snowdrops - bulbs or in the green?

Yeah, quite a while! I used a bulb planter (the sort you stand up and stamp your foot on, rather than a small hand one), and I just worked along making holes and letting the "plug" tumble out of the planter (after it had done about 3 cores), then I put three (and and odds & sods) in each hole, found the nearest core lying around, crumbed the bottom 1/2" or so off that so that the roots were properly covered, and popped the rest of the core back in and pushed it down

 

But you still having told us HOW LONG IT TOOK!!

 

Yes I did! "quite a while"

I would say about 6 hours - spread over several days, didn't really log the time. Its quite fast once you start stamping on the bulb planter and knocking out "cores" ... the more depressing part was counting out 30 of a fancy type, to make a "cluster", repeating that two more times from a bag of 100 and discovering it was still half full!

I put in 100 doubles (my fault, had meant to order 200), and 100 x Elwesii and 100 x Ikariae, in "clusters" of about 30 bulbs, all inter-connected with bog standard singles in a strip about 4' deep in what, I hope, will look like a wiggly-path.

With the benefit of hindsight I should have planted some Viridapice and S. Arnott (even a single cluster of 10 or so of each, as they are expensive). They didn't have any Leucojum Vernum in stock, but my plan had been to put some of them at the "back".

I'm also thinking of getting some Bluebells for an adjacent patch under the trees, or maybe I could put them behind the snowdrops - I must remember to take a photo! I think the bluebells prefer to be planted deeper? That may be more of a challenge, stamping the bulb planter in just a couple of inches was easy, 6" or more amongst the tree roots will be much harder. I sowed some Bluebell seed Autumn before last, but no sign of any :(

I've already got a patch of Aconites, transplanted from my previous house, so they can hopefully naturalise by themselves.

Then, I think?, my Spring walk is done ...

 

I tried planting bulbs with one of those bulb planters, snapped it after three holes and went back to an old fashioned trowel. Mind I can snap those too!

 

I read somewhere that they preform better when in a clump (although whether plant three or four "singles" close together has the same effect who knows? They'll look better for sure, but you need more bulbs (and each project in my garden tends to be on the "large" side!!) - Kristen

When I divide my snowdrops in the green, I tend to use a hand-trowel. Rock the trowel gently so you have a half-moon, remove, drop 4-5 individual bulbs along the half-moon, and hand-firm the soil back around the bulbs. Using this method I've grown a clump of about 1/2 square metre into about 2 square metres over 5 years, plus established a few other "colonies", and been able to give away pots of bulbs in-the-green to friends.... The bulbs seem to be close enough to each other to be happy (roots touching at bottom of half-moon), whilst with enough space to grow and self-divide.

 

I have one like this:



although mine (same make) looks to have even more substantial metal work. Bought it at a car boot and its ancient (so they may have used more metal way back then)

I also have one of these:



but even though it looks like it is really easy to move the handles apart so the "core" drops out it isn't really that easy so I don't use it (might be all right for Spuds, but I "trench" mine). Its a posh brand though ... so substantially built.

I bought one of these on special offer



attracted by the fact that you can press the "button" on the end of the handle, and it opens the jaws of the bulb planter so that "core" drops out ... big mistake, it all bent after half a dozen holes, and that was in my raised beds not the lawn! Lot of effort on my wrist as well, the "Jump on it" one suits me much better

 

I looked at these as well, but they look to be a right faff: