets. The foliage turns yellow and disappears at the end of spring.

Galanthus nivalis 'Flore Pleno' is one of the first flowers to appear in late winter, just before or at the same time as Crocus chrysanthus, Christmas roses, and squills. It will thrive in a moist rockery, alongside creeping bugleweed, Anthyllis montana 'Rubra', and an easy-to-grow fern called Blechnum penna-marina. These plants will occupy the space left by the snowdrops once their foliage has dried up, without suffocating the bulbs. It is ideal for light woodland, preceding the flowering of hellebores and corydalis. In cool climates, it tolerates sunny exposures at the edge of a border. It also grows very well in pots.