How to Grow Leucojum in Australia

Snowflakes (Leucojum aestivum) belong to the amaryllis family Amaryllidaceae. They are grown for nodding white bells, each petal tipped with a green spot, on stems up to 60 cm tall. Their small cousin, the autumn snowflake (Acis autumnalis, long sold as Leucojum autumnale), flowers in late summer and autumn. Both are long-lived bulbs that clump up when left alone, and the common mistake is treating the two the same way.

Three mistakes that matter

1. Treating both snowflakes alike. The tall snowflake likes moist, rich soil and some shade, while the autumn snowflake wants sun and sharp drainage. Plant each in the bed that suits it, or the autumn bulbs rot in wet summer soil.
2. Cutting the leaves off after flowering. The green leaves feed the bulb for next year's flowers. Leave them until they have yellowed and withered, about six weeks after flowering, and never tie them.
3. Dumping spare bulbs over the fence. Snowflakes have escaped from dumped garden waste into bushland in several states. Bag and bin unwanted bulbs and spent seed heads rather than adding them to green waste.

When to plant

Plant dormant bulbs from late summer to late autumn, before the cool weather arrives. Autumn snowflakes go in first, in February and March, because they flower within weeks. The tall snowflake follows from March to May and flowers in late winter and spring. Each planting flowers once a year and builds into a clump over the seasons.

Site, soil and setup

Snowflakes stay in the same spot for years, so rotation does not apply; prepare the bed well once. Where water lies after rain, grow autumn snowflakes in a raised bed or a pot.

Weed status, state by state

The tall snowflake has naturalised in parts of southern Australia, mostly from dumped garden waste in damp ground near towns. It is treated as an environmental weed in South Australia and Western Australia, though no state in the table below declares it. The autumn snowflake appears on none of these declared lists.

Container growing

Pots suit the small autumn snowflake best, because the bulbs do not get lost and a pot can sit out of summer rain. Use a pot at least 30 cm wide and 30 cm deep, about 15 to 20 L, with drainage holes. Cover the holes with broken terracotta and fill with good quality potting mix with a few handfuls of coarse sand.

The store sells Autumn Snowflakes, white bells flushed pink on 10 to 20 cm stems. Its Spring Snowflakes are the tall Leucojum aestivum, at 35 to 45 cm. A 30 cm pot holds about 15 autumn bulbs or five of the tall ones. In pots, bulbs can sit a little shallower than in the ground.

• Watering. Water in once at planting, then regularly once shoots appear. Taper off as the leaves yellow, and keep autumn snowflake pots nearly dry in summer.
• Feeding. Water in seaweed solution at 30 mL per 9 L every fortnight while the leaves are green.
• Position. Full sun for autumn snowflakes. Bright shade under a deciduous tree suits the tall snowflake in warm districts.

Planting Bulbs

Snowflakes start from dormant bulbs planted pointed end up, at two to three times the bulb's height.

Chilling

Neither snowflake needs chilling in cool, temperate or Mediterranean gardens, where both stay in the ground for years. In subtropical and warm inland gardens, tall snowflake bulbs can be chilled before planting to help them flower. Put them in a paper bag in the fridge crisper for 6 to 8 weeks, never longer than 12. Start in late February or March to plant straight from the fridge in April or May. Never chill autumn snowflakes, which flower soon after planting.

Planting in the garden

1. Prepare the bed as under Site, soil and setup.
2. Choose firm, plump bulbs and discard any that are soft or mouldy.
3. Set tall snowflake bulbs 10 cm deep and 10 to 15 cm apart.
4. Set autumn snowflake bulbs 5 to 10 cm deep and 5 to 8 cm apart.
5. Plant in groups of six or more for a natural drift, then water in well.
6. Mark the spot, so a spade does not find the bulbs while they rest.

Lifting and dividing

Leave clumps undisturbed for as long as they flower well, because snowflakes resent being moved. Divide autumn snowflakes every three or four years in late summer. Lift crowded clumps of the tall snowflake once the leaves have died down, separate the offsets, and replant straight away at the same depth. Seed sown in autumn can take several years to reach flowering size.

Care by growth stage

Steady moisture while the leaves are green and a summer rest decide how well snowflakes flower.

If growth stalls in poor soil, a light dose of all-purpose controlled release granular (NPK around 14-5-10) scratched in as the leaves appear can help. Each autumn, spread compost in a 5 cm layer over established clumps to hold moisture and keep weeds down.

Companion planting

Good neighbours share the snowflake's bed and grow up to hide its leaves as they die down.

Grows well with

• Jonquils, hardy bulbs that also stay in the ground year after year.
• Forget-me-nots, which carpet the same moist, part-shaded ground in spring.
• Daylilies, whose arching leaves cover the yellowing snowflake foliage.
• Violas, low cool-season edging in front of the tall snowflake.

Keep apart

• Vegetable beds, especially onions and shallots, where a poisonous bulb could be mixed up with food.
• Dahlias and beds on summer sprinklers, which keep resting autumn snowflakes too wet.
• Garden edges that meet bushland or a creek, where bulbs and seed escape.

Harvesting Blooms

Cut stems for the vase once the first bells have opened.

• Cut in the early morning or cool of the evening, never in midday heat.
• Use clean, sharp secateurs and stand the stems in a bucket of water straight away.
• Cut the leafless flower stem only, so the leaves keep feeding the bulb.
• Pick from a clump grown for cutting, so the garden display stays full.

Cut snowflakes last about five days in plain water, and the stem base can crack in the vase. Change the water every two to three days and re-cut the stems.

Common problems

Leaves but few flowers. A crowded clump is the usual cause, or leaves cut too early as under Three mistakes; divide crowded clumps as under Planting Bulbs.

Soft, rotten bulbs. Wet summer soil rots resting autumn snowflakes, as under Three mistakes; move survivors to a pot or a raised, sandy bed.

Snowflakes coming up beyond the bed. Snowflakes can self-seed and spread by offsets. Cut off spent flower heads before seed forms. Dig strays out while the leaves are green, so the whole bulb comes up, then bag and bin them.

Bulbs gone after one year in the tropics. Wet-season heat and rain rot dormant bulbs, so treat any tropical planting as a single season.

Pests and diseases

Snowflakes have no diseases of note, and molluscs chewing new shoots are the usual trouble.

Garden snail (Cornu aspersum). This introduced snail is widespread in Australian suburbs and chews emerging leaves and flower buds. Hand-pick them, or scatter an iron-based bait thinly at its label rate, where pets cannot reach it. Read more

Grey field slug (Deroceras reticulatum). A fawn to dark grey slug with netted markings, it feeds at night and hides under mulch and pots by day. Set out tiles or pot bases as traps and clear them each morning after rain. Read more

Prevention first

• Check new shoots by torchlight on damp evenings, when snails and slugs feed.
• Clear dead leaves and old pots from around clumps, removing daytime hiding places.
• Keep bait thin and out of reach of pets, since a large dose of any snail bait can poison a dog.
• Spare ground beetles, spiders and rove beetles, which prey on slugs.

Tips

1. Give the tall snowflake the damp corner of the garden, such as beside a pond, where most other bulbs would rot.
2. Three-cornered garlic (Allium triquetrum), a very common weed, has similar white bells. Tell it from the tall snowflake by its garlic smell and its petals, striped green rather than spotted.
3. Tell the tall snowflake from snowdrops (Galanthus) by the petals: all six are equal and green-tipped, and most stems carry several bells.

Due to quarantine restrictions and our shipping policy, we cannot send snowflake bulbs to Western Australia or Tasmania.