Are there any obvious pitfalls in transplanting (re-siting) Bluebells? What
time of the year would be best?

This is not a plan to nick Bluebells from the wild, just a plan to resite
them on the same property..

TIA

Bill

On 22/03/2011 21:54, Bill Grey wrote:
Are there any obvious pitfalls in transplanting (re-siting) Bluebells? What
time of the year would be best?

This is not a plan to nick Bluebells from the wild, just a plan to resite
them on the same property..

TIA

Bill



There's no reason why you shouldn't transplant them and, indeed, they
are best transplanted 'in the green' (in leaf). This is how they are
sold commercially. So you could do it now or after they've flowered.

I've had some difficulty lifting the bulbs on my site because they are
buried so low the leaves come away while the bulb remains out of sight.
Yours may not be as deep as mine, but expect to dig deep.

The other thing to remember is that they don't like drying out, so
either replant them straight away or heel them in somewhere and keep
them moist. When you do plant them, water them in afterwards. A dose
of bonemeal will help them settle in. A local dog or fox may unsettle
them :~(.

Remember that bluebells are poisonous and that the bulbs can be a skin
irritant. You may want to wear gloves.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 22/03/2011 21:54, Bill Grey wrote:
Are there any obvious pitfalls in transplanting (re-siting) Bluebells?
What
time of the year would be best?

This is not a plan to nick Bluebells from the wild, just a plan to
resite
them on the same property..

TIA

Bill



There's no reason why you shouldn't transplant them and, indeed, they are
best transplanted 'in the green' (in leaf). This is how they are sold
commercially. So you could do it now or after they've flowered.

I've had some difficulty lifting the bulbs on my site because they are
buried so low the leaves come away while the bulb remains out of sight.
Yours may not be as deep as mine, but expect to dig deep.

The other thing to remember is that they don't like drying out, so either
replant them straight away or heel them in somewhere and keep them moist.
When you do plant them, water them in afterwards. A dose of bonemeal will
help them settle in. A local dog or fox may unsettle them :~(.

Remember that bluebells are poisonous and that the bulbs can be a skin
irritant. You may want to wear gloves.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

Thanks for your very clear information. The work to be done is not nmy
garden, but at our golf course where there are loads of "wild" Bluebells
growing in places where they're not fully appreciated. The scale of
transplanting is much more than in a garden scenario, even a minidigger
might be involved. I just want to get some colour in parts of the course
where none exists at the moment.

Again, many thanks for you advice.

Bill

Pitfalls, yes, but obvious, no. My success in resiting bluebells on several attempts is 0%, even though I do it at the recommended time just after the flowers die back. Don't know what I'm doing wrong.