Standing tall

Giant sea squill bulbs produce showstopping stalks of tiny white flowers

The tall spikes of sea quills have hundreds of tiny white flowers.
The tall spikes of sea quills have hundreds of tiny white flowers. Nan Sterman

The mercury had already passed 90 degrees as I approached the Murrieta ranch where the farmer would be cutting flowers. It was only 8:30 on a hot September morning. I was driving along a remote road where street numbers seemed arranged in random order. Was I lost, I wondered?

Then I saw the unforgettable vision; field after field of sparkling white. Clearly, I had arrived.

I drove down the dusty driveway and wondered where I would find the farmer. I had been told to look for him in the fields, but they were filled with white, poker-topped flower stalks that stood more than 6 feet tall. How could I find him?

Fortunately, he heard my car approaching and came looking for me. That morning, I was initiated into the magic of sea squill, Urginea maritima (also called Drimia maritima) a bulb I still find fascinating, more than a decade later.

Sea squill is native to coastal Mediterranean regions where bulbs grow in sand or gravel, harsh sun, and very little rainfall. The bulbs are huge; I’ve seen basketball-sized bulbs with flower stalks topping 6 feet. Amazingly deep roots, about as deep as the stalk is tall, help the plants survive in sunny, arid locations.

From late fall until July or August, sea squill is in foliage. Beautiful, slightly twisted, green or bluish-green leaves stand 18 inches to 2 feet tall. With the heat of summer, leaves wither and each bulb takes a brief rest. In late summer, a single purple-brown stalk topped in a white flower emerges from each naked bulb.

The “flower,” is actually an inflorescence, which is the term for a cluster of flowers. Look closely to see hundreds of tiny, white, lightly scented, star-shaped flowers, each with a bright green center. Flowers line the top of the stalk and open in sequence starting at the bottom. That sequence creates the characteristic poker appearance.

Over time, bulbs grow stouter, and some divide to make clumps. When one bulb becomes two, then four then more, each bulb makes its own flower stalk. As a bulb grows rounder and broader, its flower stalk seems to grow taller and more robust.

Sea squill flowers are long lived and very striking as cut flowers. In the garden, they are show stoppers.

How to grow sea squill

It’s almost the end of the sea squill cut flower season now, but dormant bulbs, softball to cantaloupe sized, are still available in specialty nurseries, big box stores and online. Take my word for it, they are worth searching out.

Plant sea squill bulbs in full sun, so bulbs get little to no water. Really. This bulb does fine with absolutely no water; which is how they are grown in the fields of Murrieta.

Choose a spot with well draining, even rocky soil. In heavy soil, use restraint to keep from overwatering the bulbs; otherwise, they can rot.

Set only about ¾ of the bulb beneath the soil; be sure to leave its “shoulders” above ground.


