Illustration
Alba
Scilla luciliae 'Alba'
Alba blooms from March through March.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Alba
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 5 in tall and 3 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Alba
Alba is a fall-planted bulb: get it in the ground 6 to 8 weeks before the ground freezes, typically September or October in zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8. It pays you back the following March.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in September. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Alba get?
5 intall5 ft 7 inan adult3 inwideSee Alba in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
Where these facts come from
Alba's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 14 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- dutchgrown.comDutchGrownheight, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- farmergracy.co.ukFarmer Gracyheight, spread, sun and trait tags
- Brent and Becky's Bulbsheight, hardiness zones and sun
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Finderheight, hardiness zones and sun
- fedcoseeds.comFedco Bulbsheight, hardiness zones and trait tags
- John Scheepersheight, hardiness zones and sun
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxhardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- plants.squakmtnursery.comSquak Mountain Nursery (NetPS Plant Finder)height, spread and sun
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread and sun
- Van Engelenheight, hardiness zones and sun
- angliabulbs.comAnglia Bulb Companyheight and sun
- bostonbulbswholesale.co.ukBoston Bulbs Wholesaleheight and trait tags
- ruigrokflowerbulbs.comRuigrok Flowerbulbsheight and sun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Alba
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
All parts are poisonous. NC State rates the genus high-severity to humans: eating it can bring mouth pain, nausea, vomiting, cramping, diarrhea and a slowed heartbeat. per NC State
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.