Family:  Asparagus (Asparagaceaea)

Hardy to Zones: 4 to 9

Perennial bulbous plant native to the Mediterranean basin, flowering violet from 6 inches to a foot tall.  The flowers are as bright as neon, occurring in weird, upright tufts.  Deer and rodent resistant, very showy, quite rare in the trade.  Traditional uses (Roman, Greek): bulbs boiled in 2 changes of water, then pickled and preserved in olive oil, considered a delicacy.  Plant prefers part to full sun and fast-draining soils of rockery or disturbed areas.   Space plants 6 inches apart.  These will eventually spread and naturalize.

Potted plant, certified organically grown