Holly in France wrote:
Hi all,
Please does anyone know if transplanting bluebells at this time of
year, in the green so to speak, is likely to be successful? Please
note I am NOT proposing to pinch them from the wild! My husband has
a
job to clear a woodland track and re-build it as a driveway
(current
access is very steep and on a bend, local Mairie are in agreement
etc) The track is full of bluebells, and whilst I'm sure some will
survive being scraped off with the topsoil and put to one side, I
would like them to increase more rapidly in my woods so thought I
might rescue some. Is it worth a try??
TIA

They're as tough as Mother Superior's riding-boots. But as they
aren't protected by a "tunic", they dry out very quickly: plant them
as soon as possible after getting them out, and they'll be fine.

O-ishT, has anybody seen the fascinating variety naturalized at Gelli
Aur in Carmarthenshire? White with little pink streaks.

--
Mike.

Bluebell rescue!
 

Hi all,
Please does anyone know if transplanting bluebells at this time of year, in
the green so to speak, is likely to be successful? Please note I am NOT
proposing to pinch them from the wild! My husband has a job to clear a
woodland track and re-build it as a driveway (current access is very steep
and on a bend, local Mairie are in agreement etc) The track is full of
bluebells, and whilst I'm sure some will survive being scraped off with the
topsoil and put to one side, I would like them to increase more rapidly in
my woods so thought I might rescue some. Is it worth a try??
TIA
--
Holly, in France
Holiday home in Dordogne
http://la-plaine.chez.tiscali.fr

Holly in France wrote:
:: Hi all,
:: Please does anyone know if transplanting bluebells at this time of
:: year, in the green so to speak, is likely to be successful? Please
:: note I am NOT proposing to pinch them from the wild! My husband
:: has a job to clear a woodland track and re-build it as a driveway
:: (current access is very steep and on a bend, local Mairie are in
:: agreement etc) The track is full of bluebells, and whilst I'm sure
:: some will survive being scraped off with the topsoil and put to
:: one side, I would like them to increase more rapidly in my woods
:: so thought I might rescue some. Is it worth a try??
:: TIA
:: --
:: Holly, in France
:: Holiday home in Dordogne
:: http://la-plaine.chez.tiscali.fr

YGM!

--
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we.
They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country
and our people, and neither do we."
- George W. Bush, 5.8.2004

On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 23:55:48 GMT, Phil L wrote:


YGM!

So do you :-)


--
Holly, in France
Holiday home in Dordogne
http://la-plaine.chez.tiscali.fr

On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 18:41:42 +0100, Janet Baraclough wrote:

The message
from Holly in France contains these words:

Hi all,
Please does anyone know if transplanting bluebells at this time of year, in
the green so to speak, is likely to be successful?

Yes, it's a fast, reliable and easy way to establish them.

Before collecting I would just check they are endymion non-scriptus,
(the scented, graceful native "English" bluebell, and not the stiff,
scentless e. hispanicus, the Spanish one. Someone who knew I was
establishing a bluebell wood once kindly donated a bag of "bluebells"
from his garden, which all turned out to be the spanish sort next
spring :-(

The leaves and flowers are easy to distinguish if you have a book.

Thanks Janet, and also Mike. I'm sure I will have a book with them in
somewhere but don't have time to look in it, I'm just about to leave! I'll
grab a couple of books and take them with me. I have only ever seen the
scented bluebells around here, and there are plenty of them (lots of
cowslips, ladysmock and wild orchids out atm too), I doubt very much they
are the Spanish ones.


--
Holly, in France
Holiday home in Dordogne
http://la-plaine.chez.tiscali.fr

Holly in France wrote in message
...
Hi all,
Please does anyone know if transplanting bluebells at this time of year,
in
the green so to speak, is likely to be successful? Please note I am NOT
proposing to pinch them from the wild! My husband has a job to clear a
woodland track and re-build it as a driveway (current access is very steep
and on a bend, local Mairie are in agreement etc) The track is full of
bluebells, and whilst I'm sure some will survive being scraped off with
the
topsoil and put to one side, I would like them to increase more rapidly in
my woods so thought I might rescue some. Is it worth a try??
TIA
--
Holly, in France
Holiday home in Dordogne
http://la-plaine.chez.tiscali.fr

Hi Holly,

Yes, planting 'in the green' is really the only way to transplant bluebells.
Replant them immediately so that they don't dry out. It may also be worth
collecting seed. This is because bluebells have contractile roots and pull
themselves deeply into the earth; if the bulbs are deeper than the bucket on
the digger, then only the leafy growth will be excavated and the bulbs left
behind.

Spider

On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 12:15:46 +0100, Spider wrote:

Holly in France wrote in message
...
Hi all,
Please does anyone know if transplanting bluebells at this time of year,
in the green so to speak, snip.....
thought I might rescue some. Is it worth a try??


Yes, planting 'in the green' is really the only way to transplant bluebells.
Replant them immediately so that they don't dry out.

Thanks for that. Rescue completed the same day! Planted on either side of
the walk from our lake to the weir on the river, so they should look
lovely. Went back for some more today but it was too late :-(

It may also be worth collecting seed.

Yes, I do that with mine anyway if I remember at the right time.

This is because bluebells have contractile roots and pull
themselves deeply into the earth; if the bulbs are deeper than the bucket on
the digger, then only the leafy growth will be excavated and the bulbs left
behind.

They have all been scooped up and left to one side in piles of soil for the
moment. When the owner clears the brush, wood etc from the land on the far
side of the soil we will spread the soil out again. As long as they haven't
rotted in the heaps in the meantime I think there is a reasonable chance
that many of them will survive. Hopefully they will then set seed and
re-naturalise again in the long term.


--
Holly, in France
Holiday home in Dordogne
http://la-plaine.chez.tiscali.fr