Filling the picture frame as they do, you might think that these were tall, stately flowers.
But in reality, they are the teeny-tinest of spring flowers, standing not much taller than a blade of grass.
These little blue scilla were planted by some unknown gardener back at a time when there was a house on the now vacant lot next door. Over the years, they have naturalized themselves in grass. Every spring, the otherwise ordinary lawn, is adorned with these diminutive indigo-colored stars.
I have added my own scilla bulbs as well. In my garden, they wake up the peonies in the flowerbed at the front of the house each year.
Held aloft on stems with a slight purplish hue, they make me think of little blue parasols.
Scilla's small contribution to spring could easily be overshadowed by taller, more showy spring bulbs.
To truly appreciate them, you must shift your perspective a little, and stoop down to ground level.
There are none so blind as those who won't see. English proverb
Oh yes, these are so pretty and absolutely worth changing perspective for! :-)
ReplyDeleteAren't they the loveliest little things... Yes! that is a different perspective...
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely little blooms but they bring so much beauty and joy.
ReplyDeleteI love scilla, how they turn the lawns blue in spring. I was very surprised that there were none at Kilbourne Grove. Usually older homes have them, but it was not to be. So I have planted a few hundred, but you need thousands for a good show, maybe one day in the future, I will have it.
ReplyDeleteYou've captured the beauty of scilla so well with those photos. I love it either close-up or as a carpet of blue from a distance.
ReplyDeleteOh, your flowers are looking very pretty. Not much is blooming here yet. Can't wait to get out and tiptoe amongst the primroses!
ReplyDeleteOh Jennifer, your photos are SO BEAUTIFUL!! Thank you for sharing them! (My crocuses aren't even blooming yet... sigh)
ReplyDeleteJennifer - what gorgeous photos! The first time I ever saw scilla, I immediately fell in love with them! It was spring of 1986 - they were all through the lawn of the Law Library in Toronto. I knew I had to learn what they were and then I had to have them!! They have multiplied beautifully through my beds.
ReplyDeleteAstrid
That's a big flower trapped in a tiny flower's body....you captured them beautifully.
ReplyDeleteI love your photos ,-)
ReplyDeleteYour springflower are SO beatiful!
Love P ,-)
Just a few in bloom here, but treasured all the same. Your photos, from a new perspective, achieved no doubt from ground level ;-) are as always, beautiful and uplifting. Thank you Jennifer.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful color this bulb brings. Great photo's Jennifer.
ReplyDeletegr. Marijke
Jennifer I have these too and love them .. you can't beat that vibrant blue no matter how tiny they are ! Every garden should have them !
ReplyDeleteJoy
Gorgeous pictures, Jennifer. My scilla are done for the year, but what a show they put on!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful flowers, mine are now seeding around and we now have more and more each year, wonderful!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it ironic how one person's beauty is another one's agony? Gardeners of a certain age have difficulty bending down to plant and tend to their garden. Having to crouch again to admire a flower isn't an option for them. For that reason, I had no choice but to remove the Scilla from my beds. It was a heartbreaking exercise.
ReplyDeleteThey are a gorgeous colour - are they the same as Chinodoxias?
ReplyDeleteElaine,
DeleteI was not sure how closely related scilla are to Chionodoxa, so I looked it up online.
Wikipedia says that, "Chionodoxa distinguished from the closely related genus Scilla by two features: the tepals are joined at their bases to form a tube rather than being free; and the stamens have flattened stalks (filaments), which look almost like a cup in the centre of the flower. These differences are not considered by some botanists as sufficient to create a separate genus, and Chionodoxa species are often included in Scilla."
I have both blue and pale pink Chionodoxa. Just this afternoon, I was admiring the pink flowers, which are a relatively new addition to my garden. You can be sure that they will be the subject of some of my next photographs.
Beautiful! The littlest flowers are the sweetest!
ReplyDeleteI'm still waiting for my scilla to bloom (it's early here yet), but I always notice them when they pop out at the very front of the border. Like snowdrops, these little beauties are hard to photograph, but you got some crystal clear close ups that are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI love these little bulbs as well, in fact I just spent some time on my knees on the lawn counting the tiny bulbs emerging in the grass. Mine are barely an inch tall right now so it'll be some time before I see flowers so I'll just enjoy yours in the meantime :)
ReplyDeleteI like Scilla, have a few in the front yard, hope they spread over the next few years. I have another plant, Ledebouria cooperi. It is a false scilla, blooms later in the summer. I bought it years ago because of the name..
ReplyDelete;-)
lovely pictures!
I will share Ledebouria cooperi when it blooms.
Such a gorgeous color! And a sweet bloom. Surely worth getting on hands and feet to see a little better. :)
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely photos
ReplyDeleteWow ! Such beautiful captures ! For a moment I forgot that these are tiny flowers. Yes, they are tiny but if we observe closely then we can see their grandeur. The keen eye of a photographer is only capable of showing this grandeur of mother nature, ( however tiny ) to those who may not otherwise pay attention to such details.
ReplyDeleteI am not adverse to crawling down on the ground to see the beauty of nature. What sweet little blooms!
ReplyDeleteI planted some scilia last fall and only one came up, wonder who ate these? At my old, old, house I had a sea of scilia so beautiful in the spring. Oh well, I will try again this fall and see if I can get some going.
ReplyDeleteEileen
I love the blue of these dainty little flowers. Size isn't everything!
ReplyDeleteThose Scilla may be small in stature but they're big in terms of beauty. Lovely photographs!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photographs. Many of these tiny flowers are so very pretty when we take the time to stop and really look at them.
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful that you are able to capture the detail of these perfect, tiny flowers. I can't help but wonder if you were sprawled out on your belly to get these views.
ReplyDeleteYou'd be surprised at the gymnastics I do to get the shot I want!
DeleteSo pretty. I love the color of these delicate little flowers.
ReplyDeleteI always seem to be on my hands and knees to get photographs too!
ReplyDeleteThese are lovely...such a wonderful shade of blue. I grow them but they aren't nearly as magnificent as these probably because they appreciate a cooler climate. I love the surprise of spring bulbs and when they naturalize it's even better. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteI have two little clumps of these, and love the impossibly blue color.
ReplyDelete