Alpine squill

Alpine squill: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Small bulb of 10–15 cm tall, with two leaves and a short flower spray per bulb.

Leaves

Usually two narrow, linear to lance-shaped leaves, glossy green.

Flower

A loose spray of two to ten starry flowers about 1 cm across, deep violet-blue and facing obliquely upwards.

Fruit

A round capsule with seeds that carry an oily appendage, which makes ants carry them away.

Bulb

Small, egg-shaped bulb of 1–2 cm, which divides slowly.

Flowering: March–April · Plants: September–October

Why grow it?

• One of the first flowers of the year, in a bright blue you can see from afar.
• Early food for bees, bumblebees and other pollinators that are out and about in March.
• A native plant that belongs in a natural garden under deciduous trees.
• Naturalises slowly: after a few years it forms blue patches under trees and shrubs.
• Retreats underground after flowering and leaves room for ferns and other shade plants.

Alpine squill: where does it grow best?

• Partial to full shade, ideally under deciduous trees and shrubs: light in spring, shade in summer.
• Humus-rich loam or clay, neutral to chalky.
• Moderately moist without waterlogging; in summer the soil may be somewhat drier.
• Plant in groups of 25 bulbs or more, about 5 cm apart.
• Choose a spot you rarely dig or hoe, so bulbs and seedlings are left undisturbed.

Light

Partial shade and shade

Soil type

Loam or clay

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.12 m tall, 0.05 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -25 °C)

Goes well with

• Snowdrop: Flowers just a little earlier in the same spot under deciduous trees.
• Wood anemone: A white native spring flower that blooms at the same time and forms the same woodland carpet.
• Hollow-root: Purple or white sprays in the same humus-rich soil.
• Lungwort: Pink and blue flowers and spotted leaves that cover the spot after flowering.
• Ferns: Fill the space in summer, while the squill rests underground.

Alpine squill: when and how to plant it?

Plant in September–October.

1. Plant the bulbs in September–October, as soon as possible after buying, because small bulbs dry out quickly.
2. Work some leaf mould or compost into the top layer of soil.
3. Plant the bulbs 5–8 cm deep, pointed end up.
4. Space them about 5 cm apart and plant in loose groups.
5. Water if the soil is dry.
6. Cover the planting spot with a thin layer of leaf mould, as on a woodland floor.

Care

Water

Not needed in the garden; water a new planting in a dry spring if necessary.

Feeding

Not needed. A layer of leaf mould or shredded leaves in autumn is enough.

Foliage

Leave the leaves until they turn yellow in May–June: this is how the bulb recharges.

Seed

Let the seed capsules ripen: that way it self-seeds and slowly naturalises.

Mowing

If it grows in grass, only mow once the leaves and capsules have died back, from mid-June.

Tip: Let the leaves and seed capsules die back quietly after flowering and do not mow before mid-June: it will then spread a little further every year.

Alpine squill: when to prune it?

When: The alpine squill is not pruned. After flowering, simply leave the flowers, seed capsules and leaves in place.

How:

• Leave faded flowers: the seed lets it slowly naturalise.
• Only tidy away the leaves once they are completely yellow and limp.
• In grass, do not mow the patch until mid-June.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

The easiest way: let the seed ripen and drop where it grows. You can also scatter ripe seed elsewhere in June or sow it in a pot; seedlings flower after three to four years.

Division

Lift a dense clump after the leaves have died back and separate the bulbs. Replant them straight away, as they dry out quickly.

Alpine squill: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −25 °C: no protection needed.
• In autumn, leave fallen leaves on the planting spot: they protect and feed the bulbs, as in a wood.
• In a pot: stand the pot against a wall and keep the compost slightly moist in winter, not wet.

Diseases and pests

• Bulb rot: In wet, poorly drained soil the small bulbs rot. Choose a spot without standing water.
• Disappearing: It vanishes if the leaves are mown too early or if dense ground cover such as ivy smothers it. Mow later and keep the spot fairly open.
• Slugs: In a damp spring they sometimes eat leaves and flowers. Pick them off in the evening.
• Voles: They sometimes eat the bulbs. Plant in a basket of fine wire mesh if they are common in your garden.

Through the year

• February: The first leaf tips appear.
• March: Flowering. Bees come and go.
• April: Last flowers. Leave them to set seed.
• May: Seed capsules ripen. Leave the foliage.
• June: Leaves die back. Mowing is fine from mid-June. Divide congested clumps.
• September: Plant bulbs 5–8 cm deep.
• October: Plant. Add a layer of leaf mould.
• November: Leave fallen leaves as a natural mulch.

Edible and useful

Not edible. All parts of squills and glory-of-the-snow (Chionodoxa, now included in Scilla) are poisonous, especially the small bulbs: they can cause vomiting, stomach ache and diarrhoea, in children as well as in dogs and cats. The bulbs look like little onions: never store them with the vegetables or the kitchen onions, and keep loose bulbs out of reach of children and pets. They seed themselves freely, in borders, under shrubs and in the lawn: do not plant them where your dog digs, and do not let horses, sheep or goats graze where they grow in large drifts. Wash your hands after planting. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The seeds carry an oily appendage that ants love to eat: they carry the seeds off and so help the plant spread.
• The species name bifolia means two-leaved: most bulbs produce exactly two leaves.
• It is a typical woodland spring flower: it grows and blooms before the trees come into leaf, then rests underground for the rest of the year.