It's fascinating to read about members' experiences with the common double snowdrop. This is an extremely interesting plant: the oldest known snowdrop cultivar (first recorded 1703); male fertile, female infertile; incredibly vigorous; prone to variation, and a damn good garden plant, even if galanthophiles are snooty about it. In the UK it is a fast-multiplying plant, soon forming fat clumps whose uppermost bulbs become detached and become scattered, effectively spreading it around. There are whole woodlands full of it and no other snowdrop - remarkable for a plant that cannot set seed. In poor soil, however, it can multiply to the point where it becomes too congested & starved to flower, and will need to be replanted deeper. I think that this is important. Snowdrops are greedy feeders, and need good nourishment and ample moisture during their growing season (AUGUST to May!) to keep them at their best. They should not die down too soon, so deep planting helps keep their roots where the soil remains moist longest. Shading by other plants also has a detrimental effect on leaf-longevity, and hence bulb size and next year's flowering. The Greatorex Doubles, hybrids of G. plicatus pollinated by 'Flore Pleno' are, as Jim McKenney pointed out, apt to become very congested and produce few flowers. Again, they like good fertile conditions to do well. I shall be spending the day marking hundreds of clumps of snowdrops for lifting once they're dormant, and probably moving a few around. The bulbs are now mature enough to withstand the move without any loss of flower quality next year, but the whole operation is so much easier if they're left a few weeks longer and you can deal with a nice dry clump. John Grimshaw Dr John M. Grimshaw Sycamore Cottage Colesbourne Nr Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 9NP Tel. 01242 870567