After digging through a bank of soil in the garden, over the Winter, a lot of green shoots suddenly started appearing during Spring. It turned out that they are Scottish bluebells and are very lovely indeed. Well, I should really say that they were lovely, because they have now all died off and the seed heads are beocming ripe! I've never had Bluebells before and I don't know what to do about the withered foliage. Do I cut it down or leave it to rot into the ground? Also, I actually want to move them to a different location in the garden. I found a website that described how someone had planted Hostas in front of the Bluebells so as to hide the the leaves as they die off, which is something I might consider for next year. But this would involve re-locating the Bluebells to a different part of the garden. Does anyone know if I can dig them up now, or if it would be better to wait? Thanks in advance - Jackie
Hi Jackie lovely to see you posting and on a subject I actually know something about!!! I have Scottish bluebells in my garden (well I am a Scot after all ) and always leave them to die back on their owm. If you don't want to collect the seeds however, then I'd snip off the flower stalks now or in years to come you'll have bluebells absolutely everywhere. They really are prolific seeders. The seeds actually take about six years before bluebell flowers are produced from them btw. I don't see any harm in moving the plants now as long as you water them in well to the new area of your garden. I've done it often with no ill effects. They're actually as tough as old boots and will be fine. I have other plants in front of all my bulbs which cover the dying foliage so the hosta idea sounds fine to me. Just watch out for the slugs as they can decimate a patch of hostas almost overnight. :'( Hope I've managed to help you out a bit. If you have any more questions and I'll be only too glad to help.
Many thanks Eileen for the swift reply. Can I just ask how long it takes for the seed heads to ripen fully? They are green at present and look quite plump! I think I might wait until I can collect the seeds before I move them. Thanks again
It really depends on the weather Jackie but if yours are already quite plump then it shouldn't be more than about a week - or two - at most. :-D
I would love to see the bluebells. If you could Please send pic for all to see. By the way Welcome :-D G!zMo
I like the idea of planting something to cover their dying back - that's the one thing I sigh over about their profusion in my yard is all their withering laying around in heaps for so long. So right about their seeding! I was going to gather up a bunch of mine when the pods open and scatter them along one part of my backyard where there are hardly any to help them spread a bit more, yet I'm also snapping them off where they've voluntarily decided to come up in the walking paths. Best of luck with yours - and welcome!
I gather the seed from my bluebells and give them to Hugh, our countryside ranger, who then scatters them in natural wooded areas where they help to preserve the wild stock.
Thanks for all your advice and hello's/welcomes! G!zmo - I'd love to be able to post a pic of them, but I didn't get round to it when they were in bloom and they have all gone now. They were quite lovely nodding away though, such a beautiful colour ... When they come up next year, I will definitely get a pic up on here I can tolerate them where they are for a few weeks and will shift them when the seeds are ready to be collected. I have a nice sunny spot in mind since the ones that came up in full sun grew good and strong, while the ones that came up under the fir tree were a bit spindly looking. Thanks again - oh and thanks for the apple tree advice Eileen (my other post), much appreciated. The website looks interesting and is now in my bookmarks.
