Giant White Squill

The Story of these Enormous Bulbs

Back in the mid 80's a young fellow, a horticulturist by training, moved to California and met a former U.S.D.A. plant explorer who had been growing giant white squill for years. The young horticulturist was fascinated. He decided the bulbs would be fun to raise, could be terrific additions to warm weather gardens and would produce dramatic flowers for creative florists who wanted new material for arrangements.

The horticulturalist cloned and planted some giant white squill in the deserts of Southern California. Then he planted more. From just 8 original bulbs, his squill fields expanded to over 8 acres and now represent the largest crop in America of this rare plant.

Seasons past, the bulbs grew larger, baking in the sun and blooming without any special care. In November the bulbs produced lush leaves, wide and smooth. The foliage grew about 3 feet high and stayed green until the warm weather of May prompted the bulbs to slip into dormancy, a sleepy state where they stayed until late summer.

Then in August, the tall flower stalks magically appeared, grew at the extraordinary rate of 2" to 3" per day and curled into curious twisted spires of tiny white blossoms. The bloom spikes that were cut for flower arrangements continuing to grow another 6" to 8", changing daily and twisting into sensuous curves.  (See below.)

The giant white squill plants growing in the desert were never irrigated or protected from predators. It wasn't necessary. In their native Mediterranean lands these plants naturalize in harsh, dry areas and the bulbs are used as the active ingredient in rodent poison.

While the bulb farmer has spent the last 20 years working at botanical gardens and heirloom seed banks, and growing organic vegetables, small fruits and unusual cut flowers, he has continued to tend his giant squill crop. Each fall he sells squill stems to select florists and, luckily for us, allows us to buy some of his carefully cloned bulbs.

So if you're a gardener who appreciates rare plants, interesting history or just horticultural oddities, here's your chance to own giant white squill.