Re: bluebells
Kris,
In nature Virginia Bluebells are usually found growing on the banks of streams
up above the water line. Rather loose soil with humus and mulched each fall by
falling leaves of the trees. Provide something resembling this and you will have a
beautiful weed in your garden if the garden is small. Spring moisture, halfway
decent soil and an organic mulch. They also need to dry off from July on after
they go dormant.
There are over 40 species of Mertensia to play with in the garden, and some
cultivars of our own M. virginica. Kind of hard to find them in the catalogs, but
they are out there. I sowed the seeds of two species last year and then this
spring 2 more. They are not hard to germinate. Just takes time to get them up to
maturity.
Incidentally, not all bluebells bloom at the same time, or go dormant in
summer.
My favorite companion plant is the Uvularia grandiflora, or Merrybells. The
hanging yellow bells go wonderfully with the blue of the bluebells. Once the
bluebells go dormant the merrybells will be there until frost.
Gene Bush Southern Indiana Zone 6a Munchkin Nursery
around the woods - around the world
genebush@otherside.com http://www.munchkinnursery.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Marge Talt <mtalt@clark.net>
Subject: Re: bluebells
> Kris....if your bluebell is Mertensia virginica, it is long lived and
> will seed about and form large colonies if happy. Mine are just
> coming into flower...dunno if it is too early for yours, but think
> you should be seeing them emerge if they are there. If they have
> departed, try them again.
>
> Mine seed into sunny edges of the gravel driveway and deep shade -
> doesn't seem to matter to them. As Chris says, tho', you have got to
> let the foliage wither away on its own and not cut it back for
> neatness sake.
>
> Lovely plants, would hate to be without them - and Chris, when your
> new children from Munchkin grow and bloom, expect to see marvelous
> pix of them up on web!!
>
> Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
> mtalt@clark.net
> Editor: Gardening in Shade
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