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Foraging and Wild Food
Can I dig up Snowdrops to plant them in my garden?
Can I dig up Snowdrops to plant them in my garden?
13th February 2024
With an ever increasing push to plant native species in our gardens and create havens for wildlife where we can, it is natural to turn to the wild places which we visit as a source of inspiration and perhaps even a source of plants themselves. If I’m being picky about language then yes, it is possible to dig up snowdrops as entire plants (the bulbs, leaves, flowers and all) and then to plant them in a new location and have them thrive, if the conditions are correct. However, in the eyes of the law you need the landowners permission to do this, and you will also need to make sure that you are digging up the right thing and not a protected species such as Bluebells which can look incredibly similar.
How to best move Snowdrops
How to best move Snowdrops
If you plan on transplanting snowdrops from one location into another, the best time of year to do this is as the leaves are fading away or even gone entirely, this is after the bulb has absorbed the nutrients created by the leaves through photosynthesis and stored the energy to use for bulb growth and division. If you dig up bulbs during flowering or when leaves are still present then your success rate will be much lower as this will disrupt the annual cycle of the bulbs. We have snowdrops in our garden, randomly located in different parts of the ‘lawn’ and borders, more than once we have needed to relocate dormant snowdrop bulbs after digging them up in order to plant something else. The Snowdrops have always been fine in their new location and it helps them to cover more ground!
How to plant Snowdrops
How to plant Snowdrops
Something to be aware of are other species growing nearby – as they flower at different times of the year and grow best at different depths within the soil, it is common to find layers of bulbs in the ground. The most important thing here is to know whether there are protected species growing in the same area, they are usually protected for a reason and removing a thriving and healthy clump from the wild doesn’t sit well with me.
Once you have dug up the correct species of bulbs, it is best to get them back into the ground again as quickly as possible, make sure that they are well watered at first as this will help the soil to settle in around the finer roots and don’t forget to mark the spot so that you can check on their success the next flowering season.
With over a decade of experience working outside in the UK doing everything from dry stone walling to tree planting and carrying out wildlife surveys. Amy is our resident ecologist and wild food enthusiast, and also works as a consultant for various brands and wildlife organisations. Amy lives in North Wales.
A Life more Wild.
A Life more Wild.
A Life More Wild is the philosophy which underpins everything we do.
It encompasses practical skills, personal development, community learning and a journey to live more intentionally.
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