Bulbs > English Bluebells

General information on English bluebells:

The common English bluebell (Scilla nutans or hyacinthoides non scripta) has beautiful blue or occasionally white or pink flowers. They bloom in May and occur naturally throughout the British Isles in beech woods or shady meadows.

The flower is bell-shaped and shows no distinction between the calyx and the corolla. It is called a perianth, consisting of six floral leaves joined at their bases. Six yellow anthers are revealed as the floral leaves curl back.

The flower stalk can be up to one foot in length and bears a terminal one-sided raceme of drooping flowers. 

The effect of a carpet of bluebells beneath trees is breathtaking.

The bulbs should be planted in the autumn at a depth of six inches. They will then flower the following May. Bluebells can also be planted "in the green" just after flowering. These bluebells will also flower the following spring.