6 reasons why your garden could use more squill

They may not have the best-sounding name, but squill bulbs are the perfect choice if true blue colour appeals to you. Here's just a few reasons that these beautiful and hardy plants are popular amongst gardeners.

• Squill bulbs all produce charming star-like flowers in shades of blue in early spring.
• Gardeners use the flowers to create pools of colour in the woods, under shrubs and trees, or in the perennial bed or rock garden.
• You can pair squill with small, early-blooming tulips, like Kaufmanniana and Greigii tulips, or let them form a carpet under tall-stemmed tulips.
• Use groups of 50 or more squill to every 10 tulips. Plant the squill together so that the tulips appear to float over a wave of blue flowers.
• You can also scatter bulbs under early-flowering shrubs, such as azalea or viburnum.
• Squill bulbs are so sturdy that they can even be planted in a lawn, provided you're willing to wait until the bulbs' leaves wither before you mow.
• Informal drifts look more natural, and have more impact than lines or circles.

There are plenty of different kinds of squills. Here are some of the more popular variant:

• Siberian squill has nodding, deep electric-blue flowers that hang like bells from leafless stems.
• Striped squill has pale, almost translucent blue flowers with a dark blue line penciled down the centre of each petal. They grow in dense clusters along the end of the flower stem, resembling small hyacinth blossoms.
• Italian squill has fragrant, violet-blue flowers that form little rounded clusters at the top of its flower stems.

• Squill bulbs are inexpensive, making them affordable to plant them in large numbers.
• Plant squill bulbs in early fall. Choose a sunny location with well-drained soil.
• Plant before planting hyacinths or other big bulbs.

Here's the easiest way to plant lots of squill bulbs quickly:

1. Use a hand tool called a bulb planter. This handy device pulls out circular plugs of soil about 10 centimetres (four inches) in diameter and equally deep.
2. Make holes five to ten centimetres (two to four inches) apart.
3. Drop in the bulbs so that the pointed ends are pointing up, and cover them with the excavated soil.
4. You can also dig a large hole and gently scatter the bulbs in it, making sure they are spaced five to ten centimetres (two to four inches) apart.

• In the spring after you plant them, water the new planting to keep it moist. Do this after the leaves emerge.
• To make sure the bulbs have stored plenty of nourishment for next year's flowers, don't mow or otherwise remove the leaves until they turn yellow in late spring.
• Unfortunately, squill do not thrive in heat. They may flower well for only a few years in regions with consistently hot summers.
• On the other hand, they are hardy in the cold, making them care-free choices for areas with deep freezes in the winter.

• Squill bulbs increase by self-sowing.
• Fledglings can be encouraged with a dose of balanced liquid fertilizer, applied according to package label, in spring.
• To divide congested colonies, dig some bulbs after they've flowered. Separate them and replant promptly.
• Like other early-blooming bulbs, squill remains are relatively free of disease and pests because it goes dormant before most potential threats become active.

Squill is a hardy and abundant plant that is perfect for busy gardeners who want lots of colour with little effort. Be sure to pick a variety you like and keep their growth under control. This will ensure your squill bulbs flourish and add to your garden's overall look.