Ring out, joyful Beltane bluebells.

[purpletigron]

For those of us confused about the differences between native English bluebells, and the various cultivated and crossed varieties with Spanish genes, I've now found clear distinguishing photographs and descriptions from the RHS: Alien threatens national flower. Sadly, all the mature bluebells in my garden appear to be Spanish or hybrids. I intend to bring the non-English flowers in for decoration, to minimise further crossing with the natives.

I must study the bluebells along the banks of the Grand Union Canal too.

Comments

[lamentables.livejournal.com]

Having looked at that I see that despite the fact we have a bluebell wood just outside the village, carpeted with the English variety, most of the ones in the hedgerows around here are either Spanish or hybrids.

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

I believe that it's illegal only to take native English bluebells from the wild. It's possible to buy native English bluebells from respectable dealers - they should be described as Hyacinthoides non-scripta<.em> (or Scilla non-scripta or Endymion non-scriptus). A campaign of digging up non-natives and replacing with natives would seem to be in order...

[sammywol.livejournal.com]

It is illegal but it goes on. Entire woods have been stripped of their bulbs and the spoils tend to go abroad too which just makes it worse.

[maureenkspeller.livejournal.com]

Are the hybrids sceneted at all ... the local bluebells all seem to be Spanish, etc. but there is an incredibly powerful flower scent at present that I'd been attributing to them. It's not wallflower, which I know, but I've no idea what else it can be, and I can't localise it.

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

They are scented, in my garden at least.

[maureenkspeller.livejournal.com]

And here, yet the RHS seems to think they're not scented. Very strange.

Interesting!

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

Then we must actually have Spanish-English hybrids, not the pure H. hispanica.

[sammywol.livejournal.com]

A good rule of thumb is if the flower looks droopy and dark and will not look good in a flower arrangement however you might try it is the native species. If it is pale and pretty and has nice wide bells it is not.

That is why it always makes me extra sad to see children picking bluebells in the woods near us as I know they won't be appreciated even if they do make it to the jam-jar of water at home.

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

For many years I wondered why bluebells were considered an endangered species, until I heard about the Spanish threat. They are still English in most of Kent.

[carandol.livejournal.com]

Thanks for that, I shall inspect the bluebells in our garden, and the ones growing wild locally, forthwith.

[carandol.livejournal.com]

I've checked the ones in the back garden, and they're of the Spanish variety. :-( And most of the ones in peoples' gardens and bits of waste ground on the way to Sainsburys this afternoon seem to be hybrids, with a few Spanish ones thrown in. Not a true blue-blooded British bluebell to be found.