The reasons? They will gradually self sow and naturalise over time. Spanish bluebells can cope better with drier conditions. Lv 7. The English bluebells, so characteristic of Chiltern woods in spring, will suffer with rising temperatures and increasing drought. Bluebells are also called harebells in Scotland because it is believed that witches turned into hares and hide among the flowers. If you damage these beautiful flowers you can be fined up to £5,000 PER BULB. Management measures The complete removal of Spanish or hybrid bluebells from an extensively contaminated site is probably uneconomic and undesirable. Hundreds of the plants were lost along five miles of main road on the Lizard during work on a sewage plant. Try to avoid stepping on bluebells, they can take years to recover after footfall damage. Lots of tips here. I have never had a problem of them spreading out of control. 21:45 Wed 19th Apr 2006. 19 April 2015 at 3:14PM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in Greenfingered MoneySaving. 1 decade ago. We can all play a part by being vigilant in our own gardens, digging up and destroying any Spanish or hybrid Bluebells that we find, in so doing reducing their population, and removing the ability for escapees into the wild, or cross breeding, which would inevitably weaken and dilute the precious native bluebell that we all know and love so much! Bluebells can become invasive once they get into a border. Almost half the world's bluebells are found in the UK, they’re relatively rare in the rest of the world . a wide berth and digging deep is essential . I understand that it is illegal to dig up and sell for gain wild bluebells (English or Spanish). They are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981. You have to dig them up right down to the bulb. More … Visit this beautiful Tudor manor house, that sits on the banks of the River Mersey, and enjoy woodland that is filled with a sea of bluebells making this a perfect place for a family stroll. Fury as drivers destroy orchids Conservationists have accused contractors of vandalism after bluebells and orchids on a Cornish roadside were destroyed. It is against the law to intentionally pick, uproot or destroy bluebells; If you plant bluebells, you should make sure it's the English bluebell, not the Spanish version. i prefer Spanish bluebells and as I don’t live in any area with any English I happy to keep my Spanish. Major damage to River Lugg in Herefordshire will be test case for Government commitment to strengthen wildlife protection. In Britain, it is important to plant the true native bluebell ( Hyacinthoides non-scripta ) and not the Spanish bluebell ( H. hispanica ), as this is often more vigorous and can take over the garden, out-competing native bluebell populations. WendyS. A carpet of pretty blue flowers is enough to cheer anyone up and at Sutton Hoo, the bluebells are Spanish and definitely worth visiting! I have a patch of Spanish Bluebells i planted ten or more years ago. I threw the leaves on the compost heap and the bulbs in the dustbin. The focus of management should be on prevention of further spread into natural woodland or other natural habitats by the removal of garden escapes as and when discovered. I had the same condition as you before the neighbour removed his tree. It is against the law to intentionally pick, uproot or destroy bluebells; If you plant bluebells, you should make sure it’s the English bluebell, not the Spanish version. The River Lugg, in Herefordshire, one of the most beautiful and important rivers in the UK, has been intentionally destroyed over … Occasionally, patches of Spanish bluebells appear in our gardens and are weeded out by our horticulturalists. I actually like the Spanish bluebells, they are reliable and have pretty flowers, both valuable qualities in my garden, and blue is always precious. I've also been ignoring my website. Favourite answer. They may give way to the Spanish bluebell, which has been planted in gardens for years and has already started to hybridise with our native bluebell. Helen Helen Leung, Jun 5, … 11 Answers. The English bluebell is bad enough, but the more robust Spanish bluebell, and hybrids of the two, are even more vigorous. Okay, so I've done a lousy job of checking my FB page regularly. The main visible difference between the varieties is that native bluebells are slightly smaller, have narrow leaves, drooping heads, a violet bell-shaped flower and a delicate but distinctive fragrance. If this vast development gets the go-ahead, an area of the coast the size of 900 football pitches will be directly affected by the development. It is against the law to intentionally pick, uproot or destroy bluebells . … Please can anyone advise me how to remove spanish bluebells, each year I dig them up but they return again double the amount! The bell-shaped flowers of Spanish bluebells and the hybrids between this and the English (known as H. × massartiana) open more widely than on English bluebells, with the petal tips just flaring outwards or curling back only slightly. Either way, a visit to a British bluebell wood is something everyone should experience at least once in their lives, if not every spring! Despite their name, bluebells can be white. It is illegal to uproot, pick or destroy bluebells. B3 Posts: 15,017. Sunflower. Relevance. Answer Save. I live in Circleville, Ohio zone 5. BTW, some plants for your border: soloman seals, helleborus, ajuca, astible, monkshood. Removing Spanish Bluebells. Spanish bluebells were introduced to the UK in the late 1600s as an ornamental, but sadly escaped quickly into the countryside, where they have cross bred with alarming ease with our native bluebell, to create a hybrid version. Remember that compost heaps may not destroy the bulbs. Spanish bluebells have a much stiffer stem and generally larger and are more hardy and are taking over some of our woodlands. People visit this part of Suffolk from all over the country to enjoy the wild countryside. Sorry about that. Cornwall Wildlife Trust also says verges have been turned into mud. I sympathise as I've tried to dig up a batch of bluebells which were invading part of my vegetable patch. Spanish pirate bluebells Bluebells of old England blooming near Bruern in Oxfordshire Photo: Tim Graham / Alamy SIR – I agree that it is a wonderful year for bluebells … Speke Hall, Merseyside. Could somebody help with a rather thorny issue I have (sorry for the pun). Actually when I purchased and planted them I wanted to spread! To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour. 0. If you have a garden you can help by avoiding planting any Spanish bluebells and seeking out British bluebells instead. They are planted under a beautiful Japanese Maple and I look forward to their arrival every spring! Email me if you want some of my extra plants. For containers. Bluebells can reproduce sexually by seed or asexually by natural propagation. They destroy and crowd out native species, combining the durability of a bulb, the flexibility of numberous bulblets that can't be crushed or smashed or cut out of life, rhizome-type impossibly thin tendrils of roots that carry to new areas effortlessly, and super durable seeds that not only last through the season but can last for years, blowing/rolling into neighbors' yards. This is a more vigorous plant and could out-compete our delicate native flower . Therefore, if they are Spanish, zap them!! Maryann. April 2018. If you plant bluebells, you should make sure it's the English bluebell, not the Spanish version. In the garden. It can also hybridise with the native bluebell, and could ultimately destroy the pure species. Good Luck. Some flowers may droop from one side, but most are arranged all around the stem and held more erect. If you see pink ones they are probably Spanish bluebells; 71% of native bluebells are found in broadleaved woodland or scrub; Tennyson speaks of bluebell juice being used to cure snake-bite. It is against the law to intentionally pick, uproot or destroy bluebells. 0 0. Bluebells should be planted as deeply as possible, 4 ins being the minimum, and more if possible. If a bluebell’s leaves are crushed, they die back from lack of food as the leaves cannot photosynthesise. 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