Glory-of-the-snow

Blue glory-of-the-snow blooming in April.

* Common name: Glory-of-the-snow

* Botanical name: Chionodoxa forbesii

* What it is: A small, early-spring-blooming bulb that puts out star-shaped flowers of purplish-blue. Flowers will come back year after year and slowly spread. Deer seldom bother these. Cutesy looking but tough and reliable.

* Size: 5 to 6 inches tall.

* Where to use: Makes a nice front-of-the-border edging but also works well massed around trees and in wooded settings. Sun or part shade.

* Care: Scatter a balanced, organic granular fertilizer such as Bulb Booster or Bulb-tone over the beds in late spring and/or fall. Cut foliage to ground after it yellows. Bulbs best planted in October.

* Great partner: Plant underneath star magnolias, which typically bloom white at the same time. Or interplant with similar species of white- and pink-blooming glory-of-snow or with daffodils.

Glory-of-the-snow as a colorful, early-spring groundcover.