Hyacinthoides non-scripta

TRUE ENGLISH BLUEBELLS

Hyacinthoides non-scripta
TRUE ENGLISH BLUEBELLS

Hyacinthoides non-scripta is the proper English Bluebell.

Proper English Bluebells 

The Bluebell with the curled top like a shepherd’s crook; the intoxicating scent; and intense blue-violet colouring.
They are a far cry from the more coarse and common Spanish Bluebells (and I love Spain, just not their thuggish Bluebells).

With a scent to make you drunk

The scent of English Bluebells is heavenly – so sweet you just want to drink it in.

Easy to grow shade lovers

Hyacinthoides non-scripta is an easy, low care, plant and forget, type of garden friend.
The bulbs just love living amongst the roots of trees and shrubs, and in areas of shade or low light.

Water-wise & low care

English Bluebells begin to shoot in late winter; fill the garden with scent and colour in spring-early summer; then melt away before the summer heat and dry comes. So they are not guzzling water over summer.
They are robustly frost hardy too.
And tolerant of a very wide range of soils, from sandy, through loam, to clay, with tolerance to both acid and alkaline pH.

Finer, more polite foliage

Mercifully the foliage of English Bluebells is much finer than that of Spanish Bluebells. So the charming English bulb does not swamp its neighbours with a collapsing mass of coarse, brown foliage. Instead dying away much more politely.

Spectacular when grown in clumps under trees and shrubs

Nothing cheers the heart more than the enchanting sweet scent, and a violet-blue mist of spring colour, from a clump of English Bluebells planted under a tree.

Bliss – rabbits & deer won’t touch them & bees adore them

The perfect low care plant.

Beautiful in vases

One of the great treats of life is to bring the scent and colour of Bluebells indoors for a vase.

Charming folk names

The English Bluebell is held in such affection that it has gathered a host of charming common names.
Including Bell Bottles; Blue Bottles (they certainly are full bottles of scent and colour); Fairy Flower; Single Gussies; Harebells; Calver Keys; Dog Leek; Crake Feet and Crow Bells.

Very hardy bulb.
30cm. High in flower x 20cm. Wide foliage clump.

SOWING ADVICE: EASY

Suitable for beginners and gardening with kids.

Sow indoors / or scatter directly in the garden in late summer and autumn.

Sow indoors for quick & early plants: First sow the seeds in a punnet on the surface of good quality seed raising mix.
And pat gently to ensure good contact between seeds and mix, but do not bury.
Cover only very thinly with a scatter of fine vermiculite to help keep the seeds moist.
But do not bury because these seeds need light to germinate.

Then stand the sown punnet in a shallow water bath and allow the moisture to percolate up to the surface of the mix from below.
Spray mist the surface vermiculite with water to ensure it is nice and moist too.

Give a pretend winter

Then wrap the moist punnet in cling-wrap or a plastic bag and place in the fridge for 6 weeks

Now remove the punnet from the fridge, unwrap, moisten thoroughly  again.
And place in a well-lit position (but absolutely not in any direct sunlight)

Temperatures of 15-20°C are ideal for rapid and optimum germination.
You can use a heat mat if you have one, or stand in a warm corner indoors, or shade-house at suitable temperatures.
The seeds do not mind cooling down at night, but excessively hot temperatures can throw the seeds back into dormancy.

Then continue to keep the sown punnet moist by misting from a spray water-bottle.
Covering the punnet with a clear plastic cover or plastic bag will also help to maintain the necessary consistent, even moisture.

Seedlings begin to emerge in approx. 14-21 days.
But patience – do not discard the punnet too quickly, as it is natural for these seeds to germinate over a staggered period of time, and some seeds may continue to come later.
This is a natural precaution by the plant to ensure some seeds have the best chance to sprout into best conditions.

Seed Count: 20 seeds per pack approx.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count, and give a generous serve).

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https://www.gardivalia.com.au/open-gardens

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https://www.seedscape.net.au/shop/

The best time to sow bluebell seeds is in late summer or early autumn.

• 15-20°C
• be patient. It is normal for the germination process to be slow and sporadic. Some seeds may germinate earlier than others, and germination can continue for up to a year.