Gardening and Gardens

I love seeing the little blue flowers that appear in the spring. They often appear naturalized in the lawn or showing up in the garden bed among the daffodils and hyacinths. But which are they -  Scilla  or  Chionodoxa ? The main difference is the direction the flower head faces. Scilla   siberica,  or Siberian squill, have electric blue flowers that are bell-like, drooping downward.  It's six blue petals surround stamens that have thread-like filaments and are not clustered together.  Scilla  can grow 3-6 inches high and each bulb produces 3-4 stems with medium, strap-like leaves. It's very tough and cold hardy that easily naturalizes by bulb offshoots and self-seeding.   Chionodoxa  is commonly called Glory-of-the-Snow because it is among the first bulbs to bloom in the spring. Each bulb produces six petaled, soft blue flowers with white centers that face upward and are surrounded by narrow, basal leaves. If y...

I love seeing the little blue flowers that appear in the spring. They often appear naturalized in the lawn or showing up in the garden bed among the daffodils and hyacinths. But which are they - Scilla or Chionodoxa ? The main difference is the direction the flower head faces. Scilla have electric blue flowers that are bell-like, drooping downward. It's six blue petals surround stamens that have thread-like filaments and are not clustered together. Scilla can grow 3-6 inches high and each bulb produces 3-4 stems with medium, strap-like leaves. It's very tough and cold hardy that easily naturalizes by bulb offshoots and self-seeding.  Chionodoxa is commonly called Glory-of-the-Snow because it is among the first bulbs to bloom in the spring. Each bulb produces six petaled, soft blue flowers with white centers that face upward and are surrounded by narrow, basal leaves. If you look closely, you'll notice the stamens have very flattened white f...

Daffodils are popping up everywhere around town these days. Some are all yellow, others are white with yellow middles and still others are yellow with orange middles. Some have long, tubular trumpets, others have short, round trumpets. Some plants are tall and slender, others look like miniature versions. To me, all are beautiful. Many people wonder what the difference is between a daffodil and a narcissus. In a word... nothing. Daffodil is the common name for the plant, while Narcissus is the Latin/botanical name for the genus. Occasionally, I'll hear someone refer to this plant as a jonquil. But jonquil refers to a specific kind of narcissus and not a correct term for the group in general. True jonquils usually have several, very fragrant flower heads, to one stem.  Symbolizing rebirth and new beginnings, the daffodil is virtually synonymous with spring. I think the miniature varieties are so cute, especially when they are planted with the vibrant blue Scilla...