QA

Quick Answer: How To Plant Virginia Bluebells

How do you plant Virginia bluebell tubers?

Soil: Moist soil, rich in organic matter is best for Virginia bluebells. Spacing: Space plants 12-18 inches apart for a lush look that imitates wild populations. Planting: Plant transplants or dormant rhizomes in early spring as soon as the ground is workable. Place the rhizome one inch below the top of the soil.

What month do you plant bluebells?

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

How deep do I plant Virginia bluebells?

These herbaceous flowers thrive in moist soil supplemented with organic fertilizer. Plant one to three inches deep and space 12 to 18 inches apart. Watch the Virginia Bluebells emerge, forming a field of fleeting color through early summer.

Are Virginia bluebells easy to grow?

Virginia bluebells are easy to grow in your shady or woodland garden. You can prepare your garden by working some compost and organic fertilizer into the soil. After planting your bluebells, top dress with more compost.

Do bluebells come back every year?

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.

Will bluebells spread?

Bluebells can spread rapidly. They seed freely and often hybridize when grown together. The bulbs can also persist in garden compost heaps.

Can you plant bluebells in April?

Bluebells can be planted in the spring as ready plants, or more economically as bulbs in the Autumn.

What type of soil do bluebells like?

Bluebells thrive in moist, well-drained soil, ideally with plenty of leaf litter. Partial shade is best but they will also tolerate some sun.

Can you transplant bluebells in flower?

Plant single bulbs six inches deep and six inches apart. You can also transplant them ‘In the Green’, meaning when they’re bearing leaves and flowers. Please do not dig them from wild areas though since one of the biggest threat to wild Bluebells is people digging them up for their gardens.

Can bluebells grow in shade?

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. The easiest bluebells to establish are the bulbs you plant in spring, known as ‘in the green’.

Where do Virginia bluebells grow best?

Virginia bluebells do well in part to full shade and in rich, neutral, well draining, moist, loamy soil. They naturally occur in woods and river floodplains, so mimic these habitats for the happiest plants! They will do fine in average soils as long as they are kept moist.

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. The seed should germinate pretty soon and, though you will see a few flowers in the third spring, full flowering will occur in the fourth spring.

Do bluebells bloom all summer?

The flowers bloom early to mid-spring and continue into mid-summer, when the plants go dormant. Bluebells flowers are showy. They hang down in clusters of lavender or blue bell-shaped flowers.

What grows well with bluebells?

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

How do you take care of bluebells?

Bluebells grow well in either sun or partial shade, but do better out of direct, strong sunlight. They prefer a humus-rich, moist, but well-drained soil that doesn’t dry out in summer.

Are bluebells poisonous to dogs?

Bluebell. All parts of the bluebell pose a risk to dogs, and can even be deadly in large amounts. The function of the heart can be affected, depending on the amount consumed. Diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal problems are also possible side effects.

What does a bluebell symbolize?

In the language of flowers, the bluebell symbolises constancy, humility and gratitude.

Do Virginia bluebells spread?

Virginia bluebells grow and spread from rhizomes, persistent underground stems that store energy collected during the plant’s brief growing season. They also increase by seeds, stored in half-inch nutlets that mature as the green growth yellows and the plants go dormant.

Are bluebells weeds or flowers?

English and Spanish bluebells may seem like the novice gardener’s dream: a beautiful flower, easy to grow and willing to spread and fill in bare spots of land. Unfortunately, Spanish bluebells are so eager to spread, they’re often considered weeds.

Is it illegal to pick bluebells?

The bluebell is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981). This means digging up the plant or bulb in the countryside is prohibited and landowners are prohibited from removing bluebells from their land to sell.

Do hyacinths turn into bluebells?

hyacinths we grow indoors in winter are cultivars, and they will “turn back into bluebells” if left alone.

Can you plant bluebells and snowdrops together?

Plant snowdrops, English bluebells and aconites just after flowering. Planting them just after they have finished flowering, when they still have leaves, ensures an almost 100% success rate.

What time of year do bluebells bloom?

Bluebells usually flower from mid-April to late May, depending on the weather. If spring is mild they tend to bloom early.

What does bluebells in the green mean?

These are the true native English bluebell. In the green (which is a bit of a misnomer) simply means that the bulbs are in full growth and are delivered either while still in growth or when their foliage has freshly died back – so it can be yellow and shrivelled later in the season.