Bluebell beauty
An early-blooming native flower
WITH SPRING ON OUR MINDS, it’s time to prepare this year’s garden plan. One way to start is by reviewing all of your garden pictures from last year. What stands out in my garden pictures is the beautiful Virginia bluebell, a native Kentucky plant, which bloomed in early April.
In mid to late March, the new leaves begin to emerge from the ground. At first, they are purple and hard to see, because they blend into the wintry surroundings—so watch where you step. As they grow taller, the leaves turn green, and plants stand 1 to 2 feet tall as they begin to bloom. Pink flower buds turn blue as they open. The flowers are bell-shaped, fragrant and droop just slightly. They will bloom for about three weeks.
Locating plants can be difficult, but they are most often available at native plant nurseries. Get your orders in early, because they sell out fast. Plants are often shipped bare root. Plant them in March in shade to deep shade. Bluebells grow only in moist and rich soils. In the wild, they can be found near creeks and flood plain areas. In my garden, I have a low, shady and moist spot that turns out to be the perfect little urban environment where they can prosper.
Bluebells will self-seed and colonize, but if you want to expand your planting faster, you can dig and divide them in early spring. Always buy plants from a reputable nursery and never harvest them from the wild. Enjoy them while you can, because by early summer, they begin to go dormant. Mine are planted under a bottlebrush buckeye. Once it is full of leaves and blooming, the Virginiana bluebells are hidden away for another year.
