The English bluebell is vanishing from its native landscape at such an alarming rate that to save it, the UK’s National Trust has resorted to desperate measures: a Twitter campaign.
If you see a Hyacinthoides non-scripta in the wild as this year’s bloom season gets underway, the place to report the sighting is #bluebellwatch. Tweet the post code–and a photo–so the location may be added to a National Trust map. Updated each year, the map’s photos also teach observers to spot the subtle differences between native bluebells and invasive types.
Photography by Britt Willoughby Dyer.
Above: The English bluebell is strongly perfumed, prefers partial shade, and has flowers that droop and cluster distinctly on one side of the stem.
Above: It is illegal to dig up bulbs for purposes of selling them. In the United Kingdom, Thompson & Morgan sells English Bluebells that have passed a DNA test, proving they weren’t harvested from the wild; 50 bulbs for £17.99. In the United States, Hyacinthoides non-scripta is available from Brent and Becky’s Bulbs; 50 bulbs for $33.
Finally, get more ideas on how to successfully plant, grow, and care for english bluebell with our English Bluebell: A Field Guide.
Interested in other bulbs and tubers for your garden or indoor space? Get more ideas on how to plant, grow, and care for various bulbs and tubers with our Bulbs & Tubers: A Field Guide.
Finally, get more ideas on how to plant, grow, and care for various perennial plants with our Perennials: A Field Guide.
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