Conversations With My Mother

Subtitled - 'A Worisit?'

I have just returned from a visit to stay with my mother. She will be 88 in a couple of weeks and retains a keen interest in her garden. It was far too cold for her to go out into the garden but we looked out at her raised mainly alpine bed from the kitchen window and chatted. Our conversation went something like this :

Mum - " I lost a plant a couple of years ago from my bed. I'd like to replace it. You knew its name"

Me - "Oh. Give me some clues to jolt my memory"

Mum - "Well I think it had blue and white flowers"

Me  - "When did it flower?"

Mum - "Well it was early enough to get excited"

Me - "Was it before the daffs?

Mum - "I'm not sure"

Me - "Where did you get it from?"

Mum - "Do you expect me to remember that?

Me - "What colour were the leaves?"

Mum - "Grey I think but I couldn't swear to it and if so not very grey"

Me - "What sort of shape was it?"

Mum - "Difficult to describe"

Me - "Was it a bulb?"

Mum - "Possibly but I don't know for definite"

Me - "Did the flowers smell?"

Mum - "Now you are asking too much!"

Me - "Oh"

Mum - "It had a double barreled name"

Me - (clutching at straws at this stage) - "Scilla siberica?"

Mum - "No it wasn't that"

Answers on a postcard please if you can guess the identity of the lost plant!