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Siberian Squill
Scilla siberica
Siberian Squill blooms from March through April.
Mature size, 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.
Growing Siberian Squill
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 2–8. Expect it to reach about 6 in tall and 3 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year.
When to plant Siberian Squill
Siberian Squill is a fall-planted bulb: get it in the ground 6 to 8 weeks before the ground freezes, typically September or October across zones 2 to 8. It pays you back the following March to April.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 5 in September.
5 more colors in the Scilla family
Same family, similar care - pick the one you are growing.
Good to know about Siberian 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
Worth knowing
One toxin explains three traits at once: the same cardiac glycosides that poison people and pets are why deer, rabbits and rodents all leave it alone. per NC State and Iowa State
Cold limit varies by source
Sources split on the cold end: Penn State Arboretum lists zones 3 to 8, Missouri Botanical Garden rates it to zone 2. Reliable to zone 3, or 2 with snow. per Penn State and Missouri Botanical Garden
Escapes into wild areas
It self-seeds and offsets aggressively, escaping lawns into woodlands and natural areas across the Upper Midwest and Northeast, and is hard to eradicate. Check your state's invasive list. per University of Minnesota and Iowa State
Spreads into blue carpets
Left undisturbed, it multiplies by offsets and self-sown seed into spreading deep-blue carpets and drifts under trees, in rock gardens, borders and lawns, returning every year. per Iowa State
Early food for bees
Among the first bulbs to open right after snowmelt, its flowers feed overwintered and newly emerged bees when little else is blooming. per Iowa State and Penn State
Plant in fall, in drifts
Plant the small bulbs in fall in generous drifts (Iowa State suggests 100 or more), pointed end up, 3 to 4 in deep and 2 to 3 in apart. per Iowa State
What pairs well with Siberian Squill
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
False Indigo
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in late spring as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; stands well above at 3.3 ft, a canopy to plant beneath.
Sneezeweed
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in midsummer, extending the bed's season; stands well above at 3.3 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Perennial Sunflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in late summer, extending the bed's season; stands well above at 4.9 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Blue Oat Grass
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; blooms in early summer, extending the bed's season; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Feather Reed Grass
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early summer, extending the bed's season; stands well above at 4.9 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Fountain Grass
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in late summer, extending the bed's season; stands well above at 3.3 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Ninebark
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in late spring as this one finishes; stands well above at 6.6 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; a soft color beside the blue.
Boxwood
Shares full sun and moderate water; stands well above at 3.9 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
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