Its bloom is a sign that spring is in full swing.
English bluebells make good cut flowers.
Plant English bluebell bulbs in the late summer.
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English bluebells are toxic to humans and pets.
Once they are established, just sit back and enjoy the delightful show every spring for years to come.
These light requirement make them ideal for planting beneathdeciduous trees.
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Soil
Bluebells thrive in soil that is moist, well-drained, and moderately fertile.
Overall, they adapt to all soil types.
They preferslightly acidic to slightly alkaline pH levels(between 6.0 and 7.0).
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Water bulbs well after planting.
To keep the soil moist, water whenever the top two to four inches of soil feels dry.
When growth appears, water only lightly, as overwatering may cause bulb rot.
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After flowering, continue to provide water until the foliage dies back.
When watered well for the first couple of seasons, English bluebells multiply quickly.
This encourages healthy root growth and plenty of flowers.
This helps the bulbs replenish their stores of nutrients for the next year’s batch of flowers.
They are not suitable for hot, dry climates.
Propagating English Bluebells
English bluebells are easily propagated by dividing clumps that have become crowded.
Assuming that you don’t want to wait that long, the recommended method of propagation is by division.
Use a pot with good drainage holes and fill it with potting mix.
Keep the potting medium damp but not soaking wet until the bulbs sprout.
Then water whenever the soil dries out.
Once the bulbs have sprouted, move them into a location with partial shade.
Potted bulbs, however, should be protected from freezing temperatures.
If you might, bury the container in garden soil in the fall so the roots are well-insulated.
Common Pests & Plant Diseases
Usually, all bluebells remain fairly free of pests and disease.
They areresistant to deer, rabbits, rodents, and squirrels.
Sometimes the parasitic fungus known asUromyces muscaricauses bluebell rust.
If this happens, treat it with a fungicide.
What Do English Bluebell Flowers Look and Smell Like?
Each flower grows six petals and produces creamy white pollen.
The flowers have a strong, sweet fragrance.
After dividing them, it usually takes a couple of years until you see them bloom in the spring.
see to it not to overfertilize the bulbs with nitrogen, which produces leaves but no flowers.
Feed the plants with a bulb fertilizer instead.
English bluebells aren’t invasive but Spanish bluebells are.
In the UK, they choke out English bluebells or hybridize with them.
Spanish bluebells are also considered invasive in the Pacific Northwest.
The flowers symbolize love, gratitude, humility, and constancy.
The flowers are also associated with fairies and an enchanted forest.
Yes, bluebells grow in the US.
And More Bluebell Facts.
Washington State University Clark County Extension.
