Snowflakes

Day 190: Despite temperatures in the 70s this week, there are Snowflakes in my garden. I am speaking, of course, of Leucojum and its occupancy of a large flower pot outside the Berry Pen where it keeps company with the Checkered Lilies. I keep promising both species more space to spread, but when autumn rolls around, they are no longer displaying foliage to remind me to separate the bulbs. Leucojum's growth habit and size are similar to English Wood-Hyacinths (a plant which here could almost be classified as invasive), its green-tipped white flowers nodding roughly a foot above ground level. The slightest breeze sets them swaying, the chorus of their bells inaudible to human ears. They are happy in full or partial sun, tolerant of dry periods, don't mind being crowded by the chives which also share the pot, but as with any bulb grown in a container, prefer to have as much soil beneath their feet as is reasonable. Mine have survived at least ten years with no more care than casual watering in the heat of summer and the occasional addition of more dirt to top up their pot.