Who is growing his snowdrops in a greenhouse all year round?
What is your experience? I am a little worried of the temperature in summer...
Hi Yannik. Interesting question.
Many people grow snowdrops as a garden plant - in a garden setting. That makes for a natural environment for the snowdrops but places them as risk from the occasional natural problem, e.g. the odd fungal disease or narcissus fly.
Others grown their snowdrops as special plants to be protected at all costs and be placed on display at flowering time (a bit like having an auricula theatre). Such growers can control the growing medium and environment and greatly lessen losses due to the problems already mentioned. Pots are usually used, located in greenhouses.
Growing snowdrops this second way brings the obvious issues of more work needed to ensure that the snowdrops have enough moisture but not too much, not too hot in summer as you mentioned (so professional greenhouse shading needed) and of course having enough space; twenty pots can usually be accommodated in a greenhouse but not 200 and certainly not 2,000.
Some people opt for growing most of their snowdrops outside in the garden but keeping a small number (the most precious, expensive or difficult to grow) in pots in the greenhouse. I suppose I fall into that category. A few lucky people have big gardens and a very big alpine house - I wish!
It all depends on why you are growing them. I know of enthusiasts who are only interested in hunting and acquiring the most recent, most exotic cultivars, preferably ones that no-one else has. Their collections might amount to maybe fifty varieties, all grown in pots in a locked greenhouse and kept well away from any natural problems. They don't grow Magnet. The perfection (and unreality) of the alpine house at Wisley RHS garden is an example of this approach - a luscious display of unattainable exotica like massonia or Tibetan fritillary which they would never dream of selling.
So I would say to anyone contemplating growing a collection of snowdrops (or crocus, or whatever) - why are you doing this? And how much time and money are you planning to allocate to it? Should you plan to have a 100 foot alpine house with shading and temperature, ventilation and watering systems stuffed with pots of snowdrops?
