Also called Russian Snowdrop, Snowdrift or Early Stardrift. Formerly Puschkinia libanotica. Native from the Caucasus to Lebanon, especially in grasslands near the snow line.
Plant in full sun or light shade as drifts, in borders, or under trees. Very hardy and easy to naturalize. For some it spreads slowly, others find it quickly forms colonies.
4–6" tall. Early Spring blooms, Z3-8. 5cm/up bulbs.
The Royal General Bulbgrowers Association in Holland (Koninklijke Algemeene Vereeniging voor Bloembollencultuur, or KAVB) puts this large group of diverse flowers into a boring catch-all category: Miscellaneous Bulbs. The expensive catalogs call them specialty or accent bulbs; some call them minor or dwarf bulbs (even though some of the fritillaries are huge!); Louise Beebe Wilder covered most of them in her 1936 classic Adventures with Hardy Bulbs. Whatever you call them, most are uncommonly sweet, delicate, colorful, and completely welcome in spring.