True blue flowers are uncommon in nature. They can mirror the sky at twilight and conjure the image of a sea. They’re soothing, endlessly alluring, and striking. Luckily, there are a number of easy-to-grow bulbs you can plant right now for a spectacular spring display.
Photograph by John Scheepers
1. Puschkinia scilloides var libanotica
Flaunting pale petals striped with blue, this fragrant heirloom c. 1805 is compact at five inches in height, and blooms in early spring.
Photograph by John Scheepers
Sweetly fragrant, Spanish bluebells are ideal for shady spots like under shrubs and trees (even black walnuts, which are notoriously inhospitable companions).
2. Hyacinthoides hispanica ‘Excelsior’
Photograph by John Scheepers
Brodiaea laxa ‘Corrina’ (syn. Triteleia laxa ‘Corrina’) is a California native with grass-like foliage and umbels of vibrant violet-blue flowers that bloom in late spring.
3. Brodiaea laxa ‘Corrina’
Photograph by John Scheepers
Like azure pompoms cheering on the arrival of summer, Allium azureum (syn. A. caeruleum) pops up in June on two-foot-tall stems.
4. Allium azureum syn. A. caeruleum
Photograph by John Scheepers
Named after the late British gardener and photographer after it was discovered growing in her garden, this periwinkle grape hyacinth cultivar emerges in early spring around the same time as daffodils.