GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

28-12-2004, 04:38 PM

In article .com,
writes
Hi All,

I am looking to plant bluebells in the lawn at the back of my house.
The soil is a little heavy with little if any direct sun during winter
The lawn isnt used much as I often let the rough grass grow much longer
than the front lawn.

Is it best to plant Bluebells in the green?

Doesn't make much difference. They're as tough as old boots.
If you're buying, check carefully (if it matters to you) whether you're
getting english or spanish bluebells - some sold as english are in fact
spanish. English are a darker blue, gently nodding, with more scent.
Spanish are paler, more open bells, flowers all around a stiffly held
stem.

When is the best time to plant?

How long do I leave my lawn before I can cut it in the spring?

They don't flower until about May and you'll need to leave the leaves at
least six weeks beyond that.

I'm not sure, though, that bluebells are the best bet for a lawn.
They're woodland plants, making the most of light early in the year
before the tree foliage has thickened up, and in that habitat, they
don't have to compete with grass. And they have a nasty habit of letting
they're leaves flop, which wouldn't be very good for any grass
underneath. They're quite late flowering bulbs, and there's plenty else
of interest around that time.

If you just want to liven up the lawn in the spring, I would suggest
some of the smaller growing daffodils (the 6-8 inch size). They are used
to being in grass, and being earlier, they'd be out of the way a lot
earlier and let you mow again. Snowdrops re another possibility.
Crocuses won't open fully if they don't have warmth, in the shape of
direct sunlight. If it's the blue colour you want, you could see whether
scillas or chionodoxa can be grown in grass - I'm not sure that they
can, but I don't know. If the lawn is fairly damp, snake's head
fritillary is another option -very beautiful, but not so showy. Finally,
cowslips do well in grass provided it's kept reasonably short - but I
mean about 4 - 6 inches rather than lawn-short.

I live in the North East (UK).

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"