No, I don’t mean bluegrass music or feeling down in the dumps. I’m talking about spring bulbs featuring racemes of blue florets. Many are members of the scilla family which encompasses 80 to 90 species all by itself. They bloom at roughly the same time and look similar, so it can be challenging to keep them straight.
To make matters worse, many species are interchangeably referred to as squill or hyacinth because their Latin nomenclature is twisted and still unresolved. Subfamilies like bluebells can be further divided into English, Spanish or Virginia. Then there’s chionodoxa, Siberian squill, muscari, true hyacinth, and camassia — all blue, all spring blooming.
Do you know which is which? Does it matter?
Names are less important than what each will do in your garden, of course. But if you’re looking to buy some, you need to know what you’re getting. Here’s a quick guide to help sort them out.
Starting with the earliest bloomers:
- Chionodoxa, Glory of the Snow. First to bloom along with aconite and snowdrops. The soft lavender-blue stars have white centers. Lasting 3 weeks at 6 inches tall, after bloom the foliage goes dormant quickly. Suitable for use in lawns as well as under trees and shrubs.
- Scilla, Squill – There are Siberian, alpine and subalpine forms; all are a brilliant periwinkle blue, often with a dark stripe. At 4 – 6 inches tall with narrow grassy foliage they look best massed. Bloom time is March-April.
Muscari, Blue Bottles, Grape Hyacinth – Everyone knows grape hyacinth (which are not hyacinths at all). Native to Greece and Armenia, they average 6 to 8 inches and bloom mid-spring in conical racemes. Unlike other spring bulbs their narrow foliage emerges in fall and persists through winter. Deep blue-purple is the most common color, but powder blue, pink, white and intriguing bicolors are available. Best massed or repeated in small groups.
Hyacinth orientalis, Dutch hyacinth – These are the fat, bushy hybrids sold at Easter everywhere. Bred for massive flowers they can look awkward and top-heavy in a garden unless grouped with airier companions. Their notorious scent is strong and sweet, but can be cloying indoors. Besides blue they come in an array of colors, some quite garish. Still, they are a welcome harbinger of spring for many.
Bluebells – Among the loveliest of the spring-blooming “blues”, and closely resembling wildflowers. There are three main types, all of which prefer a little morning sun, dappled shade and lots of organic matter. They work exceptionally well in open woodlands.
- Hyacinthoides non-scripta, English bluebell – A British native which in England can carpet entire woodlands in mid-spring. True blue, curly-edged fluted bells dangle from 12-inch stems. Simply lovely naturalized. They work best as an ephemeral groundcover in woods or open meadows.
- Hyacinthoides hispanica, Spanish bluebell – The Spanish form is paler in color and comes in pink, blue or white. The scalloped florets surround 18-inch racemes and face outward rather than down, giving them a frothy appearance. They don’t tolerate wet conditions or clay soil and are not reliably hardy below 15 degrees F.
- Mertensia virginica, Virginia bluebell – Our native bluebell is actually a member of the borage family. Tubular buds start out pink, turn lavender and finally open as little trumpets of sky blue. The dainty blooms are borne in clusters on leafy foliage 24 inches tall from mid-April to mid-May. They need moist shady woodlands, even wetlands to thrive, and can be slow to establish. As a kid, I remember an entire low-lying meadow and an adjacent creekbank covered in bluebells. So lovely!
- Camassia, Wild Hyacinth, Camas – Native to the Pacific Northwest, camassia blooms after the daffodils with the early peonies. Tall and slim at 20 to 30 inches, the flowers’ slender petals face upward all along the stem and open from the bottom up. They can be blue, pink, purple or white. Plant in groups or scatter-sow for a natural look. Excellent along woodsy edges and in open meadows. Camassia is long lived and very beautiful massed.
Other spring “blues” to consider
Aside from the raceme-bearing bulbs, there are several other blue spring bloomers to consider. One of my favorites is woodland phlox cultivar Blue Moon. It never fails to put on a dramatic show of color and substance. It also provides pollen for early foraging bees. About 12 X 12 inches per clump, making it a great edging plant.
- Iris reticulata, dwarf or netted iris – A short, 6-inch iris that blooms early, with the snowdrops. Usually a deep royal blue or purple with yellow and white markings. Perfect for along a walkway where its petite beauty can be appreciated.
- Myosotis, Forget-me-not – A dainty sky blue biennial of damp woodlands, native to Greece and Armenia. Sets seed freely (sometimes too freely) in midsummer for flowers the following spring. Great for wet areas. Forget-me-nots reach 10 to 18 inches.
- Aquilegia, Columbine – This blue cultivar is Winky Blue and White. Columbines also come in reds and yellows. Scalloped lacy clumps reach 10 to 18 inches, sporting spurred blue flower cups trimmed in white. Blooms from mid-spring into early summer. The bees appreciate it too.
So there you have it — lots of spring blues to think about! This is by no means the limit– I didn’t begin to touch on all the other blues that appear a bit later, such as lupines. If you decide to add any of these to your own garden, you have all summer to finalize your choices in time for fall planting.
Wonderful and extensive information! Thank You!