1

I’m hoping to plant some snowdrops in my lawn in the fall. I mow my lawn short to keep the weeds at bay: 1.5 inches.

What will happen to the snowdrops if I mow them that low? I would only mow in late spring after the snowdrops have finished flowering. But I wonder if the snowdrops would survive such heavy mowing.

enter image description here

Photo source.

Location: East of Toronto, Ontario

User1974
  • 403
  • 2
  • 8

1 Answers1

1

This blurb doesn’t specifically mention how low to mow. But it does give advice about when to mow.

The question is, after flowering, when to mow the lawn? Snowdrops may not finish flowering until February/early March, depending on variety, and meanwhile the lawn is ready for its first mow of the season. Snowdrops are like all bulbs, as they die back the leaves feed the bulbs forming for next year's flowers. If you mow the lawn, and with it the snowdrop leaves, you will impair the leaves' ability to feed the bulb and store the nutrients for next year.

In short, don't mow until the leaves have turned yellow.

https://www.sundaygardener.co.uk/how-to-plant-and-grow-snowdrops.html

Since the plants eventually die back, maybe it doesn’t matter how low the lawn is mowed, as long as I wait until the leaves are yellow.

User1974
  • 403
  • 2
  • 8
  • 1
    That is exactly it (for the bulbs) - if you wait until the foliage of the bulbs dies back they don't care what your mower height is. Your grass, on the other hand, is not being helped by cutting it so low., and that can actually improve conditions for some weeds .vs. healthier grass cut at 3" or more. Which months apply to your snowdrops will vary some with where you are. Mine flowered in February and March and the foliage is still quite living now in late April. – Ecnerwal Apr 24 '23 at 01:40