Early spring flowering bulbs, which now includes the old genus Chionodoxa. Tending to be smaller plants, with starry or bell-shaped flowers, often blue. Looking amazing en-masse, as early colour in your border, or for naturalising in grass. Looking particularly fine with Narcissus (daffodils). Larger species, like S. peruviana, flower much later in spring, to early summer.
The welcome flowers of the smaller squills provide an irresistible early-season attraction to honeybees in particular, a vital resource at what can be a difficult time of the year. Taller, later species like S. peruviana flower at a time of year when there is a greater abundance of nectar and pollen in the garden. but they still manage to pull in the pollinators as well a looking simply stunning.