Gardening Flowers Bulbs Summer Snowflake By Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln Instagram Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on October 26, 2018 Share Tweet Pin Email Summer Snowflake Overview Description Ring in spring with the bell-shape flowers of summer snowflake. Blooming mid- to late-spring, summer snowflake's dainty, elegant flower is a wonderful companion for tulips and daffodils. The spot of green at the tip of each petal echoes the dark grassy leaves, which quietly recede as the bulbs go dormant. This easy-to-grow bulb is great for planting in shrub beds, perennial gardens, and meadows where it can slowly multiply, spreading the joy of spring as it goes. Genus Name Leucojum aestivum Common Name Summer Snowflake Plant Type Bulb Light Part Sun, Sun Height 6 to 12 inches Width 8 to 12 inches Flower Color White Foliage Color Blue/Green Season Features Spring Bloom Special Features Fragrance, Low Maintenance Zones 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Propagation Division Pairing Summer Snowflake Pair summer snowflake with other spring bulbs for a color-rich show. Tulips and daffodils are great companions and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with 12- to 18-inch-tall summer snowflake. Add low-growing grape hyacinth, scilla, and crocus around a summer snowflake planting to blanket the soil with color as soon as the snow melts. When the small bulbs stop blooming, summer snowflake will take over the show. Summer snowflake is also a good addition for perennial beds. Plant it near peonies, sedum, coneflowers, and a host of other summer-flowering perennials. Summer snowflake will provide garden interest before the perennials take off. Summer Snowflake Care Summer snowflake grows well in fertile, loose soil that has regular moisture and is well-drained. It takes either full sun or part shade, but blooms best if it gets at least 6 hours of bright sunlight a day. Tolerant of a variety of soils, summer snowflake will adapt to dry soil and clay soil in most cases. Plant summer snowflake in fall in drifts of 15 to 20 or more bulbs set 4 to 6 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart. Water bulbs well after planting. After the springtime bloom, allow the foliage to remain until it withers and turns yellow. At that point, you can remove the foliage or allow it to decompose in place. During summer dormancy, bulbs tolerate dry soil but they thrive in cool and moist soil, so blanket the soil with a 2-inch-thick layer of mulch. Get answers to all your questions about bulbs right here. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit