Bellevalia pycnantha Green Pearl

Bellavalia pycnantha Green Pearl (synonym B. paradoxa) is a rare bulbous plant in cultivation, but easy to grow as long as it benefits from a well-drained soil, preferably dry in summer. Similar to muscari and hyacinths, this lovely green-flowered form is also distinguished by the structure of its floral spikes and its larger flowers, which open like little bells. Like muscari, Bellavalia blooms in the heart of spring. It is a small hardy plant that requires being planted in a well-drained, rocky or sandy soil. The tender green turning to cream-white colour of its flowers pairs well with all the colours of the rainbow.

Bellavalia pycnantha, formerly known as Muscari paradoxum, is a bulbous plant belonging to the asparagaceae family and native to Turkey, found in the mountains of the Caucasus. It grows in sunny areas between rocks or in meadows, always in well-drained soil and under rather dry conditions in summer. Its cold resistance, under such growing conditions, is around -14°C (6.8°F) at its lowest.

In this Bellavalia paradoxa Green Pearl, root growth begins in late summer with the return of rain, and the foliage emerges from the ground during winter. The ribbon-like leaves are wider than those of the grape hyacinth, resembling tulip or hyacinth leaves, measuring 10 to 40 cm (4 to 16in) long and 0.6 to 1.5 cm (0.4 to 1in) wide. They have a slightly glaucous green colour. The flowering stems emerge slowly from the centre of the leaf clump in March-April, always remaining shorter than the foliage. The flowering period is long, lasting 25 days in April-May. The flower buds are compressed on a conical spike, similar to the Oriental hyacinth. They are dark blue and open from bottom to top, with small campanulate florets measuring 0.8 to 1.4 cm (0.5 to 1in) long. Their colour changes from dark blue to a lighter blue-violet, with a fine pale yellow-green edge. Bumblebees and bees are the pollinators of these flowers. The triangular-shaped fruits contain small round seeds. The entire vegetation dries up in June, while the bulb enters a dormant period for the entire summer, preferably in a dry state.

Bellavalia paradoxa is a rather rare plant that enriches the range of these small spring bulbs that all gardeners eagerly await. Once established, it multiplies spontaneously without becoming invasive. Hardy and drought-resistant, it can be used in various situations: at the base of deciduous trees with anemones, as a border to highlight the design of a pathway, in rockeries alongside botanical tulips and crocuses, or in raised beds with Siberian squills and small botanical daffodils.