Scilla
The most commonly grown one and best flowering variety is listed below.
Occasionally youll see bulbs sold as Endymion these are Scilla by another older name. Same bulb though. And just to confuse you, some of the species are classified as Hyacinthoides in the same family as daffodils. Dont worry about these simply pick from the ones listed below and youll be delighted with the spring show.
Scilla sibirica
This is one of the hardiest of small spring bulbs and its origins in Siberia, Central Russia attest to the fact that no winter weather is likely too tough for this little blue beauty.
Put this plant in the full sun to part shade for best results.
It does flower quite nicely under shrubs in the early spring and gathers enough energy before the shrubs leaf out. The sparse light under most shrubs is enough for the bulb to generate next years bloom and it will survive in these conditions.
Flower colour: blue
Flowering period: March-April
Average plant height: 5-6 inches
Planting depth to base of bulb: 3 inches
Spacing between bulbs: 3 inches
This is an excellent bulb for naturalizing. The reality is that it can become quite a little weed in lawns (a pretty weed though) if left unchecked. It never met a well-drained garden soil it didnt like and the poorer the soil, the better it grows.
You might find a variety called Spring Beauty in some shops and this has slightly larger flowers and sturdier stems than the more commonly available species bulb.
Youll find this bulb in all good garden shops in the fall.
The one thing that it doesnt overly like is damp soils and heavier clay soils as it will rot in summer rains.
Click here to ask about Scilla.
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