English bluebell
Hyacinthoides non-scripta · Liliaceae
Narrow, deep violet-blue bells hang along one side of an arching stem that nods at the tip. They are sweetly scented.
- Size
- 12 in tall, 6 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Part sun to shade
- Flowers
- Early May to late May
- Pets
- Toxic (severe)
- Job in a bed
- Bulb layer
A bed built around English bluebell
The planner designed this bed around English bluebell when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why English bluebell stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Woodland strawberry × 8, white
- 2 Lungwort × 6, blue
- 3 Northern sea oats × 3, tan
- 4 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 5 Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert' × 3, white
- 6 Wild geranium × 5, pink
- 7 English bluebell × 8, blue
- 8 Snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- Near the front. At 12 in it stands ahead of wild geranium (20 in) without hiding it.
- 8 plants in 2 handfuls. In the gaps between other plants, which fill the space when the bulb is not in growth.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From early May to late May.
- Part of the bed's peak. With woodland strawberry, lungwort and wild geranium in early May: 4 kinds at once. No week has more.
- Leaves gone by midsummer. They die back and leave bare ground. A perennial that comes up late stands beside it, and grows over the gap.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. A cool scheme: blue, pink, white and tan. Low plants run along 100% of the front edge: lungwort and woodland strawberry.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: English bluebell is highly poisonous to people, dogs, cats and horses. Northern sea oats spreads aggressively.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where English bluebell goes in a border
At 12 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: bulb layer. Small bulbs planted in handfuls of five or seven in the gaps between other plants, for colour before the perennials wake up.
The bluebell of English woods, more graceful than the Spanish kind and far less pushy. Plant it where it can spread under deciduous trees.
- Bluebell woods under deciduous trees
- Scent in spring
- Naturalising in shade
What to plant with English bluebell
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves; bold leaves against its medium ones.
- Lady fern: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves; tall enough (2½ ft) to stand behind it.
- Solomon's seal: in flower together for four weeks, from early May; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves; tall enough (3 ft) to stand behind it.
Questions about English bluebell
Does English bluebell need sun or shade?
English bluebell grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does English bluebell grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does English bluebell flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early May to late May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Early May to late May |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Early May to late May |
| Zone 6 | Late April to mid May |
| Zone 7 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 8 | Mid April to early May |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should English bluebell be planted?
4 in (10 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 in (15 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 12 in (30 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many English bluebell plants do I need?
At 4 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 107 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 31 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 343 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as handfuls of five or seven, in the gaps between other plants.
In the bed above, the planner used eight in two groups.
Is English bluebell poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: severe toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts, especially the bulbs, are highly poisonous if eaten and can affect the heart. The sap can irritate skin.
Is there a pet-safe plant like English bluebell?
These come closest to doing what English bluebell does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Trout lily 'Pagoda': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; yellow, not blue.
- Checkered lily: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; purple or white, not blue, fine leaves, not medium.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Will English bluebell spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads slowly by seed and offsets into a carpet under trees.
What can I plant to hide English bluebell's leaves after it flowers?
A bulb's leaves have to be left to yellow for about six weeks after flowering, to feed next year's flowers. Plant it among perennials that come up late and spread wide, and they grow over the leaves as they fade:
- Hosta: 18 in tall and 2½ ft wide, a recorded partner, in flower mid July to mid August.
- Lady's mantle: 18 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower late May to early July.
- Bleeding heart: 2½ ft tall and 24 in wide, in flower early May to early June.
What does English bluebell look like in winter?
English bluebell is underground: it dies back after flowering and waits as a bulb until spring. Mark where it is, so a fork does not find it first.
More Hyacinthoides
- Spanish bluebell Hyacinthoides hispanica
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
In flower in: May
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 12 in (30 cm) tall, 6 in (15 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 in (10 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Early May to late May; hanging bells; blue
- Leaves
- Medium texture, summer-dormant; green
- Shape
- Arching, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Liliaceae
Checked against VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.