Squill

Day 219: English Wood Hyacinth carries its flowers along one side of the stem, as opposed to Spanish Wood Hyacinth which has flowers arranged all around the stem. Both are easily confused with good old Scilla, shown here. I use the word "good" with a great deal of reservation. Despite its beautiful blue hue and dainty flowers, this bulb (also known as Squill) can be a nuisance in the garden. It is almost impossible to eradicate once established, and I speak as the Voice of Experience. I've been working on getting them out of my north-side flower bed for 35 years, and this year's showing proves that I'm not even close to winning the war. They don't want to grow where I want to put them under Big Doug, preferring instead to try to crowd out my now sparse lily-of-the-valley, and even threatening the daffodils. They come up between two pieces of concrete in the Barren Wasteland. They volunteer along the edge of my narrow woods. But would they grow beneath Big Doug? Not a chance. It's not the acidic soil. Where they border the wooded strip is equally acidic. They just don't want to cooperate. I think the time has come to simply enjoy the blues.