Scientific name: Convolvulus sabatius Viv.

Family: Convolvulaceae

Common name: Ground Morning Glory

At La Concepción we wanted to pay homage to Pablo Picasso by remembering the painter's blue period, and plants of a species with blue flowers have been planted on a slope in the Garden of the Senses. It is a groundcover, which expands and colonises the land around it, just as Picasso's influence has flooded art with his genius right up to the present day.

Our protagonist is distributed in southern Europe and North Africa. Its generic name derives from the Latin word convolvere, meaning to wind, because almost all convolvulus are climbers; the species name refers to the fact that it was first described in Savona, in the Italian region of Liguria.

Bluebell has slender stems and greyish-green, softly hairy leaves. The flowers are sky-blue, between 2.5 and 5 cm in diameter, and their nectar is attractive to pollinating insects. It is a creeping perennial that flowers for a long season, from spring to summer. It spreads over the ground as well as over walls or rockeries. It is hardy and does not require too much moisture, it can grow in dry or coastal gardens; it likes a sunny spot but will also live in some shade. Like most plants, it prefers rich, well-drained soil. For its good gardening behaviour, it has been awarded a prize by the Royal Horticultural Society.