March cups, also called spring snowflakes, belong to the early bloomers. Together with snowdrops and winterlings, they conjure up a touch of spring in the wintry garden. Here you can find out everything about planting and caring for the March cups.
Spring cups are recognizable by their characteristic bell-shaped flowers, which hang slightly and give off a sweet scent. They are also known as March cups, spring snowflakes or large snowdrops. Sometimes the March cups can be found in native alluvial forests and mixed deciduous forests when they are in bloom. Then they form a sea of bright white flowers.
contents
- March mug: profile and characteristics
- Are March cups poisonous?
- March mug types and varieties
- Plant spring cups
- Caring for March cups
- Overwintering of the spring snowflake
- Multiply March cups
- March cup and snowdrop: risk of confusion?
March mug: profile and characteristics
| family | amaryllis |
| distribution | Especially southern and central Europe |
| Look | Glossy dark green foliage, hanging bell-shaped flowers, petals with green markings, outlasting organ is a bulb (geophyte) |
| conviviality | Grow in larger groups, in rare cases also spread out |
| Danger | Considered endangered and under protection |
At the March cup (Leucojum vernum) is a plant species within the amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae). Their natural distribution area includes southern and central Europe. Some related members of the genus leucojum However, they also occur in Eastern Europe, in the Caucasus, on the east coast of the USA and in Asia Minor.
The perennial, herbaceous plant forms underground bulbs as outlasting organs. The dark green, shiny leaves and flowering shoots sprout from these in spring. The March cups reach growth heights of 10 to 30 cm.
The conspicuous characteristic of the spring lily is the shape of its flowers: as a rule, spring lily form one or two overhanging, bell-shaped flowers per stalk, which appear between February and April. The individual flowers each consist of six almost equally long, white tepals. These have slightly thickened, blunt-pointed tips with a green-yellow dot pattern. The orange stamens are visible inside the calyx. Also striking is the strong ovary at the base of the petals, which is probably also the name of the spring snowflake.
Below the ground are the bulbs of the March cups, which are about 2 to 4 cm thick. They serve as outlasting organs for the early bloomers. After flowering, the nutrients are drawn from the above-ground, wilting parts of the plant and stored in the bulb.
March cups are under nature protection and are considered endangered according to the Red List.
Are March cups poisonous?
The March cup is poisonous in all parts of the plant. It contains toxic alkaloids such as lycorine and galantamine, which affect the heart (cardiac arrhythmias) and also lead to diarrhea, vomiting and cramps in the event of poisoning.
March mug types and varieties
In addition to the spring snowflake, there is only one other type of snowflake: the summer snowflake (Leucojum aestivum). It prefers even wetter soil than the March cup, which is more well-known in this country. In addition, it differs significantly in height from the spring snowflake: Leucojum aestivum grows up to 60 cm high including the inflorescence and flowers between April and June, i.e. later than the March cup.
Plant spring cups
The soil for the March cups should be moist, rich in nutrients and humus and have a slightly acidic pH value. In addition, depending on the species, spring snowflakes prefer a sunny to semi-shady location, as is often found in winter mixed deciduous forests.
March cup onions are commercially available, which can be planted in autumn (September to November). The planting depth should be 15 to 20 cm so that the bulbs are well protected from frost.
There should also be a distance of 10 to 20 cm between the bulbs. If you want to plant the sociable plants over a large area, you can plant up to 100 bulbs per square meter. The March mug works best when used on a flat surface. Covering with mulch will keep the soil around the bulbs moist and humus rich. If your garden soil is particularly poor in nutrients, you should also use some mature compost or soil activator, such as ours, when planting Plantura organic soil activator, incorporate.
Planting snowflakes: summary
- Soil: Moist, rich in nutrients and humus with a slightly acidic pH
- Location: Sunny to semi-shady
- Time: September – November
- Planting depth: 15 - 20 cm
- Planting distance: 10 - 20 cm
Caring for March cups
As a rule, it takes another one to two years after the bulbs have been planted for the spring cups to develop flowers. In winter, the spring snowflakes do not need to be fertilized or watered. When they start growing in the spring, make sure the soil is moist enough. Normally, the natural rainfall is sufficient. However, if the drought persists, the March cups are happy if they occasionally get some additional water.
Fertilizer can be applied every few years when the spring beetles sprout to provide the plants with the nutrients they need again. A nutrient deficiency is often also the cause of a reduced willingness to flower and the spreading of the March cup. A complete fertilizer is suitable as fertilizer – such as ours Plantura organic universal fertilizer - very good. It contains all the important nutrients for the March cup in a balanced ratio. Alternatively, compost can also be used.
Overwintering of the spring snowflake
March cups are frost-hardy, perennial plants that can be overwintered outdoors without any winter protection. Soon after flowering, the leaves of the March cup turn yellow again and are shed - the plant draws its reserves back into its storage bulbs. In the following year, the March cups will sprout again.
Multiply March cups
Spring cups multiply all by themselves through the formation of brood bulbs and self-sowing after flowering. Since it can take several years for sown spring beetroot to form flowers, cultivating in seed trays is usually not worthwhile. You will have more and, above all, faster success if you dig up the withered March cups in early summer. Their daughter bulbs are carefully cut off with a sharp knife and then replanted in the desired location. With an adequate water supply, the young bulbs will develop into new flowering spring cups and will soon also form a small group through vegetative propagation.
March cup and snowdrop: risk of confusion?
During the flowering period of the March cups, the snowdrop (Galanthus). These also belong to the amaryllis family and are often confused with March cups, the "big snowdrops". However, if you look closely, you can see clear differences. On the one hand, March cups and snowdrops differ in the shape of their petals: Snowdrops have elongated petals, March cups have broader, rounder petals. Furthermore, you can see small green dots on the flowers of both early bloomers, which have spring cups however, spots appear on all of their petals, while in snowdrops they appear only on the inner tepals are found.
If you would like to find out more about other early bloomers, you can read our special article about the most beautiful ones spring flowers Continue reading.