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deneicer1

English Bluebells

deneicer1
12 years ago

I am trying to find English Bluebells. I have found tons of hybrids and ones called Spanish Bluebells. (I may order some of those because they are pretty, too!) My Auntie had them all over her yard when I was growing up so its a nostalgia thing for me...

Anyone know of a source?

Comments (13)

  • flora_uk
    12 years ago

    If you find true English Bluebells don't get the Spanish ones too. They hybridise and you will lose the true English ones. This is beginning to be a problem even in their native habitat. Look for bulbs of Hyacinthoides non-scripta, not H. hispanica, and check that they have been raised in 'captivity', not dug from the wild. You don't say where you live but make sure your climate is suitable. Good luck with your search.

  • iris_gal
    12 years ago

    Brent & Becky's sells them.

    Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/spring/productview/?sku=25-0105

  • buyorsell888
    12 years ago

    I've been digging the Spanish bluebells out for a decade and still can't reduce them. They spread like wildfire. I would not advise anyone to buy them.

  • marquest
    12 years ago

    deneicer1, you do not show your zone. I am growing the Spanish BB in a zone 6/5. They are a bulb I love the blooms and I am a gardener that does not mind thinning a bulb/planting area. It is not a weed it is a beautiful late Spring blooming plant. It is the same as thinning Dafodils when they get too tight and do not bloom well.

    I do not understand how you can garden and not have to thin plants at some point unless you only grow shurbs and trees. But those darn trees get big and you have to trim those and the bushes you have to trim. LOL

  • flora_uk
    12 years ago

    marquest - it depends on your climate and how much space you have. I am also a gardener and have been since I was a kid. I certainly don't mind doing all the jobs needed to look after a garden and I am definitely not looking for a low maintenance garden. However, Spanish bluebells, although pretty, are a plant which needs due consideration in my climate. They produce dense clumps of thick foliage which overlays other plants and stifles less robust things. They are much coarser leaved and much faster spreading than daffodils. If you have a tiny garden they are space hogs.

    We have an additional problem here in that they are interbreeding with our native bluebells and the hybrids are beginning to oust the natives in some habitats. The OP asked about English bluebells.

    In my garden this kind of sight would have vanished if I had not got rid of the Spanish bluebells.
    {{gwi:17906}}

  • Donna
    12 years ago

    One climate's pest is another climate's treasure. That is a truism for many many plants.

    deneicer, it is very important to include your hardiness zone in all your posts. Without it, no one knows how to advise you. For instance, in the Deep South, where I live, English Bluebells won't survive. I am, however, a huge fan of Spanish Bluebells which are not a pest in our tough climate.

  • vetivert8
    12 years ago

    buyorsell888 - the best time to dig out Spanish bluebells is when they are in full leaf, and the ground is cold and cluggy. Be prepared to dig down with a spading fork anywhere between six and eight inches. Probably more if your soil is light.

    And be utterly ruthless about dead-heading (preferably with a lawn mower, when the seedpods are still naught but a distant threat...:-(((. )

    If you grow them in pots they require annual repotting as they multiply very rapidly. Very.

  • momgardens1
    11 years ago

    I have english blue bell seeds I aquired through a trade from a women in the uk

  • flora_uk
    11 years ago

    momgarden1 - I'd reiterate my earlier caution. Are you certain she has sent you true English bluebells? ie Hyacinthoides non-scripta. If she is a bona fide bulb trader you might be OK but if this is just an ebay type thing many vendors will not know the difference.

  • momgardens1
    11 years ago

    I'm only certain by my confidence in my trade with a friend in the UK, I will know for sure by next spring,when I am able to see them for myself, for now I only have seeds, but bulbs are in the mail now, he has said to me these are the real deal but again I can't guarantee until I see them for myself, I will be planting them ASAP for next year show if you would like to keep me As a contact for then and we can all decide if these are true! He stated to me these are not Spanish bluebells- so fingers crossed I realize these are hard to find even through reputable dealers and they are an endangered species, so I will be guarding them from any cross pollinating if that's possible;)

  • flora_uk
    11 years ago

    Sounds as if he does know the difference. Good luck with them.

  • momgardens1
    11 years ago

    I hoping so! I want to know what these smell of, I hear so many stories

  • flora_uk
    11 years ago

    They smell lovely but you either need a very large patch of them or to get your nose right into the flower, ie on your hands and knees, to get a whiff of it. It's delicate. Individually they are pretty but not impressive. It's when you get a wood carpeted with them that they look fabulous. It's as if there is a pool of water under the trees.

    Here are a few in my wood.

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