chionodoxa sardensis

Native to western Turkey (now placed by some authors within the genus Scilla as Scilla sardensis), Chionodoxa sardensis is a small bulbous plant introduced into cultivation as early as 1883. Each bulb produces two to three narrow leaves and a single stem bearing up to twenty star-shaped, six-petalled flowers of a uniform vivid blue, lacking the white centre typical of other Chionodoxa, gathered in a loose pyramidal to one-sided raceme. Flowering occurs in earliest spring. It requires a sunny position, well-drained soil, and dry summer dormancy.