How to Grow and Care for English Bluebells

English Bluebell Care

English bluebells are easy to grow and care for, and they multiply plentifully each year. Once they are established, just sit back and enjoy the delightful show every spring for years to come.

• Plant the bulbs in a location with full sun in the early spring and partial shade during the summer, ideally below deciduous trees.
• Dig a hole about four inches deep, or twice as deep as the bulb’s length. Set the bulb vertically, with the pointed end facing upwards.
• When planting groups of five or more, space them three to six inches apart. Cover each bulb with soil and tamp down the top of the soil to eliminate air gaps.
• Water the bulbs regularly during their initial growth period in late winter or early spring.
• Feed with a bulb fertilizer in the early spring and after the bloom.
• Remove spent flowers before they turn into seeds.

Light

English bluebells need plenty of light in the early spring but then prefer partial shade during the summer. These light requirement make them ideal for planting beneath deciduous trees.

Soil

Bluebells thrive in soil that is moist, well-drained, and moderately fertile. When planting bluebells, work two to four inches of organic matter into the soil, using a garden rake or hoe to loosen and mix the soil thoroughly.

Overall, they adapt to all soil types. They prefer slightly acidic to slightly alkaline pH levels (between 6.0 and 7.0).

Water

English bluebells require ample moisture during their growth period in the winter (in warmer climates) and spring. 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.

After flowering, continue to provide water until the foliage dies back. When watered well for the first couple of seasons, English bluebells multiply quickly.

Fertilizer

As new shoots appear in the spring, sprinkle a bulb fertilizer or a granular, slow-release fertilizer that is higher in phosphorus and lower in nitrogen, around the plants. This encourages healthy root growth and plenty of flowers.

Feed the plants once again at the end of their bloom cycle, once the leaves begin to yellow and die. This helps the bulbs replenish their stores of nutrients for the next year’s batch of flowers.

Temperature and Humidity

Bluebells require temperate climate with cool to cold winters and moderately warm summers with cool shade. They are not suitable for hot, dry climates.

Types of Bluebells

In addition to the British bluebells, there are other types of bluebells:

• Spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica) has light bluish-lavender or white flowers and an upright flower stem. This species is considered invasive in the UK and in the Pacific Northwest and thus not recommended for planting if you live in those areas.
• Hyacinthoides x massartiana is a hybrid between English bluebell and Spanish bluebell with highly scented deep blue flowers.
• Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) is an alternative to the invasive Spanish
  bluebells. This early spring bloomer is native to eastern North America and found in moist woodlands and river flood plains. It is increasingly rare in the wild but can be found at native plant nurseries. It supports a variety of bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
• Desert bluebells (Phacelia campanularia), also called California bluebells, is an annual wildflower, unlike other bluebells, which are perennials. It has deep purple or blue flowers. As a plant that is native to desert areas in the western United States, it is well-adapted to drought. It has an extended bloom period from spring until frost.

Pruning

Other than removing the faded flower spikes before they set seed, there is no pruning to be done.

Propagating English Bluebells

English bluebells are easily propagated by dividing clumps that have become crowded. The time to divide them is in the late summer:

1. Dig up the entire clump with a shovel.
2. Gently shake off the soil and separate the clump into sections.
3. Replant the sections immediately at the same depth as the original clump, spacing them 4 to 6 inches apart. If the soil is heavy or dense, mix in some sand or compost as well as a handful of bone meal or bulb fertilizer.

How to Grow English Bluebells From Seed

It is possible to start English bluebells from seed but it takes up to five years for a seed to develop into a bulb. Assuming that you don’t want to wait that long, the recommended method of propagation is by division.

Potting and Repotting English Bluebells

English bluebells are suitable to be grown in containers, as long as they are overwintered properly. Use a pot with good drainage holes and fill it with potting mix. The size of the container depends on how many bulbs you are planting, but because they won’t need room to multiply, plant them snugly, with just an inch or so between bulbs. 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.

Once the bulbs start overcrowding the container, transplant them to a bigger pot, or divide the clump and replant an appropriately sized section back into the same pot.

Overwintering

English bluebells are adapted to winters up to USDA zone 4 and need no special winter protection when planted in the ground. Potted bulbs, however, should be protected from freezing temperatures. If you can, bury the container in garden soil in the fall so the roots are well-insulated. If that’s not possible, place the container in a protected spot, such as a garage or garden shed, until spring.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Usually, all bluebells remain fairly free of pests and disease. They are resistant to deer, rabbits, rodents, and squirrels. Sometimes the parasitic fungus known as Uromyces muscari causes bluebell rust. If this happens, treat it with a fungicide.

How to Get English Bluebells to Bloom

Bloom Months

Bluebells typically bloom between late March and early May, depending on the local climate and weather.

What Do English Bluebell Flowers Look and Smell Like?

The trumpet-shaped blooms have up-turned lips, which droop atop clumps that are about 12 to 18 inches tall and three to eight inches wide. Each flower grows six petals and produces creamy white pollen. The flowers have a strong, sweet fragrance.

How to Encourage More Blooms

If your English bluebells plants aren’t blooming, they might simply need more time. After dividing them, it usually takes a couple of years until you see them bloom in the spring.

Make sure not to overfertilize the bulbs with nitrogen, which produces leaves but no flowers. Feed the plants with a bulb fertilizer instead.