how to plant, grow & care for bluebells (2024)

FAQs

How to plant, grow & care for bluebells? ›

Soil type: Bluebells can cope with most soils, but prefer a moist, well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter. Add plenty of well-rotted manure, leaf mould or garden compost prior to planting. Aspect & position: Bluebells are woodland lovers so plant in part shade, ideally below deciduous trees or shrubs.

Bluebells are woodland plants, so they grow best in partial shade with moist but well-drained soil. Adding leaf mould, manure or garden compost to the soil will ensure they have plenty of nutrients. Try planting them in clumps under deciduous trees or shrubs to create a mini-woodland effect.

Plant Virginia bluebells in the spring or fall in rich, moist soil in partial to full shade. Plants can handle a bit of morning sun. The sunnier the area, the more water the plants will need.

If your bluebells thrive, spreading will also happen naturally via bulb division and seed. Dense clumps of bluebells may eventually out-compete more delicate spring plants or spread to the 'wrong' place in your garden.

It is a good idea to remove the faded flower spikes before they set seed to prevent the plants self-seeding and spreading where they aren't wanted. Bluebells are rarely troubled by any pests or diseases. Find your local store and start growing your garden. Looking for specialised gardening advice?

Bluebells in the green should be planted on arrival in spring; dry bulbs should be planted in autumn.

While the first bluebells may flower there in late March, most flowering usually happens through April. This is the best time to see that iconic carpet of blue. Flowers generally last a few weeks, although it depends on the weather. according to Nature's Calendar records 2001-2020.

This plant is considered invasive for the Pacific Northwest as it can spread by underground runners. It easily grows in the shade. Pests: No serious insect or disease problems.

A spring ephemeral native to eastern North America, Virginia bluebells are perennials with blue, bell-shape flowers that open above bright green foliage in midspring.

They tolerate drought and can take hot and dry conditions but will bloom much longer and grow larger if they receive consistent, low watering. The plants will even survive a few dips into freezing and keep blooming in the fall.

Can bluebells be grown in pots? ›

English bluebells can also be grown in containers. Use a pot with good drainage holes and fill it with potting mix. The size of the container depends on how many bulbs you are planting, but because they won't need room to multiply, you can plant them snugly, with just an inch or so between bulbs.

Bluebells. Bluebell plants and bulbs contain 'scillarens', chemicals that reduce the heart rate. This can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy and disorientation in dogs.

LGS Notes: Virginia bluebells work great in rain gardens and as a spring perennial for an all-seasons garden. It is an early spring bloomer and will thrive in shady settings. It is deer resistant, like deer actually don't eat this one (fingers crossed).

Do Bluebells Flower Every Year. Bluebells are perennial plants and once they have matured they will flower every year. It can take a bluebell colony between 5 and 7 years to reach the flowering stage so if they are destroyed it is a slow and extended period before they are in flower again if the areas is replanted.

Bluebells flower in the UK in April and May, and they grow wild in woodlands across the country, according to Countryfile Magazine. Bluebells are a perennial plant which means they flower every year.

It's against the law to intentionally pick, uproot or destroy bluebells. Bluebells have soft, succulent leaves that are particularly sensitive to being trodden on. Once the leaves are damaged, they are unable to absorb the sun and photosynthesise, so they die back.

In the language of flowers, the bluebell is a symbol of humility, constancy, gratitude and everlasting love. It is said that if you turn a bluebell flower inside-out without tearing it, you will win the one you love, and if you wear a wreath of bluebells you will only be able to speak the truth.

The Hyacinthoides non-scripta, or native bluebell, spends most of the year underground. Then suddenly, due to mild spring temperatures, they begin to flower in April and, if we're lucky, last until the end of May.

Bluebells may take a couple of years to flower - you may only get leaves in the first year, but their display is a long term project which will only get better. Once they do start flowering, apart from the bulbs bulking up and dividing, the flowers will set seed which will also add to the future flower power.

They're native to moist woodlands and floodplains at the edges of forests in Eastern North America. They grow from New York west to Minnesota and south from Arkansas to North Carolina.

How hardy are bluebells? ›

Native English bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) are hardy to -20F (-30C).

Bluebell season is between mid April through until late May, when you will be treated to a carpet of blue and purple.

Cattle and deer feed on the leaves of the bluebells and also damage them by crushing them. starch found in the bulbs to stiffen their ruffs . The Lesser Celandine is native to Europe including the British Isles, the Caucuses and Northern Africa, and has also been introduced to North America.

Bluebells are beautiful ground cover in fields by themselves; or, mix with yellow spring-bloomers like daisies and daffodils for striking contrast.

Virginia bluebells develop a long taproot which makes it difficult but not impossible to transplant. If you have to transplant them the best time to do this would be once they have gone dormant, in the fall or very early in the spring before they have begun to flower.

Good companion plants for native bluebells are red campion (Silene dioica) and greater stitchwort (Stellaria holostea).

Easy to grow, Tall Bluebells deserve a spot in the spring garden for the pleasure they provide. Grows up to 8-30 in. tall (20-75 cm). Thrives in moist to wet soils in sun or part shade.

Bluebell flowers tolerate moderate to dry soil. Water the bluebells after planting and every couple of days the first month to stimulate the roots to take hold. Maintaining the bluebells after that involves making sure the plants get around 1 inch of water a week. This can be rain water or water from your garden hose.

In the garden, the scope for toxic plants is fairly wide in our climate. Favourites such as anything growing from a bulb – snowdrops, hyacinths (including grape hyacinths), bluebells, crocuses, daffodils, tulips and any other bulb-grown plant should be kept out of areas where rabbits graze.

Bluebell sap is believed to cause dermatitis and skin irritation. All varieties of bluebells contain glycosides, and therefore all varieties are poisonous.

Do bluebells bloom all summer? ›

Virginia bluebells bloom in mid-spring (typically from mid-April through mid-May in Wisconsin).

Native bluebells are narrow in shape with rolled back tips. Spanish bluebells are more conical with open tips.

English Bluebell seeds should be sown in autumn or early winter , either outside, where they are to flower, or in seed trays and covered lightly with compost.

The bulbs of bluebells are used in folk medicine as a remedy for leucorrhoea, and as a diuretic or styptic, while the sap can be used as an adhesive. The bluebell may be regarded as the United Kingdom's "favourite flower".

The easiest way to distinguish Virginia bluebell from Spanish bluebell is to look at each plant's flower buds and dormancy times. Although the buds of Virginia bluebell are pink when closed, those of Spanish bluebell are not. Spanish bluebell is dormant during winter and regrows in springtime, right before it blooms.

Hostas are popular for being a low-maintenance plant. They grow fast and require very little attention. But if you have a pet you will have to pay attention to them around your Hostas. The toxins glycoside saponins are what make Hostas poisonous for pets.

Bluebell blooms start out as more of a pink or purplish-pink color before changing to the blue shade they are so famous for, and then returning to a more pinkish color after pollination.

A silver, pink and yellow 'bluebell'

For them, a bluebell 'has silvers and pinks and yellows all within its delicate textures, and the blue is something we see simply at first glance'.

Hyacinthoides 'White City' bulbs ('White Bluebells') — Buy online at Farmer Gracy UK.

Pruning and caring for bluebells

Once leaves have turned yellow, cut them at their base. Don't cut them any earlier, since the plant needs to drain its leaves from all their nutrients to prepare for the following blooming cycle. Bluebells should normally propagate themselves naturally as years go by.

What flower is mistaken for bluebell? ›

Bluebell-like plants

For example hyacinths, Hyacinthus orientalis, are a common look-alike although they flower earlier than most bluebells. Species of grape-hyacinth are also often confused with bluebells.

The UK's woodlands are home to almost 50% of the world's population of the bluebell. But this much-loved plant is under threat. The Spanish bluebell is more vigorous than our native bluebell, so can outcompete it for resources like light and space.

Bluebells in superstition

There was a belief that bluebells were used in witches' potions. Others believed that anyone who wanders into a ring of bluebells will fall under fairy enchantment, or that anyone who hears the ringing of the flower's bell will be visited by a malicious fairy and die soon after.

The Cherokee Tribe used this plant to treat pertussis (whooping cough), consumption (tuberculosis), and other respiratory ailments. The Iroquois Tribes used the roots of this plant to treat venereal diseases.

How can we describe the fragrance of the Bluebells? The olfactive profile of the Bluebell is reminiscent of the Hyacinth. It is not a very strong fragrance but it becomes very noticeable when walking through a Bluebell wood. We describe it a green-floral, as it is oily-green and quite intoxicating.

Overwintering. English bluebells are adapted to winters up to USDA zone 4 and need no special winter protection when planted in the ground. Potted bulbs, however, should be protected from freezing temperatures. If you can, bury the container in garden soil in the fall so the roots are well-insulated.

The bluebell is easy to care for and spreads rapidly under the right conditions. This flower is a favorite of hummingbirds because of the shape of its blooms. The flowers are long and narrow, creating the perfect cup for a hummingbird to take nectar from.

Virginia Bluebells are also deer resistant and can be a better choice for those seeking a native species. Naturalized English Bluebells in a dappled woodland.