Northern Shade Gardening

Muscari bulbs (grape hyacinths) add a lovely blue colour to the spring garden. The little bulbs bloom briefly in the late spring, and then they die back for the summer.  Their leaves often appear in the late fall again. These are tiny bulbs that can be planted close together to make a good show. Muscari are hardy in  a cold climate, and usually return each year, with the exception of one mysterious group in my front yard.

Muscari azureum May

Muscari ‘azureum’ flowers are a very pretty shade of  light blue. This is a new clump, planted last fall, and the flowers are a little sparse still. I hope they like this spot, and fill in the group more next year.

Muscari azureum in light

The clusters of Azureum open from the bottom. The top of these blue flowers are still tight, while the bottom are opening with frilly edges.

Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' closeup

In Muscari armeniacum ‘Blue Spike’, the little clusters are extra thick, giving a frilly appearance. The texture of the blue flowers is very appealing. They appear to be twice as large as other Muscari, and show up better, for such a small bulb. The larger flower clusters are more noticeable across the garden.

Muscari armeniacum 'blue spike'

Muscari armeniacum ‘Blue Spike’ starts blooming a little after M. azureum. They bloom for about 3 weeks, and then die back for the summer. These petite bulbs work well next to perennials or shrubs that will fill in, after they fade away for the summer. I have some in between some daylilies and a royal fern that is always very slow to come up. The royal fern is the last plant in my garden to emerge, so the Muscari have lots of room still.

Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' group

In the above photo, you can see how a group of Blue Spike makes a nice show, with the thick blue flowers, and good amount of blooms. This group was planted last fall. For some reason, one clump of Muscari in the front of my house has disappeared this year, after blooming there for the last five years. I’ll replant the Muscari bulbs this fall, probably with Blue Spike.

I like the light blue of M. azureum, but particularly like the showier flowers of Blue Spike that are double the size of the regular grape hyacinths. Muscari are the last of the little blue bulbs to bloom in my spring garden. They follow after the tiny Scilla and Chionodoxa, and just as the early perennials, with their larger display start to bloom everywhere.

Scilla siberica (squills) blue flowers

Scilla siberica (Siberian squills) bring a true blue colour to the spring garden. Each plant is small, but each year as the patch fills in, the flowers make a better show. These bulbs are hardy, even in a cold climate, and tolerate a fair amount of shade.

Scilla siberica (squills) buds

Here are the buds a few days before the flowers open. These Scilla siberica bulbs are planted in a very shady spot, on the north side of my house. They get maybe half an hour of sunlight a day, but they do fairly well and are filling in. In the above photo they are enjoying their sunbath, while they can.

Scilla siberica (squills) May 24

You can see by the cones and needles on the ground, that these are located next to a spruce and pine. They have done well, despite the competition.

A plant with ‘siberica’ in the name always warms my heart. They probably won’t object too much at being exiled to zone 3. Some of these bulbs are Scilla siberica  ‘Spring Beauty’ and some are an unnamed Scilla siberica. The two groups were next to each other, and now they are one large group. I don’t notice much difference between them now, and I’m not sure which type the new plants in between are.

As with most of the smaller bulbs, the Siberian squill foliage dies back fairly quickly after the blooms fade, so the withering leaves do not look messy for long. The surrounding shrubs and perennials will fill out, and take their place. The Annabelle hydrangea to the side of these bulbs is just starting to leaf out now, so they make a good combination, time sharing the space. In the photo below, the Scilla are decorating the bare Hydrangea stems.

Scilla siberica and hydrangea stems

The Scilla have  a resemblance to Chionodoxa, which I wrote about last year. They bloom at the same time as the Chionodoxa, just after the Puschkinia, another related bulb. In the above photo, you can see the stripe down the middle of each petal, like the Puschkinia (striped squills) flowers. The Muscari continue the blue flower show afterwards. They are all members of the ‘cute little blue bulb’ family.

Scilla siberica (squills) group

Scilla siberica are not one of the flashy spring bulb, but they have their own quiet charm. They look dainty in the garden, or in a woodland setting. The sky blue flowers combine beautifully with other spring beauties. They need to be spaced close together to have an impact, but if they like the spot they will fill in.

Puschkinia scilloides var libanotica (striped squills) in bloom

Puschkinia scilloides libanotica (striped squills) are one of the earliest bulbs to appear in the spring, and make a lovely show with their pretty blooms. There are masses of florets facing outwards from the stem. I’ve been very impressed with how well these showy bulbs have flourished in the shade and handled the cold.

I have one group of striped squills close to the north side of my house, partly under  a bay window, squeezed between some small yews, and large spruce and pine. These evergreens create year round shade for the Puschkinia, unlike the bulbs in the backyard under deciduous trees. The little blue bulbs might get a half hour of  sun at the most, but are still growing and blooming well. I’m very impressed by how these spring bulbs have performed with such a low light exposure, and that the blooms have not shrunk after three years. In the shadows, the pale blue colour is very conspicuous. Their lovely flowers show up well against the dark green of the yew.

The Puschkinia bulbs have coped with the flurries we’ve had over the past week just fine. They continue to shine, blooming through the below freezing temperatures, and shrugging off the white flakes. The striped squills are handling the May weather better than me. The flowers might look delicate, but they are definitely not wimps. Planting some early, hardy bulbs greatly lengthens the number of weeks that the garden is in bloom, when the growing season is so short.

Puschkinia scilloides var libanotica (striped squills) closeup

Here is a closeup of one flower stalk, showing the six petals of each floret. Each petal is white, with a blue stripe down the middle, visible on the front and back of the petals. This gives an overall light blue colour when seen from a distance. Since they face outwards all around the stem, they look good when viewed from any direction, even from above. In my garden, the Puschkinia bulbs are about 25 cm (10 in) tall, and the blooms about 10 cm (4 in) high. The flowers last for about three weeks.

Puschkinia scilloides var libanotica (striped squills) buds closeup

This closeup of the buds shows the tightly folded petals with blue stripes. You can see how they are positioned in all directions around the central stalk.

I’ve seen these sold as Puschkinia libanotica too. I also grow some Puschkinia scilloides ‘Alba’, which are the white version. If you look very closely at the Alba blooms though, you can see a very faint blue line in the centre of each petal. They are lovely in their own way, but the regular blue striped bulbs are more endearing. This post from last year shows photos of both types of Puschkinia growing in my garden.

Puschkinia scilloides var libanotica (striped squills) group

Here is part of the Puschkinia group in front of a yew. You can see how the pine tree helps mulch this garden bed, by dropping needles on top of the soil. I sometimes scuff my shoe across the sidewalk as I walk by, pushing more fallen pine needles into the bed. They make a great natural and free mulch.

I love the little spring bulbs, which bloom one after another in my garden. The Puschkinia (striped squills) bloom a little after the Galanthus (snowdrop) bulbs start to flower. They bloom just before the Chionodoxa (glory of the snow) and Scilla (squills), to which they are related. Then come the Muscari (grape hyacinths) and Crocus. The parade of little bulbs starts early in the garden, extending the bloom cycle. Here is a post showing the pretty blue Chionodoxa and Scilla bulbs flowering last year.

Puschkinia scilloides var libanotica really make a splash in the early spring garden. They are very hardy in a zone 3 garden, and they don’t mind the shade. The bulb’s early blooming time is a real benefit to a short growing season. These easy going spring bulbs are one of my favourites.