Price Points: English bluebells

English bluebells

English bluebells or Hyacinthoides non-scripta are something we’ve realised – after a full year of being in our cottage – don’t currently grow in our garden. So, as well as the wildflower seeds we featured a few days ago, we’ll be planting some English bluebells this autumn.

There are three methods of planting:

Dry bulbs
Dry bulbs can be sown from the beginning of September through to early November and will flower the following April.

Seeds
This is the most economical way to buy English bluebells. Like dry bulbs, seeds also need to be planted in the autumn. Bluebell seeds require a long period of cold for stratification to occur. Seeds will take many years to flower for the first time.

In the green
Plant these in spring (January to April) as soon as they’ve been ordered and delivered. Bulbs ‘in the green’ may take a few years to flower for the first time.

Bluebells prefer a slightly acidic, well-draining soil in a semi-shaded position (such as beneath deciduous trees).

You want your bluebells to look natural when they appear out of the ground. The best way to ensure this happens is to ‘cast’ the bulbs and plant the bulbs where they fall. The worst thing you can do is to plant them in straight rows. Bluebells begin to flower around April and May. They are perennial and self-seed, so will come back better & better each year.

A word of warning, though – make sure you purchase cultivated bulbs and not ones that may have been taken, unlawfully, from the wild.

  1. 500 English bluebell seeds: £3.99, Etsy
  2. 30 English bluebell bulbs, in the green: £9.98, Crocus
  3. 30 English bluebell bulbs, dry: £11.99 Thompson & Morgan

shop English bluebells

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Prices & links correct at time of publication.

30 English bluebell bulbs, dry
30 English bluebell bulbs, dry
£11.99
30 English bluebell bulbs, in the green
30 English bluebell bulbs, in the green
£9.98
500 English bluebell seeds
500 English bluebell seeds
£3.99
30 English bluebell bulbs, dry
30 English bluebell bulbs, dry
£11.99
30 English bluebell bulbs, in the green
30 English bluebell bulbs, in the green
£9.98
500 English bluebell seeds
500 English bluebell seeds
£3.99
30 English bluebell bulbs, dry
30 English bluebell bulbs, dry
£11.99
30 English bluebell bulbs, in the green
30 English bluebell bulbs, in the green
£9.98
500 English bluebell seeds
500 English bluebell seeds
£3.99
30 English bluebell bulbs, dry
30 English bluebell bulbs, dry
£11.99
30 English bluebell bulbs, in the green
30 English bluebell bulbs, in the green
£9.98
500 English bluebell seeds
500 English bluebell seeds
£3.99
30 English bluebell bulbs, dry
30 English bluebell bulbs, dry
£11.99
30 English bluebell bulbs, in the green
30 English bluebell bulbs, in the green
£9.98
500 English bluebell seeds
500 English bluebell seeds
£3.99

Charity Vintage: Five vintage Kenneth Townsend tiles

"Charity Vintage" blog post banner

set of 5 vintage Kenneth Townsend tiles; cockerel, elephant, robin, hedgehog and mouse
(ends 26 Mar, 2013 11:55:43 GMT)

We’ve mentioned Kenneth Townsend quite a lot in blogs in the past – he’s one of our favourite designers. His “Menagerie” series of tiles are very collectable and much sought after. Here’s a lot of five Kenneth Townsend “Menagerie” tiles for sale on eBay in support of The Iain Rennie Hospice at Home*.

*The Iain Rennie Hospice at Home is a registered charity in the Chiltern area which offers specialist home nursing care, support and advice for patients with life threatening illnesses. The professional care offered by our teams of nurses enables patients to stay at home through their illness.



Out & About… Spring

Spring has sprung in these parts – with the garden awakening…

…blossom on trees…

…ferns unfurling…

…daffodils in flower…

…chicks on the canal…

…bluebells in the woods…

…and lambs in the fields.

It’s a wonderful time of year, with signs of new life all around us.