Garden Use
There has been considerable confusion over the correct names of species grown in gardens, with the commonest being called either C. luciliae, C. forbesii or C. siehei. A 2005 Royal Horticultural Society publication which illustrates all three of these species states that the commonest garden species is properly called C. siehei.
Three species were awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit (H4 – hardy outdoors anywhere in the British Isles) in 1993 which was re-confirmed in 2004: C. luciliae, C. sardensis, and C. siehei. (C. nana subsp. albescens was also given the award subject to availability.)
All can be bought as dry bulbs and planted while dormant in late summer or early autumn at a depth of 8-10 cm. They require light when in growth, but can be grown under deciduous trees or shrubs, as their foliage dies down after flowering. All flower in early Spring, C. sardensis usually being the earliest. C. siehei seeds freely in many gardens, and can create a carpet of blue.
Read more about this topic: Chionodoxa
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—Bible: Hebrew, Song of Solomon 4:16.