Native bluebells

Hyacinthoides non-scripta, the common bluebell is native to the British Isles and is now in competition with the Spanish variety. You can smell the difference as the native bluebell has a scent, the Spanish doesn’t, hybrids have some scent but it is not as strong as the native species.

native-bluebells

Visually, the petals of the bell in the native species are curled back at the tips and all hang from one side of the stem giving rise to a characteristic droop. This is not seen in the Spanish strain which are more erect as the bells emerge from around the circumference of the stem, the hybrids only droop a little. Pictured are native bluebells growing in our garden. Usually, this flower will carpet a woodland in Spring just ahead of the temperatures rising, the days getting longer and leaves emerging to form the perennial deciduous canopy of trees.

We have a few pink bluebells too and some white ones, not to be confused with the three-cornered leek, Allium triquetrum, apparently.