Search the RHS website

Scilla verna

Home | Plants > Plant Selector > Scilla verna

Characteristics

Plant type

Bulb

Habit

Tufted

Origin

Native to the UK

Toxicity

Ingestion may cause severe discomfort

Resilience

Hardiness

old H4 (hardy)

Colour

Flower

Blue and Purple in Spring

Foliage

Green in Spring

Size

Ultimate height

0.1-0.5 metres

Ultimate spread

0-0.1 metre

Time to ultimate height

2-5 years

Preferred common name

spring squill

Family

Asparagaceae

Scilla are perennial bulbs with narrow basal leaves and erect stems bearing racemes of star-shaped, flat or bell-shaped flowers which are often blue

S. verna is a dwarf bulbous perennial to 20cm, with linear leaves and small, starry violet-blue flowers in a dense raceme or corymb in early spring

Other common names

sea onion
spring-flowered squill

Synonym(s)

Scilla umbellata

Suppliers

Suppliers listed in RHS Plant Finder

How to grow

Sunlight

Full sun
Part shade

Aspect

South-facing, North-facing, West-facing or East-facing

Exposed or Sheltered

Cultivation

Plant 10cm deep in late summer or early autumn in any moderately fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Useful in prairie plantings especially in sandy coastal locations

Soil

Well-drained or Moist but well-drained

Acid, Alkaline or Neutral

Loam, Chalk or Sand

Propagation

Propagate by seed, sown, when ripe, in containers in a cold frame or separate offsets when dormant

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage/Informal Garden, Flower borders and beds, Low Maintenance, Rock Garden, Wildflower meadow, Wildlife Gardens or Prairie Planting

How to care

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Generally pest free

Diseases

May be subject to a virus

Skip to top