Will a Scilla Fill a Pot?

Perhaps one of the best kept secrets in my area is the Tulip Tree Gift Shop at the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory.  Besides unique garden-related items, they've got a wonderful selection of potted plants at can't-resist prices. These aren't your usual big box store selections and they certainly are more healthy than their counterparts.

A nice feature is that the gift shop often offers the same plants they show in the conservatory.  For example, our last visit made heavy use of Primulas, and you could purchase one for yourself for just a few dollars.

Whenever I want (notice I didn't say "need") a new and unusual (to me) houseplant, The Tulip Tree is the first place that comes to mind.  You don't have to pay admission to the conservatory to visit the gift shop, which is located just inside the front doors, and if you're an AHS card holder or member of the conservatory, you'll get 10% off the purchase of anything in the shop.

Last week, before we left the conservatory, we stepped into The Tulip Tree. (Isn't that a great name? The tulip tree - Liriodendron tulipifera - is Indiana's state tree.) I made my way back to the plants and chose a couple of new ones to take home with me. I had an empty pot to fill.

I've a weakness for interesting foliage, so I grabbed the two remaining Ledebouria socialis (syn. Scilla violacea and Scilla socialis), also known as Silver Squill.  It's a succulent bulb, and if you look down into the plant, you'll see them.  These bulbs are not to be covered with soil and only add to the plant's interest.

The leaves are spotted on top, which is what grabbed my attention, and reddish-purple on their undersides.  Their racemes of tiny flowers are really unremarkable until you examine them up close. This is one of those that always leaves me in awe of the detail God puts into such a tiny thing. Each individual flower is only ¼-inch at its widest point.

 

This squill is an ideal houseplant because it requires very little care. Due to its succulent properties of storing water in its bulbs, care must be taken to not overwater.  I put it in a sunny south window to satisfy its need for full sun.  From what I've read, it multiplies readily, so I may have some to share with my girls later.

I also bought a Tillandsia, which is in bud.  More on that one when it blooms!