Prospero Autumnale

Prospero autumnale, the autumn squill, sends up slender racemes of small violet-purple stars from bare ground in late summer and early autumn, before its narrow leaves appear. The flowers open progressively along dark stems and provide an unexpected splash of colour as many summer plants begin to fade. Formerly known as Scilla autumnalis, it occurs across Europe and the Mediterranean in dry grassland and rocky places. Compact, hardy and well suited to naturalising, it thrives in sunny gravel or short turf with cool-season moisture and a dry summer dormancy.