Gardening

Silver Squill: The October 2022 Houseplant of the Month

This charming little plant lives on the edge of two worlds. You could see it as a succulent plant, as it does indeed store moisture in its organs for survival during hard times, yet it is also a bulbous plant or geophyte, with a definite bulb.

That said, bulbs are usually underground organs, but not this one!

Background

Silver squill belongs to the Asparagaceae family. It’s a close relative of the squills many of us grow in our home gardens (Scilla spp.). You may know, for example, the blue-flowered spring bulb, Siberian squill (Scilla siberica), widely grown in temperate climates.

In fact, silver squill was first described botanically as Scilla socialis by English botanist John Gilbert Baker in 1870. However, the name was changed to Ledebouria socialis in 1970 after a revision of the genus Scilla moved a group of mostly African species to their own genus. The new genus contains 39 species of Ledebouria from South Africa, with others spread across Africa, India and Madagascar. The new genus was named for Carl Friedrich von Ledebour (1786–1851), a German-Estonian botanist.

As for the epithet socialis, it refers to the plant’s habit of growing in dense colonies. It makes a charming groundcover in semi-arid tropical climates, for example.

Pot of silver squill with silver leaves spotted green.
Silver squill (Ledebouria socialis) gradually fills its pot. Photo: elo7.com.br

You may also see this plant with the label S. violacea or L. violacea. That’s because silver squill is highly variable in the wild and some botanists thought one form with purple leaf undersides different enough to form its own species. Most now include it in the basic species L. socialis.

Origin

Found in the wild in a wide rang of soils, from rich to poor, acid to alkaline and stony to sandy and loamy, it’s a plant of the transition zone between the Eastern and Western Cape in South Africa. You’ll find it in shady spots in the evergreen forest and under scrub vegetation in drier sites. It is very widely distributed and the most common of all the ledebourias.

The local climate is frost-free or only rarely touched by frost, but winters are still distinctly cool, especially at night. The climate is semi-arid. In the wild, silver squill blooms early summer (October or November) after a rainy winter. If the winter rains fail, it can lose its leaves and remain dormant for several years until the rains return.

Appearance

Reddish bulb of silver squill.
The red to purple bulbs add to the plant’s attractions. Photo; Little Prince Plants

We grow silver squill for its foliage and bulbs. The bulbs are usually red to purple, tear-shaped, and, as mentioned, borne aboveground or with just their base covered. Each produces to 3 to 5 leaves. The leaves are most often lance-shaped to triangular, 2 ¾ inches (5 to 7 cm) long and ½ to ¾ inch (1 to 1.5 cm) wide. They can be green to silvery above with green to brown spots on the upper side. The underside of the leaf varies from green to purple. Silvery varieties with purple undersides (often called ‘Violacea’) dominate in our plant collections.

You’d expect a squill to have attractive flowers, but silver squill will certainly disappoint you.

Green and pink flowers of silver squill.
The flowers are small and green with a touch of pink or white. Photo: wildflowernursery.co.za

The flowers are at best curious. Perhaps attractive enough if studied closeup, but certainly nothing to write home about. First, they are tiny, about 1/8 inch (4 mm), with 10 to 30 florets spaced well apart on an upright or arching stalk up to 10 inches (25 cm) tall. The hanging bell-shaped flowers are not very strikingly colored. They are mostly green with white or pink highlights. Stamens add more color with yellow and sometimes purple. But you need a magnifying glass to really notice!

In general, silver squill blooms in late spring or early summer, whenever that is in your climate.

Flowering is followed by green seed capsules that release small, black, glossy seeds.

Varieties

Cooper’s false squill with pink flowers.
Cooper’s false squill (Ledebouria cooperi). Photo: peganum, Wikimedia Commons

You occasionally see other ledebourias on offer in succulent nurseries. Cooper’s false squill (Ledebouria cooperi, syn. Scilla cooperi), with red-veined green leaves and attractive pink flowers, is one such species. Galpiin’s false squill (L. galpinii, syn. S. galpinii) is another one with pink flowers and this time, curiously pitted leaves.

Mostly, though, any ledebouria you see in nurseries will be L. socialis or variants of that species.

As mentioned, the most common form is one some experts are calling Ledebouria socialis ‘Violacea’, with purple-backed leaves that are silver above with green spots. This is not an official cultivar name, but may become one eventually. This is the common silver squill seen everywhere.

Variegated silver squill with mottled leaves striped pink.
Variegated silver squill (‘Variegata’). Photo: AllAboutSucculentsFL

‘Variegata’, also labeled ‘Juda’, bears a margin of white or pink on each leaf, with sometimes a variegated central stripe. You can find it quite readily if you do a bit of research online.

Growing Silver Squill

It’s an easy plant to grow, adapting to most indoor gardening conditions. So, you can treat it like a standard, tropical houseplant and it will do fine, but also give it harsh growing conditions, with a winter-long drought, like a succulent, and it will do just as well. Here are some details to guide you.

Light

Indoors, full sun, such is right in front of a south or west window, will give denser, more attractive plants, although moderate light is quite acceptable. Outdoors—and this plant can be used as a groundcover or rock garden plant in tropical climates—, some shade is preferable. Houseplant silver squills will appreciate a summer outdoors once temperatures are above 60°F (15°C).

Watering

You can water silver squill abundantly and thoroughly in the spring and summer, whenever the soil dries out, like a typical houseplant. But you can also let it dry out deeply between waterings like a succulent. You choose!

In the winter, though, you really need to keep this plant dry, at least if you want to see flowers. That could be either mean waiting 2 weeks or so after it feels dry to the touch before watering, or not watering it at all over the winter. Pick up with regular waterings as days become longer in the spring.

(You might want to read the article 5 Simple Rules for Watering Succulent Houseplants.)

If you plan to travel, just let your silver squill cope on its own. Even if it dries out and loses all its leaves due to lack of water, it will grow new ones when watered again.

Atmospheric Humidity

Although it comes from a fairly arid climate, silver squill tolerates both humid and dry air.

Fertilizer

Fertilize lightly during the spring and summer. Any fertilizer will suffice.

Temperature

Typical cool to hot indoor temperatures are fine from spring through fall. Keep distinctly cool in the winter, down to 41 °F (5 °C) at night. It can tolerate a light frost, down to -4°F (-1°C), especially if it is fairly dry, but why risk it?

Repotting

This shallow-rooted plant is not one that requires a deep pot. There are half pots, also called tubs, which, though hard to find, that would suit it perfectly.

The nature of this plant is to fill its pot with offsets. When the pot is full, you can either break up the clump that has formed, replanting the bulbs with only the lower 1/3 of the base covered, or repotting the whole clump into a bigger pot. Good drainage is vital, so you need a pot with drainage holes and a well-drained soil. Most succulent mixes fill that bill, but then, so do standard potting mixes! You choose!

Grooming

Remove drying leaves, paper-dry tunics from bulbs and faded flowers.

Multiplication

Usually done by division in spring, but you can also divide it at other seasons if you’re careful not to overwater afterwards. Or remove bulbs and barely push their base into a pot of growing mix. Keep these dry at first, until there are signs of rooting.

You can grow silver squill from seeds as well. Just barely cover the seeds and keep warm, moist and well lit. Germination takes about 2 to 3 weeks. Grow the seedlings under fairly humid conditions until they are well established. (Think “vegetable”!) Expect the first blooms in 2 to 3 years.

Problems

Infrequent, but mealybugs and scale insects are possible, as are aphids and thrips.

Toxicity

This plant is often classified as poisonous in Europe and North American publications, but apparently this is based on a belief that may not be true.

Silver squill was long considered closely related to the highly toxic blue squill (formerly Scilla natalensis, now Merwilla plumbea) and thus put into the toxic category. However, we now know they are actually quite distant relatives and now belong to two different genera. It is interesting to note that no cases of poisoning have ever been documented for silver squill, nor is it considered toxic in its native South Africa. As a result, there is considerable doubt about the toxicity of this plant.

Until things clear up, it would probably be best to consider it as being of unknown toxicity. So, keep it out of reach of children or pets.


The silver squill, an easy, long-lived succulent (or bulb!) that would look just wonderful on your windowsill or work desk! Try one soon!

Garden writer and blogger, author of 65 gardening books, lecturer and communicator, the Laidback Gardener, Larry Hodgson, passed away in October 2022. Known for his great generosity, his thoroughness and his sense of humor, he reached several generations of amateur and professional gardeners over his 40-year career. Thanks to his son, Mathieu Hodgson, and a team of contributors, laidbackgardener.blog will continue its mission of demystifying gardening and making it more accessible to all.

13 comments on “Silver Squill: The October 2022 Houseplant of the Month

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  2. Daryl Dixon

    What a delightful read about the Silver Squill! ? I’ve always been fascinated by unique houseplants, and the Silver Squill’s intricate patterns and bulbous base make it stand out. It’s great to know that it’s not just a pretty face but also relatively easy to care for, especially for someone like me who doesn’t have the greenest thumb. ?
    I’m currently working on a programming research paper that involves creating a database of various houseplants and their care instructions. While I’ve got the technical side of things down, I’ve been looking for detailed and reliable information on different plants. Your blog has been a treasure trove of knowledge! ??
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  3. I found a silver squill looking sad at doctors office. The plant was so neglected! Scooped a couple bulbs and headed home with the beautiful spotted bulbs. I was so happy
    And hopeful. Not only
    Did they take and propogate but they gifted me
    With windy stems of the most delicate and beautiful bell shaped flowers. I thank the author for the information but I disagreed…the flowers are stunning! I watch eagerly every year for them!!!!!
    I am an admitted plant
    Addict…I will never recover..and this plant is so full of personality! Quickly
    Became a fav…possibly
    The fav….
    But like
    My
    Children…I can’t pic a favourite….they all have their beautiful qualities….
    The tiny flowers are gorgeous!

  4. Thank you. I finally located my plant roommate, who I’ve known for more than 20 years. Maybe setting a few little stones may help keep them upright. https://authorcareynolds.com/

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  7. Many thanks. I’ve known my plant roommate for more than 20 years, and I’ve finally found her. Perhaps placing some small stones will aid in keeping them standing. https://ealanfleischauer.com/books/ It is quite content under the skylight in my kitchen.

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  9. billyroberts1

    Wow you’ve filled my heart with joy. I have a silver squill plant, got it the year before. It’s been a miscreant to sort out I read upon it and heeded the guidance given yet it stays leggy and scraggly looking. The leaves edges are https://essaymap.org/thesis-dissertation/ brown. It had little guys this mid year and they’re flourishing.
    I was going to abandon it until your article emerged. I will follow your article perfectly and ideally it will prosper.

  10. Margo Margo

    Thankyou ! Finally identified my plant roommate I’ve had for over 20 years . Perhaps adding little stones will help them stay upright. It is quite happy under my kitchen skylight.

  11. Jeffery Berry

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  12. My goodness you’ve made my day. I have a silver squill plant, got it last year. It’s been a rascal to figure out I read upon it and followed the advice given but it stays leggy and scraggly looking. The leaves edges are turning brown. It had pups this summer and they’re thriving.
    I was just about to give up on it until your article came out. I’m going to follow your article to a tee and hopefully it will flourish. It’s a beautiful plant that I just had to have. I however don’t have much luck with succulents. I pray this one changes my luck. Thanks for sharing your article I really appreciate you and I truly needed it.

  13. I had one of these little fellows for quite a while but couldn’t find much information on what it was or how to grow it beyond the usual ‘houseplant, bright light, well drained’ tag on the container. I lost the plant eventually but thanks to your excellent post will seek it out again.

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