When to plant Spanish bluebells?
In the North this will be in September or October, in the South in October or November. Pick a spot in your garden that has well-draining soil and gets full sun or partial shade. Plant the Spanish bluebell bulbs about 3-4” deep and 4-6” apart, placing them in the ground with their pointy ends up. Divide and replant the clumps after flowering and before the leaves die back. Bear in mind that it’s illegal to dig up clumps of bluebells in the wild, and this method applies to bluebells growing in gardens only. You can also save seed from bluebells and sow them immediately in pots of compost.Do bluebells flower every year? Bluebells are perennials which means they flower annually. They spend the spring soaking up energy from the sunshine and store the energy in their bulb over winter, waiting to bloom again.The Woodland Trust adds that, after your bluebells have finished leafing and flowering each year, you should avoid cutting the foliage off. The leaves use sunlight to make food which strengthens the plant for the following year, they explain.In spring you can get bluebells while they’re flowering (also called ‘in the green’), which many gardeners believe have a better chance of establishing well. Alternatively you can buy them as dry bulbs to plant in autumn.Virginia Bluebells: End of Season Care Dividing & Transplanting: Divide and transplant in the fall when plants are fully dormant. If you divide in the spring you risk disrupting the bloom. Virginia bluebells grow from rhizomes. You can dig up and cut the rhizomes apart, taking care that there is a node on each rhizome.
Do Spanish bluebells naturalize?
This plant is clump-forming, naturalizes easily, and can become weedy. It spreads by bulb offsets and seeds. This plant prefers moist, well-drained soil and part sun or partial shade but tolerates full sun to full shade. Spread of the plant is through seed and vegetatively via the underground white bulbs. The plant prefers shadier areas but will grow in numerous habitats including gardens, woodland and woodland edges and hedgerows.
What is the difference between bluebells and Spanish bluebells?
Spanish bluebells – flowers are a lighter blue and are larger than those of English bluebells. They are unscented and are positioned all the way around upright stems. Pink or white flowers sometimes occur, and as with English bluebells, these have been selected and bred to produce pink or white-flowered cultivars. The flower stem can be up to 18 inches tall, which makes the flowers—12 to 20 hanging, bell-shaped, lavender-blue flowers about 3/4 inch long—stand out quite prominently over the foliage. Spanish bluebell is planted in the fall and typically blooms April to early May.Spanish bluebells have: pale blue (often white or pink), conical-bell flowers, with spreading and open tips.The Spanish bluebell is more vigorous than our native bluebell, so can outcompete it for resources like light and space. It can hybridise with our native, too, producing fertile plants that show a whole range of mixed features from both species.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.Spanish Bluebells Hardy in USDA zones 3a to 8b in the South or 10b on the West Coast.
Is Spanish bluebell invasive?
Spanish bluebell is hardy, robust and easy to grow, but it can be invasive, spreading both by seed and by bulb, and is difficult to get rid of. However it’s best to establish bluebells by buying freshly lifted plants ‘in the green’ – ordered online or by mail order and planted just after flowering in spring.No – you don’t need to get rid of bluebells as they can be useful garden plants and benefit biodiversity.You can also grow bluebells in pots and containers. Choose somewhere partly shady to place your pot.
Where is the best place to plant bluebells?
If we take a cue from their natural habitat it will be no surprise to learn that bluebells thrive in partial shade, under deciduous trees or shrubs and need moist but well-drained soil. I personally think they are at their most stunning when planted under silver birch trees, creating a ‘woodland in miniature’. Bluebells are perennials which means they flower annually. They spend the spring soaking up energy from the sunshine and store the energy in their bulb over winter, waiting to bloom again.Bluebells can be planted from March to June or in autumn from September to November for overwintering. Dig a hole that’s wide enough to fit the bulb comfortably, and at least 2-3 times their depth. If planting in groups, dig a trench instead of individual holes at the same depth.Sowing bluebell seed is much easier than planting bulbs—seed can be scattered at a rate of 160-500/m2 in autumn. Depending on your situation and levels of shade, weed control may be necessary.Pick a spot in your garden that has well-draining soil and gets full sun or partial shade. Plant the Spanish bluebell bulbs about 3-4” deep and 4-6” apart, placing them in the ground with their pointy ends up. Water well once and wait for spring. After the Spanish bluebells have bloomed don’t cut off the foliage.
What month is best to plant bluebells?
Bluebells can be planted from March to June or in autumn from September to November for overwintering. Dig a hole that’s wide enough to fit the bulb comfortably, and at least 2-3 times their depth. You can grow bluebells in a shady corner of a garden with moist but well-draining soil. It’s best to plant bulbs, which you can buy from garden centres, because it can take years for bluebells to grow from seed.How to grow bluebells in your garden. It’s quicker to start with bulbs since seeds can take 4-5 years to reach flowering size. You can buy bulbs either in spring ‘in the green’ (during active growth) when it is believed they are more likely to establish successfully, or as dry bulbs at other times of the year.Over time, you might find your English bluebells spread naturally throughout your beds and borders. You can also grow bluebells in pots and containers. Choose somewhere partly shady to place your pot.You can buy bluebell plants from garden centres. Always try to buy native English bluebells rather than Spanish or hybrid ones which can take over in a garden and escape into the countryside.You can plant dry bluebell bulbs in autumn, but you’re more likely to have success by planting the bulbs ‘in the green’, in late spring. Divide and replant the clumps after flowering and before the leaves die back.