Hyacinthoides non-scriptaFlax-blue flowers, sweetly scented, about ½-¾". Petals are narrower than on the Spanish Bluebell H. hispanica, with curled-back tips. Arching racemes with flowers on one side grow 4“8" above glossy green leaves.
Hyacinthoides are similar to Scilla, but taller with larger flowers, and later to bloom. They self-seed and form new bulbs each year to replace old ones that shrivel. Gardeners occasionally experience skin irritations on contact with flowers or foliage. Bluebells tolerate shade, moisture and a wide range of soils, and also do well in full sun.
Native to western Europe and England, where bluebells bloom under deciduous trees not yet leafed out to form beautiful “bluebell woods.”
12–18" tall. Mid Spring blooms, Z5–8. 6cm/up bulbs.
6455
English Bluebell
Additional Information
Novelties and Specialties
The Royal General Bulbgrowers Association in Holland (Koninklijke Algemeene Vereeniging voor Bloembollencultuur, or KAVB) puts this large group of diverse flowers into a boring catch-all category: Miscellaneous Bulbs. The expensive catalogs call them accent bulbs; some call them minor or dwarf bulbs (even though some of the fritillaries are huge!); Louise Beebe Wilder covered most of them in her 1936 classic Adventures with Hardy Bulbs. Whatever you call them, most are sweet, colorful, and completely welcome in spring.
