Spanish bluebell
Hyacinthoides hispanica · Asparagaceae
Sturdy spikes of blue, pink or white bells in late spring, above strap-shaped leaves. It grows anywhere, including dry shade.
- Size
- 16 in tall, 6 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to shade
- Flowers
- Early May to late May
- Pets
- Toxic (severe)
- Job in a bed
- Bulb layer
A bed built around Spanish bluebell
The planner designed this bed around Spanish bluebell when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why Spanish bluebell stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Woodland strawberry × 8, white
- 2 Blue moor grass × 7, purple
- 3 Northern sea oats × 5, tan
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 5 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Bergenia 'Winter Glow' × 5, red
- 7 Spanish bluebell × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only bells. The others are open bowls, spires, airy sprays and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only blue.
Why here
- In the middle. At 16 in it is seen over woodland strawberry (8 in) in front of it.
- 12 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, blue moor grass and bergenia 'Winter Glow' 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 a cottage garden: 29 of the 29 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 52% of the visual weight and the right half 48%. The flowering is at its height from early May, with 4 kinds out together.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 1 Good, 2 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Spanish 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 Spanish bluebell goes in a border
At 16 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 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.
It thrives where little else will, which is both its use and its fault: it multiplies relentlessly and is nearly impossible to dig out. Plant it only where it can be left to spread.
- Naturalising under trees and shrubs
- Difficult dry shade
- Late-spring colour after the daffodils
What to plant with Spanish 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.
- Lenten rose: in flower together for two weeks, from early May; bold leaves against its medium ones.
- Christmas fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after.
Questions about Spanish bluebell
Does Spanish bluebell need sun or shade?
Spanish bluebell grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), 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 ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does Spanish bluebell grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °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 Spanish 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 3 | Mid May to early June |
|---|---|
| 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 Spanish 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 16 in (40 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Spanish 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 12 in two groups.
Is Spanish 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.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like Spanish bluebell?
These come closest to doing what Spanish bluebell does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Grape hyacinth: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 10 in shorter, fine leaves, not medium.
- Trout lily 'Pagoda': the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 4 in shorter, yellow, not blue.
- Checkered lily: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 4 in shorter, purple or white, not blue.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat Spanish bluebell?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
Will Spanish bluebell spread?
It seeds itself about; the risk of it taking over is high. Multiplies fast by offsets and seed, and is very hard to dig out completely. It has escaped into the wild in the Pacific Northwest.
What can I plant to hide Spanish 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.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': 24 in tall and 2½ ft wide, in flower mid May to mid September.
What does Spanish bluebell look like in winter?
Spanish 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
- English bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta
In these guides
- Plants for dry shade
- Plants that grow near black walnut
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Plants with blue flowers
- Plants for a white garden
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
In flower in: May
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 16 in (40 cm) tall, 6 in (15 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 in (10 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Early May to late May; hanging bells; blue, pink, white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, summer-dormant; green
- Shape
- Upright, self-seeding
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Asparagaceae
- Comes from
- Spain, Portugal and northwest Africa
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, black walnut
Checked against NC State Extension. 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.