The bluebell is generally a wild growing plant, but it is perfectly fine to sow or plant in your own garden to give it a wilder feel but also a beautiful setting with its blue color.
Scientific name (Latin): Campanula
Family: Bellflowers (Campanulaceae)
Table of Contents
Cultivation and care bluebell
In the vast majority of cases when it comes to bluebells, they don’t need any special care or maintenance, especially not those that grow wild. However, it is important to remember that the plant likes to be in warm places that provide good sun and it can be dry, but not too dry.
Light requirements
Bluebells that you place in a flower bed or cultivate in containers such as pallet collars, pots, or balcony boxes thrive in bright conditions. However, it’s advisable to avoid exposing them to prolonged, intense sunlight as they are not tolerant of complete drying out
Watering
Therefore, water these bluebells at regular intervals so that the humidity maintains an even level at all times, but avoid making it too wet.
Soil
The soil can be of the usual planting variety and should preferably be nutrient-rich and have good drainage.
Nutrition
In the case of the large bluebell, which is most often used for these cultivation’s, it is also good to fertilize with garden manure for good growth.
Pruning
They bloom in June or July. Pruning them to 10-15 centimeters after flowering can encourage a second bloom before autumn.
Popular varieties of bluebell
In Sweden, there are about ten different ones that either grow wild or are cultivated in different ways. Each individual variety is unique in its own way, and has different characteristics and growth habits.
Small bluebell
The small bluebell is small in stature, just as the name suggests.
The small bluebell is thin in shape, and has a sparse growth pattern in tufts. The stems that grow up are weak and erect and the whole plant only grows a couple of centimeters high.
The flowering time of a small bluebell is long, it starts in July and blooms until September. The flower itself, the bell, has a hanging shape and is mostly blue, but there are also white variants. Small bluebell also has several subspecies and spreads easily. It is indeed a great choice to plant these charming bluebells in various areas of your garden.
Meadow bell
The meadow bluebell is very similar in appearance to a small bluebell, with the big difference that the meadow bluebell instead has a more red-violet and deeply lobed crown on the flower. In Dalarna, the bluebell is the most common species of bluebell, while it is more uncommon in other parts of the country.
The meadow bell is biennial and can grow up to 50 centimeters high. The leaves of the meadowsweet are narrow and bare and get smaller and smaller the higher up the stem they sit. The bell-shaped flower can be up to 2.5 centimeters and normally blooms between June and August.
Big bluebell
Large bluebell is a very beautiful variety that can grow really large and extensive. It grows to about 50 to 80 centimeters tall with an unbranded stem and with leaves that have a lancet shape. The flowers, with their characteristic bell shape, sit either alone or in small groups at the top of the stem and can be four centimeters long. The flowering occurs between June and July and this beautiful variety of bluebell is a valued plant to grow in flower beds, pallet collars, pots or balcony boxes.
Wild and beautiful and appreciated by many
Meadow sweet and bluebell belonging to the same family in Dalarna’s landscape makes sense. They both feature the lovely, intense blue color in meadows, along roads, and on slopes, not just in Dalarna but throughout Sweden. While the meadow bell is relatively rare outside of Dalarna, this wild and beautiful flower is cherished by many in Swedish nature.
Bluebell is very common throughout the Nordic region and grows abundantly in warm and dry areas. It says a lot about the time when the bluebell is at its most beautiful, namely during the height of summer, which makes the bluebell a beautiful and welcome companion during the hottest time of the year.
Quick facts blue bell
- Is Dalarna’s landscape flower.
- The scientific name comes from the Latin campana, which means little bell.
- The genus of bluebells has around 300 species, ten of which are found in Sweden.
- Can be grown in several ways, in everything from flower beds to pots and bacon boxes.
- Grows in northern, temperate areas and common throughout Europe and minor Asia.
- Most varieties are perennial, but there are those that are grown as annuals.