Leucojum aestivum - Summer Snowflake Often found naturalised in the wild in Ireland, Leucojum aestivum is a deciduous, bulbous perennial with a delicate, nodding habit – not unlike a snowdrop, but much taller. The leaves are long, narrow and grass-like, and a deep, rich green. Despite the name, the delicate flowers appear in spring; they are shaped like a small bell, pure white with little green dots on the tips of the petals; there are up to eight on each leafless stem, and they last for a long time. Summer snowflake is lovely at the front of a sunny shrub border, or dotted in drifts between later-flowering perennials, giving an airy lightness which never ‘stares’. It will naturalise easily in reliably moist soil. Site: Tolerates exposureSoil: Moist, well-drained, humus-rich, acid to neutral soil which does not dry outPosition: Full sunSeason of interest: Mid- to late springHardiness: Very hardyHeight: up to 20” (50cm) Spread: 2’ (60cm)