This charming and rarely cultivated bulb is native to the western Mediterranean, particularly in Morocco and Algeria, where it grows in open woodland and scrub. Smaller and more delicate than the common English bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Hyacinthoides mauritanica produces slender spikes of soft blue to violet, bell-shaped flowers in early spring. The striking dark blue anthers and blue seed capsule is a show in itself. The blooms are lightly fragrant, rising from narrow, strap-shaped foliage, that slithers on the ground like a snake, making it dynamite in a rock garden or crevce garden.
Well-suited to rock gardens, woodland edges, or naturalizing in light shade, this species thrives in well-drained soils and benefits from a dry summer rest. It can also be grown in pots for close-up appreciation. Hardy to USDA zone 7, though in colder regions it is best given protection from winter wet. A delightful and unusual choice for collectors of Mediterranean bulbs and bluebell relatives.
This charming and rarely cultivated bulb is native to the western Mediterranean, particularly in Morocco and Algeria, where it grows in open woodland and scrub. Smaller and more delicate than the common English bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Hyacinthoides mauritanica produces slender spikes of soft blue to violet, bell-shaped flowers in early spring. The striking dark blue anthers and blue seed capsule is a show in itself. The blooms are lightly fragrant, rising from narrow, strap-shaped foliage, that slithers on the ground like a snake, making it dynamite in a rock garden or crevce garden.
Well-suited to rock gardens, woodland edges, or naturalizing in light shade, this species thrives in well-drained soils and benefits from a dry summer rest. It can also be grown in pots for close-up appreciation. Hardy to USDA zone 7, though in colder regions it is best given protection from winter wet. A delightful and unusual choice for collectors of Mediterranean bulbs and bluebell relatives.
