Hyacinthoides hispanica

The Hyacinthoides hispanica, also known as the Spanish Bluebell or Spanish Squill, is a botanical species often confused with the Common Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), which is native to our woodlands. This hardy and tolerant wildflower originates from Spain and Portugal, and has naturalized in many countries. It is a perennial bulb that offers a charming spring flowering, with drooping bell-shaped flowers in a light blue-lilac colour and blue anthers. They emerge from a cluster of large strap-shaped leaves, displaying a beautiful fresh green and glossy colour. Give this prolific plant plenty of space as it forms large and beautifully blooming colonies in spring.

The Endymion hispanicus, another accepted name for the Spanish Bluebell, is a bulbous plant belonging to the Asparagaceae family (subfamily Hyacinthaceae), native to southwestern Europe and North Africa. Its natural habitat includes forest edges, fallow land, and deciduous woodlands (beech, oak, and chestnut), always in partial shade and in soils that remain slightly moist. It is a prolific species, widely naturalized in France, where it competes and readily hybridizes with our Common Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), which thrives in the same environments. In some regions, it tends to outcompete it.

 Anchored by a tall and narrow bulb deeply planted in the soil, the Spanish Bluebell multiplies through numerous stolons, eventually forming dense clumps of lanceolate leaves that are 20 to 50 cm (8 to 20in) long and 3 to 4 cm (1 to 2in) wide at the base, wider than those of the Common Bluebell. Flowering stems emerge from late April to June depending on the climate. They rise to 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16in) and bear clusters of 4 to 16 slightly flared bell-shaped flowers, with little to no recurvature at the tips. The flowers are distributed somewhat all around the stem, unlike those of the Common Bluebell, which are all located on the same side of the stem. The flowering is followed by the formation of globose fruits, while the leaves wither and collapse onto the ground. The seeds are lobed once all the above-ground parts have dried. Naturalizing both through its trailing rhizomes and spontaneous seedlings, the Spanish Bluebell is capable of covering the ground of an entire woodland.

The Spanish Bluebell offers the magnificent spectacle of its flowering, planted en masse in the wilder areas of the garden, where it can spread freely. It is perfect for edging a shaded pathway, lining a wall supporting a fence gate, or enhancing the ground under a cluster of deciduous bushes. It complements the fresh blue colour of broom flowers, accentuates the blooming of flowering almond and cherry trees, creating a magnificent display at little cost. It can also be paired with white, pink, or red tulips and botanical narcissus.