Hyacinthoides hispanica Rosea - Spanish Bluebell

Hyacinthoides hispanica ‘Rosea’, the pink Spanish bluebell, is a small spring bulb that offers clusters of soft pink bell-shaped flowers. Taller than the native bluebell, its flowers are attached around the stem, above ribbon-like leaves. It can be planted in borders, under deciduous shrubs or in containers. In the garden, it naturalises over time and pairs well with pastel daffodils and small blue bulbs.

This plant belongs to the Asparagaceae family. The species Hyacinthoides hispanica is native to Portugal and western and southern Spain, where it grows at forest edges and in light woodland with soil that is moist in spring but drier in summer. It is commonly called Spanish bluebell, Spanish squill, Spanish hyacinth and false Spanish hyacinth. 'Rosea' is a horticultural form with pink flowers, distinct from the type species which blooms in lilac-blue tones. It is a bulbous perennial: the bulb remains in the ground, develops its foliage in spring, then goes dormant when the leaves yellow. The plant in flower measures 25 to 35 cm tall. The leaves are basal, green, linear, quite broad for a small bulb, with a supple texture. Each bulb first produces a clump of several leaves, then an erect flower stem. The flowers open in April-May, they are gathered in loose clusters arranged all around the stem, not on one side like the wild bluebell. Each bell measures 1 to 2 cm long, has six tepals fused at the base and slightly recurved at the tips. Their colour ranges from pale pink to mauve pink. After flowering, small capsules containing seeds appear. The plant spreads mainly by producing bulblets around the main bulb; self-seeding is possible in light soil. The former name Scilla campanulata is the origin of the vernacular name Spanish bluebell, still very present in bulb catalogues. In regions where the native bluebell grows wild, it is best to avoid introducing this squill into woodland, as the two species can hybridise.

In the garden, plant this Spanish bluebell in groups of 10 to 20 bulbs, along a path border, under deciduous shrubs or between perennials that start late in spring. It benefits from the light before the foliage shades it. In a pot, about ten bulbs are enough to obtain a flowering clump on the terrace or a cool windowsill. It pairs easily with other small spring bulbs such as the daffodil 'Sailboat', Muscari azureum, Anemone blanda 'Blue Shades' or Ipheion uniflorum 'Alberto Castillo'.