10 pounds of flower power

For those whose tastes run to the eccentric, giant white squill is the bulb to try. It is huge, 10 pounds at maturity and the size of a volleyball. Its flowers resemble giant candles in the landscape. As the plant divides and multiplies, the scaly bulbs may push up through the soil and form clumps, creating natural sculptures.

June through October is the best time to plant this odd bulb, Urginea maritima (recently renamed Drimia maritima), although gardeners can get it into the ground through December. It is easy. A native of the Mediterranean, it thrives in dry, well-draining soil and needs nothing more. By mid-March, wide, wavy leaves have grown to 30 inches high and remain until they yellow and dry in June. That’s when Peter McCrohan, the largest Urginea grower in the country, gets phone calls asking if the plant is dead. No, he says, it’s time for the bulb to store energy for its summer miracle.

The show begins in midsummer when a spike emerges. The inflorescence grows for 24 days until it is 4 feet tall and covered with florets. Each day thereafter 2 inches of white flowers open starting at the bottom of the spike. The tip lengthens until it grows to 5 feet tall. Flowers can be cut and used in arrangements or left in the garden. There’s more to this weird bulb than leaves and flowers.

McCrohan says that the Romans were aware of the plant’s additional benefits. An ancient Roman mosaic shows a fig tree surrounded by Urginea to protect it from rodents. Garden pests avoid Urginea because it’s deadly to dine on.

No pests. No water. Craves heat. Sounds like a plant any gardener would like. A few caveats: Bulbs may take one to two years to flower, and they are not widely distributed. They can be found at Easytogrowbulbs.com and Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar.

-- Ellen Hoffs