I had been weeding for several hours. I was ready to come inside. But, one last walk around convinced me that I needed to bend down and weed where some spring bulbs were beginning to emerge. It was a good thing that I was so close to the ground, or I would never have seen this wonder.
This particular area is shaping up to be my spring garden. I'm planning on planting spring blooming forsythia and carolina jessamine here. Last autumn, I planted a lot of spring blooming bulbs. Daffodils are planted here. Tulips, too, even though they may never return. A lot of irises, of all different types. A few crocus. Muscari. Paperwhites. And a few of those free gifts you get when you purchase a set amount.
Bent down, giving a half-hearted attempt to scrape away the weeds that had sprung up in the moist soil, my eyes looked away from my task for a moment. And that's when I saw it.
I let out a little squeal.
A squill was blooming!
What an adorable, tiny bloom! Such a gorgeous shade of blue. Such sweet little leaves. Just sitting there, basking in the sun, blooming as if it were already spring. I didn't know exactly what it was, only that it was tiny, a beautiful shade of blue, and some sort of squill.
I googled 'blue squill' and I got a lot of links for Siberian squill, scilla siberica. Oh, yes, now I remember planting them! (I went a little crazy planting last autumn!) According to Dave's Garden, Siberian squill is a bulb with a medium blue, late winter/early spring bloom under 6 inches tall. To date, there are no reports of it growing in Texas, so I wonder how well it will grow here. There are some reports of invasiveness, but I doubt it could ever become invasive here, as it "requires consistently moist soil". Not something easily found in Texas, at least not in July or August!
If it returns again next year, I'll buy more. But for now, I'll just enjoy this fun find. And wonder what will bloom next in my spring garden.
Woohoooo! I enjoy this vicariously as our climate won't allow us to have them here...hang in there--Spring is coming!
ReplyDeleteHa! A squeal for a squill ! Aptly deserving! It is gorgeous, what a little treasure for you to come across. I love it when you forget what you have planted previously (happens to me rather a lot!) What a voyage of rediscovery!
ReplyDeleteIt grows here in Kansas, so I both imagine it will make it in Texas and I thus question the "need for constant moist soil." I'll admit that here it likes it best at the foot of a dwarf cherry that gets quite dense, and in a bed that gets late afternoon sun except for summer when it's full sun. The soil in both places, however, gets quite dry.
ReplyDeleteOh, I was afraid there was going to be something dangerous/menacing lurking and here it's a beautiful flower. I would squeal with delight too! What a delightful shade of blue.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet find, and a promise of spring!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I love squill. Mine comes back every year and multiplies some. Love the blue in the spring.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely surprise, there is something so special about blue flowers and the Scilla is such a beautiful shade of blue. I hope it will seed around and increase for you into a lovely blue carpet.
ReplyDeleteHi Holley, so nice to feel your excitement and your enthusiasm for the flowering 'blue squill' coming through this post! And I can relate to it, it is indeed a very beautiful shade of blue and a very dainty, lovely, little plant. I have never heard of this bulb before and surely hope it will do fine for you and come back next year. Maybe some more bulbs will emerge from the batch that you planted in autumn (at least I assume you didn't plant just one). Thanks for sharing this! Have nice rest of the Sunday!
ReplyDeleteChristina
The flower is so gorgeous of color
ReplyDeleteI hope youbtulips will come back soon
Overhere they get the tulips out of the soil end july and plant them againat the end of october to much work for me so i dont have many tulips
I wish you a wonderful week ahead
Can imagine the fun to find the first squill, I hope you can keep it and may be multiplying for next spring. In our climate they grow easily but they are not yet flowering, we have to wait at least another month.
ReplyDeletesomewhere in one of my pots is a squill, which has never bloomed. But I have a bunch of nameless leaves and wait to see if and what will flower there?
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I have heard of this flower. It is beautiful. I found a few snowdrops blooming and then I remembered that I had wanted to plant a lot more last fall but I forgot all about them! Maybe this fall. Have a great evening!
ReplyDeleteOh how beautiful! I love that blue! I planted some white squill bulbs the fall before I moved, but never saw them bloom with the move. I hope they come back for you!
ReplyDeleteAh, you beat me to it! I have planted Scilla Siberica ‘Bright Blue’ for the first time too, and can’t wait to see them in flower. They are peeping out of the ground but no flowers yet, how lovely to see yours!
ReplyDeleteI've heard of bulbs referred to as little miracles. That's certainly what they seem when they pop up, seemingly out of the blue when you've forgotten you put them in. Enjoy your early touch of spring!
ReplyDeleteYou have bunches of things coming up down there for you. Pretty color on this one.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
I am sure I will react in exactly the same way when i see my first one! So far just one primula has flowered, and I've been keeping my eyes peeled for scillas and crocuses..... Hope yours spread like mine have!
ReplyDeleteOh that is a find... and I share in your delight in finding such a sweet little bloom so early.
ReplyDeleteIt's always such a marvellous feeling when something flowers for the very first time in our garden isn't it? I do hope it does well for you and you can have more of these lovely blue flowers. I grow the stripped squill but it kind of toils here and I think the winter wet is the issue - I need to find a better spot to have them thrive - as I hope your does Holley.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. It's gorgeous to see spring flowers finally blooming. ♥
ReplyDeleteI would have squealed too--a happy squeal. There's nothing like the early spring bulbs to bring a smile and feel that spring is on its way. My hyacinths and snowbells are currently covered in 6inches of unexpected Portland snow. That brought another kind of squeal as I tried to stay upright walking on the ice!
ReplyDeleteAwww, how fun! So I guess spring is going to happen, afterall? ;)
ReplyDeleteHooray for such a sweet surprise. You had me reading quickly to find out what made you squeal; my mind was in the rodent/snake/big bug place. Those would be odd to find in the winter but you never know!
ReplyDeleteScillas are so sweet! love them! Mine are under snow till now. You have spring, don't you, Holley?
ReplyDeleteOh, now that is the best kind of reward for weeding, what a glorious colour, I would have squealed too!
ReplyDeleteHow precious. I love squill. On one side of our property there is an opening in the forest. I'm tempted to plant squill because I know it will spread rapidly and cover the rather large area. I'm still nervous it might become invasive but it is oh so tempting.
ReplyDeleteOh! you are lucky to have Siberian Scilla in your garden. I planted a lot in my garden but nothing appeared last year. Let's see if they will appear this year or not. Aren't they lovely -- small and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYour excitement is infectious, Holley. A wonderful promise of spring, even for those of us in the snowbound Northeast. P. x
ReplyDeleteIt's the little, as well as the big things in the garden that mean so much. Such a dainty yet striking flower...I can feel your excitement :-)
ReplyDeleteHow exciting and beautiful. Did you order that online? Have you ever seen Chris Weisinger's Southern Bulb Company? You might check it out. He rescues the old fashion bulbs and I thought I red that he found a Texas tulip that comes back every year.
ReplyDeleteHolley how exciting to see a squill. I hope they naturalize a bit for you....mine won't be blooming until April.
ReplyDeleteCan just imagine your feelings... Holley, you are damn lucky to live in that part of the world with 4 seasons where you will have wonderful spring sproutings but definitely in my terribly hot country for whole year long!
ReplyDeleteO gosh... definitely NOT..
ReplyDeleteHolley, regardless of how many years go by, Spring never fails to lift ones spirits.
ReplyDeleteI bought a large squill, the one where the bulb is as large as a head of cabbage. I've only had one season of growth but it was exciting to see. Now, we'll have to wait and see how it survived the colder winter.
ReplyDeleteAre you thinking of attending RoseDango this year? Lots and lots of knowledgeable rose-people will be there. Very exciting!
Sharrie, Oh, how I wish I could go to RoseDango!!! But I have a prior commitment for that date. :( I'd rather go to RoseDango, but it's something I can't get out of. Your large squill should do well. I have a large one, and it blooms every year without fail so far. In fact, I think it needs to be divided, but I've heard it won't bloom the first year after doing that, so I'm in no hurry to do it!
DeleteOne of my favourite early spring flowers. I love that blue color especially when you see it en masse.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pretty little thing and likely to put on growth every year.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful bloom and surprise. I am so looking forward to spring flowers. The winter has been very, very white this year.
ReplyDelete