Flowers · Bulbs
English bluebell
Hyacinthoides non-scripta
A woodland bulb with nodding, violet-blue bells on one side of an arching stem, and a light scent. It wants spring light and summer shade.
Growing conditions
Soilclay, loam, chalk
Moisturemoist
pHacid, neutral
Position
SunPartial sun, Shade
Aspectnorth, east, west
Exposuresheltered
HardinessH6
Size
Time to maturityA colony builds over several years
Max height0.2–0.4 m
Max spread0.1–0.2 m
In the garden
Plant bulbs in autumn under deciduous trees or on the shady side of a shrub. Keep it apart from Spanish bluebell if you want this form to stay true.
Trampling breaks the brittle leaves. It is otherwise undemanding in moist, leafy soil.
Colour and scent
A mark in a season means the plant is doing that for at least part of it.
| Season | Foliage | Flower | Scent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Leaves | violet-blue | Scented |
| Summer | — | — | — |
| Autumn | — | — | — |
| Winter | Leaves | — | — |
- JanDormant
- FebFoliage
- MarFoliage
- Aprviolet-blue
- Mayviolet-blue
- JunDormant
- JulDormant
- AugDormant
- SepDormant
- OctDormant
- NovDormant
- DecDormant
Jobs
These dates suit a mild southern garden. A northern or Scottish plan shifts spring and autumn jobs by a fortnight.
10 October
Plant bulbs
Plant English bluebells 8–10 cm deep where the soil will not be regularly dug.
20 June
Let seed fall
Allow seed pods to ripen if you want the drift to spread. Clear leaves once they yellow.