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No Quibble GuaranteeHow to grow Leucojum
A cousin of the much-loved Snowdrop, known as the Summer Snowflake, the blooming time overlaps harmoniously.
Leucojum are bulbous perennials with bell-shaped white flowers and strap-shaped foliage. Looking much like a snowdrop in appearance but twice as tall with a later flowering time, the bold, tidy clumps are well-suited to planting in beds, borders and containers. A good early source of nectar for the bees, they make excellent cut flowers for your home. You should expect to see your Leucojum grown to an approximate height of 30-60cm, depending on the variety, and an approximate spread of 10cm.
Key Information
Soil pH
Position
Hardiness
Where & when to plant Leucojum
Leucojum are best planted in autumn, into moderately fertile and moist but well-drained soil. If you are not ready to plant your Leucojum bulbs when you receive them, store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place in temperatures between 4-20°C for a short while but be careful they do not dry out too much. Alternatively, you could plant them in moist compost in a seed tray until you are ready.
Leucojum are happy in sun or part shade. Not fussy on soil pH, in the wild, Leucojum grow at the edge of moist, shady woodlands, rich in leaf matter. If your soil is not rich, add some organic matter to increase moisture retention. However, the bulbs do not like soggy conditions.
How to plant Leucojum
If growing in containers, use good quality, multi-purpose compost.
Looking rather like mini onions, plant the bulbs pointed end up, in holes you have dug to around 10cm deep, then back fill with soil. For a naturalised look, plant in clumps or drifts by gently tossing a handful of bulbs onto the planting area and plant them where they fall, so long as they are around 15-20cm apart. Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged.
If growing in a container, use good quality multi-purpose compost and plant as above, although you can place the bulbs closer together, but make sure that they are not touching each other or the sides of the pot.
What to plant with Leucojum
A native perennial from Britain and Ireland, ideal companions for Leucojum are other woodland loving bulbs like Snowdrops, Winter Aconites, Primroses and Bluebells.
Long lived and well behaved, Leucojum will complement a wide range of other garden flowers whether in the garden or in a vase. Tulips and Narcissus are very popular and very successful,
Also happy in wildflower planting schemes or more formal gardens, another ideal perennial companion could be Pulmonaria Blue Ensign, where the white Leucojum blooms would flatter the blooms and also highlight the silvery markings on the foliage.
Trillium erectum or Dicentra spectabilis Valentine (Bleeding Hearts) love a similar environment and will accentuate the crispness of the blooms.
Leucojum are dormant in summer so summer blooming herbaceous plants will fill the gap that Leucojum leave. Geranium, Helenium or Penstemon interspersed with architectural Allium would be perfect, or alternatively Camassia esculenta Quamash would introduce a firework of star-shaped blooms.
How to care for Leucojum
Leucojum are a low-maintenance and easy to grow plant so do not require much care.
Water regularly during spring to keep the ground moist, especially during dry spells but in the summer months they do not mind being in moist or dry soil but avoid the ground becoming soggy or the bulbs may rot. Feeding is not generally required but an autumnal mulch with well-rotted compost, in preparation for the next season will improve the soil and help to control weeds.
After flowering, as with so many bulbs it is best to deadhead the flowers but leave the foliage in place to allow it to continue growing and photosynthesising, gathering nutrients and storing energy back in the bulb for next year’s growth. Leave it to die back naturally and turn yellow, any dead leaves can be removed once the plant has fully died down.
Leucojum create tidy clumps and are best left undisturbed to naturalised. However, if the clumps get too large, you can lift them and split them into sections in early summer once they have died back. You can then replant the smaller clumps elsewhere or given them to friends or neighbours.
It is possible to propagate Leucojum by offsets after the foliage has died down. Alternatively, propagate by seed sown in containers in a cold frame in autumn. These seed will need a cold period to germinate and can take up to 4-5 years to become mature enough to flowers.
How to propagate Urginea
Urginea are imposing plants, creating a dramatic statement when planted alone, creating quite an impressive clump when they have naturalised.
However, when grown amongst grasses or interspersed Allium they look incredible.
When choosing companion plants, think about the growing conditions that are preferred by each plant. Maybe grow Urginia maritima with Allium Forelock, Moly or Hair – the almost globe-like spheres of blooms will hover above the foliage but will have faded by the time the Urginea flowers have fully developed so will not detract from the spectacle.
Whether grown in borders or containers, the period when the foliage is absent could be filled with a low growing, evergreen carpet of Delosperma Suntropics Purple, Copper or Red, which become covered with bright almost neon coloured daisy-like flowers from spring until the first frosts.
