Spring of 2012 is here. Male carpenter bees started to harass me this weekend, so it must be time. Siberian Squill (
Scilla siberica) blooms are one of the first indicators.
Siberian Squill is not native to North America, and according to
this article from Rutgers University, they're not even native to Siberia:
...the plant is not native to Siberia, but to Turkey, Georgia and Armenia. In its native regions, it grows in woods, scrub and in well-drained rocky terrain, tolerating winter freezes to 30 below zero! In the garden, it prefers well-drained soils, but is very adaptable.
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| Blue ones adapted to that "Rocky Terrain" |
What I love about these small flowering spring bulbs, is that they naturalize so readily - even in the grassy areas that I mow, since they emerge, bloom, and pretty much die back before I have to mow the grass.
Another
feature:
Although Siberian squill requires sun to thrive, it is particularly attractive when allowed to naturalize under deciduous trees and shrubs. Leafless branches allow the bulbs ample exposure to the sun when they are actively growing. By the time the trees and shrubs have leafed out, Siberian squill plants are starting to go, or have already gone, dormant and thus do not require as much light.
Not only that, but they are unaffected by
juglone, the poisonous stuff that Black Walnut trees produce to reduce competition, so can be
safely planted there.
North Carolina State University warns us that they are:
HIGHLY TOXIC, MAY BE FATAL IF EATEN! SKIN IRRITATION MINOR, OR LASTING ONLY FOR A FEW MINUTES.
So don't eat them. Deer won't. Enjoy the rest of the pictures - all taken Sunday, March 18th, 2012:
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| Naturalizing in Eckhart "Lawn" |
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| Growing Under a Cherry Tree |
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