Illustration
Silver Bells
Ornithogalum nutans
Silver Bells blooms from April through May.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Silver Bells
Plant it in part sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 6–8. Expect it to reach about 16 in tall and 5 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (a house reading).
Is Silver Bells toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs and cats by Royal Horticultural Society. Another source we check lists it as non-toxic; where sources disagree, the warning is shown.
- Listed as poisonous to people by Royal Horticultural Society.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Silver Bells
Silver Bells is a fall-planted bulb: get it in the ground 6 to 8 weeks before the ground freezes, typically October or November in zone 7, the middle of its hardy zones 6 to 8. It pays you back the following April to May.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 7, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 7 in October. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Silver Bells get?
16 intall5 ft 7 inan adult5 inwideSee Silver Bells in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
Where these facts come from
Silver Bells' height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 7 published sources on October 24, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- promessedefleurs.iePromesse de Fleursheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Chicago Botanic Gardenhardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- oldhousegardens.comOld House Gardensheight, hardiness zones, sun and water
- jparkers.co.ukJ. Parker'sheight, spread and sun
- missouriplants.comMissouriPlantsheight and bloom months and color
- armleenurseries.co.ukArmlee Nurseriesheight and spread
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Silver Bells
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
All parts are poisonous to dogs, cats, horses, livestock and people; cardiac glycosides, most concentrated in the bulb, cause vomiting and, in larger amounts, heart-rhythm changes. per Pet Poison Helpline
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.