Kinghorn Gardens

A Sea of Scilla

April 9th, 2010

Each spring I look forward to the vibrant colors of the season.  The bright yellow of daffodils, and tulips in all colors of the rainbow.  However, nothing catches my eye more than the subtlety of a large colony of Scilla siberica.  Perhaps its the unexpected color of blue in the spring garden or the delicacy of the tiny star shaped flowers which are in full swing right now.  Because Scilla is a lesser known bulb, it often gets left out of the spring garden, thought its rightful place is front and center.

Scilla looks best when the tiny bulbs are planted by the hundreds, allowing them to form huge sweeps across woodland gardens, or in the front of the border. Perhaps the best attribute of the plant is that it will colonize by self-sewn seeds, expanding its range with each passing year.  Unlike its showy rival, the Tulip, which must be replanted each year.  Three to five  nodding, clear blue  flowers will appear on each stem in late March to April.  I have even seen it planted in turf, forming a carpet of blue each spring, the grass like foliage of Scilla mixes in well with the turf, and goes dormant before the first mowing is necessary.