Scilla in mass in the woods...
I’ve done some blogs on bulbs in the last couple of years so I don’t want to get repetitive. I’d like to focus on some of my favorite less usual bulbs. Not tulips, daffodils, crocus, or hyacinth, but some of the more unusual ones.
Among my favorites are the tiny bulbs that look best in mass plantings: Scilla, Chionodoxa, Muscari, and Puschkinnia.
Scilla has several species, and all are hardy to zone 4. Probably the most familiar is Scilla siberica, a deep blue flower that blooms in early-mid spring on 4-8” stems. Each stem has one flower, and you’ll need to plant a lot of them to make a splash, but when you do, it’s quite a show. There’s a railroad right of way I drive along to get to the Chicago Botanic Garden when the highway is underconstruction, and once upon a time someone planted about a zillion Scilla along one stretch. It’s always a thrill. A house I also drive by often has another zillion or so out front, and it’s like they’re giving a present to everyone who passes. Luckily the bulbs are inexpensive, so you can afford to plant a lot of them. Choose a spot maybe under some trees or in a field where it doesn’t stay wet in summer, and lay out a space where you’re going to put them. Dig down about 3” and plant the bulbs densely together, then cover with the soil. They will naturalize, too, so you’ll get more and more in years to come.
There’s a white version of Scilla siberica (called ‘alba’) and a deeper blue called ‘Spring Beauty.’
Scillia bifolia and Scilla mischtshenkoana (you get a prize if you can pronounce it) are also lovely; bifolia is a lavender color, and mischtshenkoana a pretty light blue.
If you live in zones 8-9, try Scilla peruviana. It’s taller, and hundreds of tiny flowers bloom together to make a kind of beehive shape . Really a stunner. If you’re in zone 7, some people say you can mulch it heavily and get it to grow there too.
Chionodoxa forbesii is hardy in zones 3-9. It blooms in early spring, so the common name is Glory-of-the-Snow. The tiny flowers have white centers and blue or lavender on the petals. These bulbs have 5-10 flowers per stem, and like the Scilla, they want to be planted in masses. (They like each other.) These guys bloom around the same time as crocuses, and you can even plant them in the lawn and then just mow them when it’s time to start that chore. If you live further south, you could try Chionodoxa nana, blue flowers with white centers, hardy to zones 7-9.
Muscari, or Grape Hyacinths, are also great planted in masses. They have clusters of tiny flowers that look sort of like a bunch of grapes, if you can imagine a bunch of grapes that stays very upright. They come in a bunch of different colors. Muscari armeniacum is the most common version; it comes in a lot of cultivars, which means flowers in a number of colors ranging from intense blue, to lavender, to almost white. It’s good for zones 4-8. Muscari aucheri, which is good in zones 6-9, has smaller flower heads but more color choice, including a two-toned blue and white number called ‘Mount Hood.’ Those of you in zones 7-9 can grow Muscari macrocarpum, with yellow-green flowers that point out and are less densely clustered than the other species.
Some Muscari will naturalize quite aggressively. M. armeniacum has the advantage that its leaves go dormant in the summer but then regrow in the fall, so you can plant them on top of other bulbs. When it comes time to plant more bulbs, you’ll know not to plant there.
In fact, you can plant all of these tiny bulbs on top of other bulbs, and that produces a great display. Plant your larger bulbs – narcissus or tulips, hyacinths or lilies – at a depth 3 times the width of the bulb, often 6” or so. Then put some soil on top, and add the smaller bulbs. They will give your taller bulbs kneesocks.
Puschkinnia scilloides are also early spring bloomers, with spikes of white or light blue flowers to about 6-8”. Like the others, they should be planted together. They’ll bloom more or less between the Chionodoxa (early) and the Scilla and Muscari (later).
If you get excited about these very small bulbs, you could also check out the tiny Irises – Iris histriodes, with blue flowers only about 6” tall, Iris danfordiae, with yellow flowers similarly sized, Iris reticulate, which blooms really early (I’m always surprised when I see them out). These are hardy zones 3-9, so you’re most likely good to go on them. Put them somewhere you’ll pass by every day in early spring; it’s like a surprise party for yourself.
Another fun off-brand bulb is Fritillaria. You may know the Fritillaria imperialis, with its bloom downward facing on quite tall stems. Those aren’t the ones I’m talking about. I have a small patch of Fritillaria meleagris in my yard; they’re a kind of deep purple, bell shaped flower on very slender stems, and they give me pleasure every spring. They like moist soil and shade, so if you have those conditions, you can get them in white as well as the deeper purple, and they’re a lot of fun.
Let me know what you’re planting for next spring!
