I photographed this little blue beauty in my parent's garden a couple of days ago. Mum was given this a while ago and was told it was difficult to grow. It is obviously happy where it is. Mum would like to know its name. I am fairly sure that it's a bulb but forgot to confirm that it is. I am going to get the books out but maybe somebody might be able to throw light on its identity.
Sure is pretty. I thought a Campanula but then you said a bulb. Sorry . . .
ReplyDeleteI was going to say Chionodoxa.... but looking at the flower I am not so sure.....
ReplyDeleteHi Anna.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking campanula too. How about Scilla siberica (Siberian squill)? What a lovely thing it is.
Ann
I think it might be Chionodoxa forbesii. I've been looking at Skippy's Vegetable Garden (on Blotanical) and coincidentally she has a picture of a chionodoxa. She says in her post that her father told her chionodoxa always face up, and scilla always look down (think bluebells). Whatever they are, they are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what the flower it but this is a wonderful posting! Thank you for sharing your spring with us.
ReplyDeleteLovely photo.
ReplyDeleteVictoria, thanks for sharing that interesting tidbit from Skippy's Veg Garden. Kudos to our elders too.
Has anyone mentioned this chap. Star of Bethlehem. It grows from a bulb, spring flowering and has the lance shaped leaves and the same sort of flowers. I used to grow it in my old garden..
ReplyDeletehttp://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/starbeth.htm
Trees
Anna - I think it's a Scilla - check out this link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wildchicken.com/nature/garden/nature_200_106.htm
I did look at the bulb sites to check as well, but they didn't show a good close up like this one. All of the sites show them with upward facing flowers BTW!
Chionodoxa have a distinct strip down the middle of the petal:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/5046.shtml
Hope this helps!
Oh dear, those URLs didn't work did they. Try these instead:
ReplyDeleteFor the Chionodoxa try here
And the Scilla is here
I've just got even more confused - I've just checked back at the last Constant Gardener plant identity parade. She has a Scilla in there and she says her tutor told them that the stripe down the back of the petal is the key difference between Scillas and Chionodoxa! However, she also concedes she could have got which was which the wrong way round.
ReplyDeletePerhaps googling how to tell scilla and chionodoxa apart, or something similar may help to settle matters? My books haven't been much help as they show general shots of each bulb instead of nice, clear distinctive close ups!
Whatever - you mum's got a very nice plant!
As Tony Reznicek (curator of the University of Michigan Herbarium) says, "It's easy to ID a plant. It's just hard to get it right!" It's cute whatever it is--it looks familiar but I can't place it. Maybe if it spoke a few words...
ReplyDeleteThanks all for your most helpful suggestions. The jury is still out on this one. At the moment I am leaning towards ipheion uniflorum 'Wisley Blue' :
ReplyDeletehttp://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/145415/
but have to ask my mum to crush some leaves to see if they smell of onions to confirm. It's a member of the alliaceae family. Hopefully I will be back with the verdict soon :)
I'm voting for Ipheion. Their flowers are flatter than Scilla and wider-petaled than Chionodoxa.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely an Ipheion. I've got them in my garden.
ReplyDeleteHi Anna, you have some lovely flowering plants in your garden. I hope to re-plan a very large bed in my garden and have been buying reduced bargain shrubs since the end of last summer. I have also grown some flower seeds to fill out the beds. I don't usually grow flowers from seeds. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks again for all your suggestions. What a helpful bunch you are. It is indeed the ipheion as confirmed by MMD, Easygardener and Mum who has finally crushed the leaves which do smell oniony :) I think that I will have to dig up a bulb or two next time I visit :)
ReplyDelete