Illustration
Portuguese Squill
Scilla peruviana
Portuguese Squill blooms from May through June.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Portuguese Squill
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 8–10. Expect it to reach about 12 in tall and 6 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (not yet checked).
What this means
Written with AI assistance and not yet checked plant by plant against recorded sources, so treat every fact above as a starting point. Its scientific name was checked against botanical registries, an audit keeps its values consistent with the rest of the library, and a July 2026 review re-read the main facts of every plant then in the library against horticultural authorities without recording a source for each, which is why none of that counts as checked here. The source-by-source check is working through the whole library in the open, and a checked plant says so in this row.
When to plant Portuguese Squill
Portuguese Squill is a tender bulb, hardy in the ground only in zones 8 to 10: there it goes in during the cool season, typically November or December in zone 9, ahead of its May to June bloom. Colder than zone 8 it will not survive winter in the ground, so grow it in a pot that comes indoors before frost, or plant it out in spring for one season.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 9, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 9 in November. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Portuguese Squill get?
12 intall5 ft 7 inan adult6 inwideSee Portuguese Squill in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
Good to know about Portuguese Squill
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
All parts are poisonous, a high-severity poison holding cardiac glycosides that slow the heart. Eating it causes mouth pain, nausea, vomiting, cramping and diarrhea. 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.