Portuguese Squill - Bulb

Scilla peruviana in a pot. Water immediately upon receipt. It will look great stood (in its pot) in a sunny spot in a rock garden. If standing in a larger decorative planter, make sure that there are holes in the base to provide adequate drainage.

A bulbous plant, Scilla peruviana originates from the Iberian peninsula and NW Africa. Previously classed as a member of the lily family, Scilla peruviana now falls under the Hyacinthaceae family.

Carolus Linneaeus (a Swedish botanist) was confused when naming this plant as it came with others in a ship called 'Peru' although it had actually sailed from Spain! Scilla peruviana has funnily enough nothing whatsoever to do with Peru.

The Portuguese Squill is a strong, easy to grow plant that blooms for almost a month in the spring and then dries off. It then goes through the summer in a state of dormancy as a leafless bulb that requires no watering. This dormant period does not last long as within a few months the Scilla peruviana begins to shoot some new leaves. Only then should it be fed sparingly and watered regularly. This plant can survive a drought – make sure it has adequate drainage any time it is moved. Each year it will grow more and more flower stems and after 6 or 7 years the root ball can be dug up and split to rejuvenate it.

While the Portuguese Squill can tolerate quite a bit of frost it is not actually hardy. The plant is an evergreen but do bring indoors to a light, unheated and frost-free area. Water about once a month. It can go outdoors again when there are no more signs of night frosts. It can then be watered more regularly.