Drops in Walls

[Rick Goodenough]

Has anyone experimented with planting common snowdrops in a dry stack stone wall as I like to do with small ferns and moss?  My walls are typically 45 to 60cm high and are terraced, that is there is sandy soil on the back side of the walls. Most face northwest and get bright light and a third to half day direct sun.

I took these shots today and thought that this might be a fun place to try some snowdrops.

[brianw]

No reason why snowdrops should not do OK in a retaining wall, but if too cramped they may get choked after a time and stop flowering. A bit of a pain to thin out then.

[Brian Ellis]

I vaguely remember someone having snowdrops in a similar position.  Was it Hans Joschko??

[freddyvl]

 

[Rick Goodenough]

No reason why snowdrops should not do OK in a retaining wall, but if too cramped they may get choked after a time and stop flowering. A bit of a pain to thin out then.

Thanks Brian, Brian and Freddy. Yes, great point about them getting too cramped in time...maybe if I put them toward the top of it so it might be a simpler thing to remove only a stone or two to get to them.

And Freddy, that is a cool shot of G. peshmenii just growing in the crevices of the stone. I was inspired to consider this sort of planting when I saw a photo taken by Ruslan Mishustin on one of his expeditions of galanthus flowering in a stone crevice. Great fun to see. Rick

[Alan_b]

Pick the right snowdrop species and they really do like to grow in crevices.  Then you need to think about whether these crevices should be north-facing or south-facing.

[Anna]

Snowdrops in dry stone wall in the Lake District, March 2010 - unfortunately I don't know which way they were facing but they looked happy and healthy. There were other clumps growing from the same wall.

[Leon]

I wonder, would this would work in USA zone 6?  I have two good locations, both would be facing northeast. 


Alan_b. Which species would work best?

[Alan_b]

Alan_b. Which species would work best?

Sorry, I'm thinking of talks I have been to that describe various snowdrop species in their native habitats.  Some grow on cliffs and some in cracks in rocks but my memory is too poor to recall the specifics.  What I do recall is that these are not the readily-available species anyway, so perhaps it's beside the point.

[Rick Goodenough]

Thanks Anna, Leon and Alan for pushing my thinking on this a bit further. A few days ago as this question began getting some play, I went back to the Monograph to re-read and understand original habitat insights by species. While these notes do not address growing the various species in garden settings, they should give us some excellent insights in which to extrapolate. On my read, any of the more commonly available species might very well grow nicely in a north facing dry stack stone wall, assuming other cultural requirements are met.

The citations below address the specific question of growing among rocks and the directional attitude as found in situ. The full habitat descriptions outlined in the Monograph, convey additional general settings in which these species are typically growing as well.

Source for quotes below: Bishop, Davis Grimshaw A Monograph of Cultivated Galanthus, 2006, chapter 2, Snowdrops in the Wild

Nivalis
p. 19, pp. 2,  G. nivalis, “…frequently occurs in humid places, for example near rivers and streams by springs, on wet stony slopes…Like many other species of Galanthus (underlined and bolded for emphasis) it is frequently found in places that have a northerly aspect, and often occurs on sloping ground.”

Reginae – olgae
p. 21, pp. 1, G. reginae-olgae, “It mainly grows in damp north facing shady places, often among rocks or in narrow gorges…”

Plicatus
p. 24, pp. 1, G. plicatus, “It sometimes occurs damp shady habitats, near streams and rivers, and in gorges and small ravines.”

Gracilis
p. 27, pp. 3, G. gracilis, “… amongst rocks, on rocks and cliffs, in small valleys…In many regions, it is found exclusively in locations that face due north, which are distinctly cooler and wetter than places with a south facing aspect.”

Elwesii
p. 33, pp. 3, G. elwesii, “It may also occur…amongst large rocks, and in pockets of soil on rocks and cliff faces…G. elwesii is usually found in north-facing locations.”

Soils Notation
Unrelated, but in reading through the habitat descriptions by species, it is worth noting that virtually all species are found growing in soil which is usually deep fertile and humus-rich.

Rick

[Alan_b]

I'm not meaning to be cryptic but alpine plants might like to grow in a wall whereas woodland plants might not.  All the snowdrop species you listed, Rick, we know can be grown as plants of deciduous woodland and like "deep, fertile, humus-rich" soil whereas perhaps what you are looking for are more alpine-adapted snowdrops species? 

[Rick Goodenough]

Alan, yes, alpine/woodland in nature can have some overlap, yet alpine typically has much more sun exposure and thrive in higher altitude habitats. So drops that do well in alpine settings might be the ticket, but I think the Monograph data implies that many of the generally available "woodland" species may also work if sited with a northern face and general sun, moisture and humus requirements are met. Fun to puzzle this out a bit more. Thank you. Rick

[Leon]

It appears that most species that you have listed enjoy a wet location. My location would be wet in fall winter and early spring however summers are hot and dry. I am not sure that snowdrops will work in the location. Perhaps I will try this anyway.

[Tim Ingram]

I would have a go - in the nursery we keep dormant snowdrops pretty dry in pots, and cracks and crevices amongst stone always keep a little cooler and moister, especially if there is a soil bank behind a wall. Gardening is experimenting after all. We grow G. peshmenii in a gritty raised bed in sun next to rocks. Just make sure the bulbs are planted as deep as possible.