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Was thinking about trying Virginia Blue Bells in my shade area this year. Anyone grow them as I have ?'s~~~ I'm pretty sure I can grow them in Ohio...but will they grow in my amended clay soil? sun/shade? Will they stay green all summer or disappear? They sure are pretty. I like blues & purples in my Spring beds. OK girls chat it up!?

I have never been able to get any variety to grow either here or in Ill. when I lived there. I got one Texas one to grow about 6", put out on flower & then die...a couple of yrs. ago...I give up!

And I'm no help either!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ga.karen,

Thanks K. I just hate to invest in something that doesn't have a chance~~ya know? I thought I saw them in a local friend's yard once but then not again. I thought perhaps its something
that really just likes woodland environments & not to be disturbed. Someone here must grow them? Oh & do they fall over?

Muddy - never had Virginia Bluebells, but I do have a variety of Scilla - I think they are called Spanish Bluebells. Let me tell you, these things multiply like crazy. They are gorgeous while in bloom, spread like weeds, then die down like daffies after bloomtime. I looked them up on Google, and they are hardy in Ohio and even up into Minnesota. I can send you and Ga Karen bulbs if you wish...after they have bloomed. I must warn you...not sure about Ohio, but here in the southland, it's like planting weeds. Here's a picture of mine.

ve

This message has been edited. Last edited by: vera ellen,

Those are gorgeous! I tried growing Texas Bluebells....they just fried.

Vera ~Never saw those so tall!! What do you feed them?! I have a few of those & would love more if you ever divide (put me on a list) but still want to know about Virginia Blue Bells.

Vera, Love that pic!
Muddy, Virginia buebells grow here in NH 5B. So you should have no problem. THey are one of my earliest spring flowers and I love them. I have them under white pine. Only problem is lately the woodchucks or rabbits are finding them first (last couple of years!) Replanted some in a different spot in the shade garden -hope I get to see them this year. They can be ephemeral. So mark your spot or put them near something that grows later like hosta....I planted mine near celandine poppies.

zone9, you're right, I think we may be too hot/humid, but why do they grow in Tx.?

VE, I would love some if you divide! And maybe I should warn you...I have a little something I'm sending you when it gets a bit warmer & it's a repeat bloomer! And it's orange!

Muddy, great info on Google about Virginia Bluebells.

Whether these wild flowers will grow for you depends on whether you provide the habitat they want to grow in. Perhaps this form the University of Illinois will be of some help.
http://www.illinoiswildflowers...plants/bluebells.htm

Muddy, I don't feed them anything seriously, other than what they get when I toss some fertilizer through the beds early spring. I think these are just naturally tall.

ooooooooh GaKaren - an orange surprise. I can't wait!!

I will send you girls some bulbs later. GaKaren, must warn you...don't hate me...in a few years these things will be like kudzu!

ve

edited to add: what's the difference between Virginia Bluebells and Texas bluebonnets? A friend brought me two seed packets of Texas Bluebonnets from a recent trip. We are certainly hot and dry enough here...not sure about the rest of it.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: vera ellen,

Thank you Kimm & thank you all!

I have what Vera has.... wood hyacinths... I have them in pink and lavender, too..they love being under trees that are deciduous... so they get warm soil and lots of sun in spring, but shade as the weather warms up... they poop out like daffies do and disappear....and increase like bunnies!!..... but I love them....My English friend, Britty, was so homesick for them... scroll down this page for what she hankered for...

http://susie-themillhouse.blogspot.com/

every time we dig around, we find bulbs ... so we dump some here and there... we're always surprised in spring by where they pop up next....

Vera, Apparently Texas blue bonnets are of the lupine family, hardy annual native to Texas. Virginia blue bells are Mertensia, perennials of the Borage family hardy to zone 3.

I'm here in the Columbus Ohio area. I planted Blue bells awhile back and I don't think they were very happy. It took several years for them to even bloom, and when they finally did, there weren't a lot of flowers. I had them in an area tha received morning shade and afternoon sun. I just don't think they did well with the clay.

Sarah, I have clay soil too, so all my beds have to be amended, otherwise, everything struggles.

Toots, I have wood hyacinths in both the pink and blue. These are a bit different from the wood hyacinths...Dee (Blissie) brought them to me years ago on her first visit. She called them a type of Scilla so I googled them and found the best match for what I had.

Jan, thanks for the info on the difference between bluebells and bluebonnets. I had no clue. Never had any luck with lupines, so cross your fingers that the bluebonnets will do well here.

ve

well, I'll be switched!... never knew there was a difference!!.... still learnin'!!!!

Most of the Virginia Bluebells I've seen have been in deciduous woodlands. That's where they had them planted at Barnsley Gardens in NW GA and where they were coming up in the woodlands at Reflections Riding Arboretum just outside of Chattanooga, TN. Both places were absolutely gorgeous during their bloom time!

Members of the lupine family don't seem to do well in the southeast. I don't know if it's the clay soil or the humidity combined with the summer heat or a combo of all those.

Remember there are a good number of flowers that can take drier heat but can't take a combo of humidity and heat for days on end like you have in the southeast during the summer. There are plants I would love to grow but they just can't take the combo of factors we have here. But other plants love it.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Luv R Pups,

I have no idea what kind of bluebells I have in Iowa but they just multiply like crazy and look scabby after awhile. I just pull them and the next year they are right back so I must miss some of them or they drop seed. I think they are a nuisance but admit the blue/purple color is pretty.

Here is a pic of some Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) that I took the last time I was up at Barnesley Gardens in the spring.

I looked these up and they appear to be Spanish Bluebells, AKA Wood Hyacinths (Hyacinthoides hispanica). Apparently, they are also sometimes called Siberian Squills since they resemble scilla bulbs.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/763/

I had them when we lived in far N GA. This big bunch was in a shaded area near a downspout. But there were others in blue and in white in a more sunny spot and they were much smaller - guess they were getting too much sun or this was an improved variety.

If I am remembering right, these were the ones recommended in the Georgia Gardener's Guide (one of my fave gardening books but it's packed away in storage right now) as being good bulbs/spring bloomers for GA gardeners.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Luv R Pups,

Then I also saw that there are similar bluebells that are called English Hyacinths or Wild Hyacinths (Hyacinthoides non-scripta.) They appear to be similar to these but more nodding. I've read that they don't do as well in GA. Don't know it it's the heat or the clay or what.

Here is a link to them from Dave's

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/906/

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Luv R Pups,