Blue Flower Bulbs
Welcome Spring with Blue Flowered Bulbs Use Blue Flowers as an Accent or for Your All Blue Flower Garden Theme
Sep 14, 2006
Minor Bulbs: Lovely Blue Iris reticulata, Chionodoxa, Siberian Squill
Begin the season in your blue flower garden early with blue flowered minor bulbs such as Iris reticulata "Harmony" and Chionodoxa (Glory of the Snow) along with Siberian Squill (Scilla sibirica. ) Plant these small blue flowered bulbs in generous clusters of several dozen or more together for the best display. These all naturalize well and are long lived in the garden. When planted in quantity -- say by the hundreds or better yet by the thousands -- these blue flowering bulbs will provide a brilliant blue display early each the spring. Typically considered "minor bulbs" in comparison with the tulips and daffodils, these are some of my absolute favorites.
Blue Flowered Muscari or Grape Hyacinths
Grape hyacinths (these are botanically named Muscari though we call them hyacinths) are terrific in the blue garden, especially if used to create a carpet effect. This bulb is unusual in that it sends up its foliage in the fall. It, too, is an excellent naturalizer.
Blue Flowered Camassia or Quamash or Wild Hyacinth
Camassia, sometimes called Quamash or Wild Hyacinth, is another worthwhile blue flowered bulb that is increasingly available. It is a native and in contrast to most bulbs, appreciates a damper location. It blooms in late spring and the species grows over two feet tall.
Bluebells: English and Spanish (Hyacinthoides)
English bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) are beloved bulbs for flower garden and light woods where they will naturalize (spread) happily. The related Spanish bluebell or wood hyacinth (Hyacinthoides hispanica, another imposter we call hyacinth but it is not a true hyacinth) is one of my favorite bulbs for naturalizing in partial shade beneath trees. This one may be difficult to find other than in a pastel mix of pink, blue and white. If need be, you could plant a mixture and then later transplant the pink and white ones to another part of the garden.
True Blue Hyacinths!
And last but absolutely not least, don't forget the large, traditional real Hyacinths for fragrance and fabulous colors ranging from pale Delft blue shades to mid blue to dark purply blues. If you plant only one bulb in your blue flower garden, let it be a Hyacinth.
Buying Blue Flower Bulbs for Your Blue Theme Garden
Note that these spring flowering bulbs are usually sold as bare bulbs in the fall for fall planting. There are often generous discounts for bulk purchases, and you will need many bulbs to create an eye catching display so plan and purchase accordingly. You may also find a few of these blue flowered bulbs for sale in bloom in the spring, but spring planting is not economical as the forced bulbs are far more expensive.
Enjoy!
