Scilla 2010

This was a nice gang!
Some of mine opened before I left, I'll give report when coming home after Easter.

Lots of them flowered when I came home. Here are two, the white one is probably a white S. verna selection.

I don't have S. verna but I have the pink form of bifolia...should be open in the next 2-3 days

Scilla bifolia 'Rosea'...self-seeded in the lawn.

Boland wrote:

Scilla bifolia 'Rosea'...self-seeded in the lawn.

When do you start mowing the lawn? I have to wait till June because of the bulbs. (My wife don't approve.)

I never planted any bulbs in my lawn but over the years, several crocus, two species of scilla, chionodoxa and erythronium americana have moved in.  Much to my chagrin, I notice Allium aflatuense has also started to pop-up in the lawn!  I generally mow by late May...perhaps a bit early for the bulbs but it does not seem to have slowed them down.

I'm a bit peeved!  I saw a band of house sparrows out eating puschkinia blossoms last weekend... curious, I thought... as I had never seen that behavior before.  Anyway, it appears the little buggers also ate all the buds off my grove of Scilla miczenkoana!  Grrr!  >:(

Skulski wrote:

I'm a bit peeved!  I saw a band of house sparrows out eating puschkinia blossoms last weekend... curious, I thought... as I had never seen that behavior before.  Anyway, it appears the little buggers also ate all the buds off my grove of Scilla miczenkoana!  Grrr!  >:(

Yes, I have them too, they like to shred crocus blooms.  They seem to be partial to an old mixed planting of Crocus chrysanthus hybrids in my front "foundation planting" area, so it's not much of a loss, so far they ignore the rarer species crocus on the other side of my house.

Todd: regarding bulb lawns, some of the photos of bulb lawns posted on the Scottich Rock garden Club forum will knock your socks off; visually compelling they are.  But then I wonder too, how to manage the mowing part... how long to let it look unkempt while bulb foliage is still green.

My favourite scilla is now open...Scilla rosenii, from Ruksans.  The flowers are huge for a scilla.

D***, I'm getting famous for forgetting to attach the pics!

They are good! I thought I had some but I can't find them or they are disguising as something else!!

Some small bulbs are still in flower!

Mine is not blooming yet....I'm not sure it is even going to bloom...much too crowded by one of my Astilbe.

Here is a really fantastic Scilla, often described as like a blue Eremurus! I had this from Bob and Rannveig Wallis, bulbous growers and exhibitors par excellenze, and it is the first year it has ever flowered for me (perhaps something to do with our long warm and very dry spring) - Scilla hyacinthoides. It may look a bit less dramatic from my poor photo but it still has most of its flowers to open. Quite a contrast to all the little blue beauties!

Each small flower is unmistakable Scilla but the whole plant is not! Remarkable :o