When to plant Spanish bluebell seeds?
When to Plant. As with many other spring-blooming bulbs, Spanish Bluebells should be planted around early to mid-fall, after the soil has cooled down a bit. You can also grow bluebells in pots and containers. Choose somewhere partly shady to place your pot.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. Please stick to the paths to help our precious bluebells thrive.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.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.
Can I just scatter bluebell seeds?
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. Gardening Challenge: Growing from Seed Virginia bluebells will re-seed throughout the garden, and you can grow them from seed at home, but it can be a difficult process. Bluebells seeds require stratification, or a period of cold, somewhat moist weather in order to germinate.How to Grow Virginia Bluebells From Seed. Seeds need a period of cold and moisture to germinate, otherwise known as stratification.We have a licence to sell wild bluebell seeds from DEFRA. Licence number WLF 026233. These seeds are all from our own woods. Only a small percentage of our bluebell seed is harvested for sale.
Can you grow bluebells from seed?
Bluebell seeds can take up to 6 months to germinate and will need a further year or two before they can be planted out while dormant. They take about 4 to 5 years to reach flowering. 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.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.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.Also bear in mind that Spanish bluebells are extremely invasive and may outgrow their welcome. Plant dormant bulbs in autumn in partial shade where their invasive tendencies won’t harm nearby plants. Deadhead after flowering to avoid seeding.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.
How do Spanish bluebells spread?
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. 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.
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. Spanish bluebells have: pale blue (often white or pink), conical-bell flowers, with spreading and open tips.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.Here is a brief comparison between the two types of Bluebells: Native bluebells give off a beautiful sweet aroma. Spanish bluebells have no smell.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.
How long does it take to grow bluebells from seed?
Bluebells typically take 2–3 years to flower when grown from seed. However, once established, they will return and multiply year after year. Can bluebells be grown in containers? Yes, bluebells can be grown in large, deep containers with well-draining soil. Bluebell seeds can take several years to reach flowering size, so it’s better to buy bulbs. 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.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’.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.It’s important to deadhead your Spanish or hybrid bluebells after flowering, as this will help to reduce seeding, explains Zoe.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.
How to grow Spanish Bluebells?
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. 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.Plant in naturalistic drifts, 10cm deep and approximately 10cm apart. It’s possible to grow bluebells from seed.The plant spreads readily by seed and by underground runners which produce new bulbs. This species can hybridise with our native bluebell changing native population genetics. Both the Spanish bluebell and the hybrids are displacing native bluebells in their natural range.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.I picked up a new edition of “Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas” and found that one of my favorite bulbs, Hyacinthoides hispanica, or Spanish Bluebells, is a new entry, its invasive qualities manifesting in my area.