Hyacinthoides hispanica - Spanish Bluebell

Family: Hyacinthaceae

Common Name(s): Spanish Bluebell

Native to: Iberian Peninsula

Flowering: Spring

Watering:Keep the soil moist during spring and until the foliage dies down, but thereafter it is best to allow conditions to remain dry.

Planting Aspect: Full Sun, Part Shade

Preferred Climate:

 

Temperate, Subtropical, Grassland

Description

In recent times, most 'Scilla' have been renamed 'Hyacinthoides' by the botanists and this derives from the fact that the word means 'resembling Hyacinths'. However the common name 'Bluebells' will always remain constant. The bell shaped blue, lavender, white and pink forms are ideally planted as drifts in open woodland style gardens with deciduous trees or as group plantings in borders with spring flowering shrubs such as rhododendrons and azaleas.

They can be planted in full sun in temperate to cool regions with mild spring days; however they will require shade where hot sunshine is expected. This is not just to protect the growing bulbs from unnecessary ground heat but also because bright sunlight causes the flowers to look paler and less attractive. They are very cold hardy (even to minus degrees Celsius) and when established will produce flower stems growing to a height of between 30 and 50cm tall.

Cultivation

Choose a site that has light shade in hotter regions and full sun in cool ones. The soil should be free draining with ample organic matter. If the soil is rich in organic matter, regular fertilising is not necessary; however an occasional side dressing or organic compost or blood and bone can be beneficial. Plant the bulbs at least 10cm apart and the same in depth but up to 20cm deep in sandy soils. Keep the soil moist during spring and until the foliage dies down, but thereafter it is best to allow conditions to remain dry. Once the bulbs are established, they can be best left undisturbed. No particular pests or diseases.