Portuguese squill

Portuguese squill: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Bulb about 30 cm tall and 25 cm wide, with a rosette of arching leaves up to 40 cm long.

Leaves

Broad, strap-like green leaves. They appear in autumn, stay through winter and die back in summer.

Flower

Dense, dome-shaped raceme of dozens of star-shaped flowers, in May and June. Deep violet-blue; there is also a white form.

Bulb

Large, several centimetres across, with a brown tunic. It sits half above ground.

Summer rest

After flowering the leaves die back and the bulb rests through a warm, dry summer.

Flowering: May–June · Plants: September–October

Why grow it?

• A spectacular flower head in May and June, with dozens of violet-blue stars open at once.
• The broad green leaves are attractive in winter and early spring too.
• An early source of nectar and pollen for bees and bumblebees.
• Good in a sunny, dry border, against a wall, in a rock garden or in a large pot.
• Can stay in the same place for years and forms clumps over time.

Portuguese squill: where does it grow best?

• Full sun and a warm, sheltered spot, for example against a south-facing wall.
• Well-drained loam or sandy soil, neutral to chalky. In heavy clay mix in coarse sand or grit.
• Dry to normally moist; in winter the bulb must not stand in wet soil.
• Leave about 25 cm between bulbs; also suitable for a large pot with open, free-draining compost.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.3 m tall, 0.25 m wide

Hardiness

Half hardy (to -10 °C): protect it in harsh winters

Goes well with

• Lavender: The same sun, warmth and free-draining soil; purple shades that go well together.
• Rock rose: A low, flowering carpet at its foot, also in a dry, sunny border.
• Fescue: A fine ornamental grass that reinforces the dry character of the border.
• Catmint: Pale blue flowers and grey-green leaves in the same sunny, dry soil.

Portuguese squill: when and how to plant it?

Plant in September–October.

1. Plant the bulbs in September or October, as soon as you can buy them.
2. Choose a warm, sunny, dry spot with free-draining soil; add a little sand to the planting hole if needed.
3. Plant it shallowly: the nose of the bulb sits just below the soil surface, about 2–3 cm deep.
4. Space the bulbs about 25 cm apart and water once generously after planting.
5. In a pot: use a very sandy compost and let a third of the bulb stick out above the surface.

Care

Water

Water while the leaves grow and the bulb flowers, but only if it is dry. Give no water during the summer rest.

Feeding

Once in March or April, a fertiliser for bulbs or flowering plants. Not too much nitrogen.

Foliage

Do not cut off green leaves: the bulb needs them. Remove only brown, frosted leaf tips in spring.

Spent stems

Cut the stems after flowering unless you want seed. The leaves stay.

Dividing

If the bulbs get crowded, divide them every few years in late summer.

Tip: Plant it shallowly, with the nose just below the soil, in a sunny, warm and dry spot, for example against a south-facing wall. Cover with dry leaves in severe frost and make sure it does not stand in wet soil in winter.

Portuguese squill: when to prune it?

When: This squill is not pruned. After flowering you cut off at most the spent flower stems.

How:

• Cut off the flower stem when the flowers are over, or leave it to collect seed.
• In March–April remove only brown or frost-damaged leaf tips.
• In summer let the leaves die back completely and clear them away only when they come away by themselves.

Caution: Do not cut off green leaves: the bulb needs them to flower next year.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

Lift the bulbs in August–September, when the leaves have died back and the bulb is resting. Detach the offsets and replant them straight away, shallowly.

Seed

Sow ripe seed in autumn in a pot of sandy compost, in a frost-free place. It takes several years before the seedlings flower.

Portuguese squill: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −10 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Tolerates about −10 °C: in Belgium it is hardy in a warm, sheltered spot, but the leaves may freeze.
• In severe frost cover the spot with a thick layer of dry leaves or conifer branches. Make sure it stays dry.
• In a pot: keep it frost-free and in the light, for example in a cold frame or an unheated room, and water hardly at all.

Diseases and pests

• Frost damage: The leaves get brown tips or go limp after a hard winter. Cut off the damaged leaves in spring; the bulb usually grows again.
• Bulb rot: The bulb turns soft and no leaves or flowers appear after a wet winter. Plant in a dry, free-draining spot and cover against rain.
• Slugs: They nibble the young leaves in winter and spring. Pick them off in the evening.
• No flowers: Too much shade, a bulb that is too young, or frost damage to the flower bud. Choose a sunny spot and leave the bulb alone.

Through the year

• January: In severe frost lay a layer of dry leaves or conifer branches.
• March: Remove the winter protection gradually. Cut off damaged leaf tips.
• April: The leaves grow on. Feed once.
• May: Flowering begins. Water if it is dry.
• June: Flowering. Afterwards cut off the spent stems.
• July: The leaves turn yellow: the bulb goes into its summer rest. Stop watering.
• August: Summer rest. Divide the bulbs if needed.
• September: Plant, with the nose just below the soil.
• October: Plant. The new leaves come up.
• November: Get a layer of dry leaves ready against frost.
• December: Cover in severe frost.

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 name peruviana is misleading: the plant comes from the western Mediterranean. It is said to have got its name because it reached Europe on a ship called Peru.
• This is one of the squills that rests in summer and instead produces new leaves in autumn and winter, an adaptation to the Mediterranean climate.
• A single flower head can carry dozens of flowers; it is one of the largest flower heads among the squills.