Scilla scilloides
At a glance
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −28.9 °C
Cultivation
Succeeds in full sun or light shade in a well-drained humus-rich soil with adequate moisture when in growth. The hardiness of this plant varies according to provenance, the hardiest forms tolerate temperatures down to about -15°c. The flowers have a hyacinth-like aroma.
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Sow the seed thinly and allow the seedlings to remain in the pot for their first year of growth, giving them liquid feeds if necessary. Prick out the young bulbs, 2-3 to a pot, when dormant and grow them on for their next two years in a frame. Plant them out into their permanent positions when dormant. Division of established clumps when the foliage dies down in the summer. The larger bulbs can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on in a cold frame for a year before planting them out when dormant in late summer.
Edible uses
Leaves - cooked. Bulb.
Medicinal uses
The bulbs are pounded and applied to abscesses.
Habitat
Hills and lowland all over Japan.
Native range
E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.