SCILLA 



LILY OBDEB 



SCILLA 839 



with 6 distinct or slightly united seg- 

 ments, spreading or rarely bell-shaped. 

 Stamens 6, attached to the base or below 

 the_ middle of the segments. 



Culture and Propagation. — Hardy 

 Scillas may be grown in much the same 

 way as the Chionodoxas, and naturalised 

 in grass, and as in the case of our beauti- 

 ful Wild Hyacinth or Bluebell, planted 

 under tall trees like Beeches, Oaks, Limes, 

 Sweet Chestnuts &e. in pleasure grounds, 

 woods &c., where they are wonderfully 

 effective. 



They may be planted in the autumn 

 about September, either by inserting them 

 in holes made with a dibber or by scatter- 

 ing them thickly over the ground and 

 then covering them with 3-6 in. of soil. 

 They may be left for years without being 

 disturbed, and as some of the more 

 vigorous kinds seed freely and produce 

 numerous offsets from the old bulbs there 

 is little fear of them dying out. The plants 

 are, of course, increased by the offsets, but 

 may also be raised from seeds, which 

 should be sown as soon as ripe, but take 

 several years to arrive at the mature bulb 

 stage. 



As edgings to flower borders or clumps 

 in shrubberies Scillas look charming in 

 spring, and wherever they can be associ- 

 ated with Chionodoxas, dwarf Narcissi, 

 and other spring-flowering bulbs, space 

 should be given them. 



Out of 80 species or more the follow- 

 ing are among the most attractive kinds 

 for the hardy flower garden. 



S. amoena {Hyaointhus stellaris). — 

 Star Hyacinth. — A charming species 

 from central Europe with roundish deep 

 violet-coated bulbs, and bright green 

 linear lance-shaped channelled leaves 

 6-9 in. long. From 3-6 star-shaped 

 flowers are borne in loose one-sided 

 racemes from March to May on weak 

 stems 4-6 in. long. They are of a bright 

 indigo-blue, each segment having a central 

 line of a deeper tint. 



Culture dbc. as above. 



This species requires rather warm and 

 sheltered spots. "When grown in large 

 masses it has a fine effect, the blue 

 flowers and bright green leaves forming a 

 fine contrast. 



S. bifolia. — A native of France and 

 Central Europe with small roundish bulbs 

 having 2 or rarely 3 linear lance-shaped 

 channelled leaves of a soft-green, and 4-8 



in. long. The beautiful blue bell-shaped 

 flowers appear in March, sometimes even 

 earher, on solitary scapes 6-10 in. high, 

 and nodding at the top. 



Culture and Propagation. — This 

 species although perfectly hardy should 

 be grown in warm light soil, and in large 

 masses, which need not be disturbed for 

 3 or 4 years. There are several distinct 

 varieties of it, including alba, with pure 

 white flowers ; prcecox, which flowers 

 much earlier than the type and has larger 

 and more numerous blossoms on a scape ; 

 rosea, with flowers of a pretty pale rose ; 

 and taurica, from Asia Minor, where it 

 flowers on the snow - clad hills with 

 Chionodoxa LuciKce. It has larger 

 bulbs than the typical hifoUa and strong 

 reddish scapes bearing 10-15 star-shaped 

 flowers of a bright blue resembhng those 

 of S. sibirica. There is said to be a white 

 form of the Taurian variety but it is very 

 rarely seen, or may be confused with the 

 white variety of sibirica. 



S. festalis {Agraphis nutans ; Hya- 

 ointhus non-scriptus). — Bluebell; Wild 

 or Wood Hyacinth. — This is the Common 

 British Bluebell seen in such immense 

 masses in spring in woods, copses &o. in 

 many parts of the British Islands. It has 

 whitish more or less pear-shaped bulbs 

 about 1 in. in diameter, and narrow chan- 

 nelled deep shining green leaves 9-18 in. 

 long. The tall stout solitary scapes appear 

 from April to June, bearing racemes of 

 drooping bell - shaped blossoms varying 

 from bluish - purple to white or pink. 

 There are many fine garden forms, among 

 which alba, white; rosea, rosy -red; and 

 rubra, deep red, are fairly well known. 

 The variety bracteata has rather long 

 bracts at the base of the pedicels ; and 

 cernua from Central Europe has broader 

 leaves than the type, and more numerous 

 flowers of a bright blue colour on stouter 

 stems. There are also white and rosy 

 variations of it. 



Culture and Propagation. — For 

 British gardens the common Bluebell 

 is superior to the other kinds for natura- 

 lising in grassland, woods &c. The bulbs 

 should be planted in such places not 

 by the hundred but the thousand, and 

 may be left for years in the same place 

 without disturbance. In the autumn or 

 winter a covering of old leaves or well- 

 decayed manure will be of great benefit, 

 enriching the soil, and giving increased 



