Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Blue Haze... Scilla Siberica
In very early April each spring, when the hellebores are at their best and the bloodroots open their pristine, white flowers, some of the little hillocks in our garden develop a low hum and a bright blue haze, for they are covered with Scilla siberica, whose flowers in turn are covered with honeybees. This bulb was another traveler, coming into this garden from my previous garden inadvertently, probably riding in with a peony or a daylily. Rock hardy, for it's originally from... well, Siberia, Scilla siberica spreads everywhere in a matter of years. I don't think I'm being overly harsh by calling it invasive; it really needs to be kept out of spots where delicate little crocuses, primroses, and such are growing, for this little scilla will just quietly take over.
Had I been more prescient, I would have spent a dollar or so more and at the start bought the named cultivar Scilla siberica 'Spring Beauty'; it has bigger, bluer flowers, taller flower spikes, and as it's a triploid, it's sterile. 'Spring Beauty' still spreads by offsets but doesn't seed, so its spread is much more controlled. However, I guess that if my only complaint today is that our garden is being somewhat overgrown by drifts of little bulbs that are decked out with crystalline, Prussian blue flowers shortly after the snow melts each spring... well, I guess it will be a good day.
// posted by IBOY @ 7:30 AM 
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Love your posts on blue flowers! My favorite color.
Thanks for the nice comment on my blog.
Sandy, from gardenpath
Thanks for the nice comment on my blog.
Sandy, from gardenpath
# posted by 
: December 19, 2007
: December 19, 2007
I don't think I'd mind a "wave of blue!" I love my English Bluebells!
:-) I look forward to many more grape hyacinths in the slow-growing grassy areas this Spring! I'll be looking into the varieties you're showing. :-)
:-) I look forward to many more grape hyacinths in the slow-growing grassy areas this Spring! I'll be looking into the varieties you're showing. :-)
Thanks, all... I am SO looking forward to spring with all the little bulbs popping up; my favorite time in the garden. I have a dozen or so new bulbs this year that I hope come up, including some new kinds of snowdrops (some of them were already peeking up before they got buried in ice and snow).
Don
Don
Invasive? Gosh, I hope so! I just finally planted some of these last fall, including 'Spring Beauty'...cool...
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