Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica 'Alba'

Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica 'Alba' is a very pretty form with white flowers of the Lebanese Puschkinia, a bulbous plant that is still not widely spread despite its many qualities. Similar to the wood hyacinth, Puschkinia thrives in cool woodland areas, which it illuminates in early spring. It is a perfectly hardy and low-maintenance plant that naturalizes itself by producing bulblets, forming over time large carpets that beautify year after year.

Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica is a perennial herbaceous plant with a bulb belonging to the Lily family. It is a species native to wet areas and alpine meadows in the Middle East and Near East. It prefers bright semi-shade and light woodland environments, and it prefers deep, humus-rich, sandy loam soils with a slight acidity. The 'Alba' cultivar only differs in the white colour of its flowers.

The vegetation emerges in spring, taking the form of a clump composed of 3 to 6 upright and then trailing basal leaves, narrow and linear, of a bright green colour. From the centre of the clump emerges from February to May (depending on the climate) a floral stem measuring 15 to 20cm (6 to 8in) in height. It bears at its tip a cluster of 5 to 10 small star-shaped bell flowers, white in colour, barely streaked with grey. The foliage dries up in June, while the fruit-bearing floral stem persists until August.

The Lebanese Puschkinia 'Alba' is best planted in mass in an herbaceous border, along a path or under lightly foliaged trees. This bulbous plant will be superb, in all its simplicity, associated with the wild daffodil (Narcissus pseudo-narcissus) which enjoys the same environments. Other pretty and unassuming plants such as wood anemone, winter Aconite, or wild garlic will accompany it in the morning sun or semi-shade, at the edge of a shrub border.