Striped squill

Striped squill: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Small bulb about 15 cm tall and 5 cm wide, in clumps.

Leaves

A few narrow, strap-like leaves that come up together with the flowers; they disappear in May–June.

Flower

Short raceme of bell-shaped, pale blue to white flowers with a dark blue stripe on each petal, in March–April.

Bulb

Small, round bulb with a brown skin; it forms offsets and self-seeds slowly.

Flowering: March–April · Plants: September–November

Why grow it?

• Delicate, blue-striped bells in March and April, just when bees are looking for the first nectar.
• Very hardy and tough: it tolerates even severe winters down to about −30 °C.
• Naturalises slowly in lawns, under shrubs and in a rock garden.
• Small and compact: lovely in drifts, in a pot or at the foot of a tree.
• Low maintenance: once planted, it returns year after year.

Striped squill: where does it grow best?

• Sun or light shade; ideal under deciduous trees and shrubs, which let light through in spring.
• Free-draining soil: sand, loam or clay, neutral to chalky.
• Moderately moist in spring; the soil can be drier in summer.
• Plant in groups of at least 15 small bulbs, 5–8 cm apart.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or clay

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.15 m tall, 0.05 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Crocus: Flowers at the same time and colours the lawn.
• Glory-of-the-snow: Blue stars that go well with the pale bells.
• Primrose: Yellow or pink, early in spring beside the blue-white bells.
• Miniature daffodil: Little yellow trumpets next to the blue flowers.

Striped squill: when and how to plant it?

Plant in September–November.

1. Plant from September to November, while the soil is not yet frozen.
2. Dig a wide pit or separate holes; in heavy clay, mix in some coarse sand.
3. Set the bulb pointed end up, 5–8 cm deep.
4. Leave 5–8 cm between bulbs and plant in groups of 15 or more for a natural effect.
5. Water once after planting, unless it rains.
6. In grass: lift a plug of turf, set the small bulbs in the hole and put the plug back.

Care

Water

Keep lightly moist in spring while it is growing. No watering is needed in summer.

Feeding

Little needed. A thin layer of leaf mould in autumn is enough.

Leaves

Leave the leaves until they turn yellow on their own, usually in May–June, so the bulb can build up reserves.

Mowing in grass

Mow only once the leaves are yellow, usually from June.

Dividing

Divide crowded clumps after a few years, when flowering declines.

Tip: Plant 5–8 cm deep in groups of at least 15 small bulbs. It naturalises in a sunny lawn or under shrubs and slowly self-seeds in a good spot.

Striped squill: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed. Just wait until the leaves die back on their own, in May–June.

How:

• Leave the faded flowers; in a good spot they self-seed.
• Leave the leaves until they are completely yellow.
• In grass, mow only once the leaves are yellow.

Caution: Mowing or cutting the leaves too early weakens the bulb and gives fewer flowers next year.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In June, when the leaves are yellow: lift the clump, separate the offsets and replant them straight away, 5–8 cm deep. You can also wait until September.

Seed

In a good spot it self-seeds. You can also sow fresh seed in summer in a tray; seedlings take a few years to flower.

Striped squill: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Very hardy, to about −30 °C: no protection is needed in Belgian winters.
• The leaf tips sometimes appear in winter; frost does not harm them.
• In a pot: put it in a sheltered spot against a wall and do not let it stand full of water, so the bulbs do not rot.

Diseases and pests

• Mice and voles: They can eat the small bulbs, especially in quiet corners. Plant in a basket or on a layer of coarse gravel, or use a pot.
• Bulb rot: The bulb is soft and mouldy, especially in cold, wet soil. Provide well-drained soil and remove affected bulbs.
• No flowers: Leaves appear but no flowers. The cause is usually too deep shade, bulbs planted too shallowly or bulbs that are too small. Move it somewhere brighter and plant at the right depth.
• Slugs: Holes in leaves and flowers in spring. Collect them in the evening with a torch.

Through the year

• February: The first leaf tips appear.
• March: Flowering begins.
• April: Full flower. Bees visit the flowers.
• May: Leave the leaves.
• June: Leaves yellow: divide clumps and replant offsets. Mow the grass.
• September: Plant.
• October: Best time to plant.
• November: Last chance to plant.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• Puschkinia is named after Count Apollos Mussin-Pushkin, a Russian chemist and plant collector.
• The species name scilloides means ‘resembling a Scilla’: it does indeed look like a squill.
• Each petal has a fine, dark blue stripe, which gives the English name ‘striped squill’.