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Liliaceae FAMILY

Hyacinthoides nonscripta

Hyacinthoides nonscripta

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
1/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitBulb
Growth—

Easily grown in a soil rich in leafmold[1], preferring semi-shade[2, 3] but tolerating full sun. Succeeds in most soils but prefers a heavy one[4]. Succeeds in the dry shade of trees[5, 6]. Bulbs like to be quite deep in the soil[4]. The flowers diffuse a balsam-like scent in the sunshine[7].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring or as soon as ripe in a cold frame. It usually requires stratification. If you have plenty of seed it can be sown in situ, but it is usually more economical to sow it in a frame. If sown thinly, the seedlings can be left in their pots for the first year, though give them regular liquid feeds to make sure that they get sufficient nutrient. Prick out the seedlings about 3 to a pot and grow on for 1 - 2 more years before planting out into their permanent positions when they are dormant[PFAF]. Division of the bulbs in summer after the leaves die down. Larger bulbs can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, but it is best to pot up smaller bulbs and grow them on for a year in a cold frame before planting them out when dormant in late summer. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Hyacinthoides+nonscripta>

Pollinators

Flies, Beetles

References

  1. [1]Bulbs — Phillips. R. and Rix. M. · Pan Books · 1989 · ISBN 0-330-30253-1 ↩︎Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.
  2. [2]Plants for Shade. — Knight. F. P. · Royal Horticultural Society. · 1980 · ISBN 0-900629-78-9 ↩︎A small but informative booklet listing plants that can be grown in shady positions with a few cultivation details.
  3. [3]Shade Plants for Garden and Woodland. — Brown. ↩︎
  4. [4]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  5. [5]The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers — Brickell. C. · Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. · 1990 · ISBN 0-86318-386-7 ↩︎Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
  6. [6]Perennial Garden Plants — Thomas. G. S. · J. M. Dent & Sons, London. · 1990 · ISBN 0 460 86048 8 ↩︎A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
  7. [7]Scented Flora of the World. — Genders. R. · Robert Hale. London. · 1994 · ISBN 0-7090-5440-8 ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
  8. [8]Flora of the British Isles. — Clapham, Tutin and Warburg. · Cambridge University Press · 1962 · ISBN - ↩︎A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
  9. [9]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  10. [10]Plants with a Purpose. — Mabey. R. · Fontana · 1979 · ISBN 0-00-635555-2 ↩︎Details on some of the useful wild plants of Britain. Poor on pictures but otherwise very good.
  11. [11]From Agar to Zenery. — Freethy. R. · The Crowood Press · 1985 · ISBN 0-946284-51-2 ↩︎Very readable, giving details on plant uses based on the authors own experiences.
  12. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎