A few weeks ago I had this intense introduction to Siberian squill, a very hardy, early spring flower. I had been reading the book, "Attracting Native Pollinators," which recommends planting Siberian squill for native bees foraging in early spring. Its vibrant blue flowers are a great source of pollen, and observers will see bees carrying the blue pollen from the flowers in their pollen baskets and scobae. Siberian squill is extremely hardy and can survive in zone 2 (-50F)! I found Siberian squill on sale online so I promptly purchased 200 bulbs for my yard. Then I googled Siberian squill to learn more about it. I found an entry on www.minnesotawildflowers.info that calls Siberian squill invasive and advises readers to eradicate it! The website claims Siberian squill spreads rapidly and crowds out native wildflowers, and is therefore undesirable. Other folks say it forms a beautiful blue, ephemeral carpet of flowers over decades, that it is a welcome sight after a long winter, and that all traces of Siberian squill are gone by the end of May.
So I decided to go ahead and plant the Siberian squill I ordered this afternoon. I certainly don't want to propagate problematic plants, but to me the potential benefits of planting Siberian squill far outweigh the risks. Just in case, though, I decided to plant the bulbs in the gravelly, sandy, nutrient-poor fill dirt surrounding our house. That way its vigorous tendencies will be curbed a bit. I am definitely looking forward to seeing those pretty blue flowers popping up in the frozen Minnesota March and watching all the visitors who will come to visit them!
So I decided to go ahead and plant the Siberian squill I ordered this afternoon. I certainly don't want to propagate problematic plants, but to me the potential benefits of planting Siberian squill far outweigh the risks. Just in case, though, I decided to plant the bulbs in the gravelly, sandy, nutrient-poor fill dirt surrounding our house. That way its vigorous tendencies will be curbed a bit. I am definitely looking forward to seeing those pretty blue flowers popping up in the frozen Minnesota March and watching all the visitors who will come to visit them!
