Description
(Prospero)
A form with good sized, symmetrical, pink-purple flowers which are made as late as November in the wild, but earlier in cultivation here, where it can start as early as the opening days of October. This is much later than the ordinary, narrow-leaved autumnalis. This plant is so amazingly different from autumnalis, both in the size of its flowers spikes but especially in its foliage – classically latifolia has short, broad leaves but you really need to see them, to realise just how broad they are (typically 15mm here) in comparison to ordinary autumnalis (typically 2-3mm), for a Scilla leaf, they are also remarkably ornamental.
The flowers are amongst the largest for the species, rivalling even our own “Titan” when well-grown and they are pleasingly broad-petalled, and both even and symmetrical in appearance. They spring from polished, deep violet buds, to yield paler, blue-violet flowers with a white centre and purple anthers.
This asks for no more than a sunny site and a loamy, well-drained soil with a dry summer rest though it also does particularly well under alpine glass and will happily grow under the staging after flowering.
Nursery stock, originally from Southern Greece.
