CLARE BULB COMPANY INFORMATION SHEET
BLUEBELLS
General description:
The English woodland bluebell is as much part of the English countryside as daffodils and crocuses. It should not be confused with the hybrid Scilla Campanulata bluebell, which comes in colours other than blue, and can be quite invasive. The English bluebell is Scilla Nutans Non-scripta, and should be ordered as such.Bluebells can be grown in drifts, or as small groups. In time bluebells will spread, providing they are grown in suitable soils and have the right amount of shade.
For more information please select from the home page the Bluebells and Snowdrops in the Green link.
Bluebells "In the Green", awaiting dispatch from our premises in the spring.
Where best to plant:
Ideally bluebells should be grown in woodlands, where they are shaded from the full effects of the sun. They appreciate soil that has a good level of humus, and remains damp during the growing, flowering, and dying back period, which can last into June in later areas of the country.Planting hints:
We advise customers to plant bluebells as deeply as possible, this being at least eight inches deep. This gets them down into moist soil. In nature they will grow down a foot or more, so the deeper the better. That said we do note that some suppliers advise planting at much shallower depths, and where there are a lot of tree roots this may in fact be all that is possible.They should be planted in groups, or in drifts, not singly. A group can be as few as five bulbs, though double figures will be better. The spacing between the groups depends on the area to be planted, (and the depth of your pocket). In due course as they spread separated groups will merge into drifts anyway. Avoid planting groups too regularly, nature never does, and vary the size of the groups too.