A gardener has advised anyone with gorgeous bluebells growing in their own outdoor space to make one simple check immediately this month before it’s too late…
Alan Johnson Social News Reporter
14:53, 07 Apr 2026
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Do you have bluebells in your garden?(Image: Anne Elizabeth Mitchell via Getty Images)
If you’re fortunate enough to have bluebells gracing your garden, one horticulturist has stressed the importance of taking action this month to keep on top of your flowers.
Denise Hope, also known as Mud and Bloom, began by outlining the distinctions between English and Spanish varieties. She said in a TikTok video: “Bluebells are one of the most magical signs of spring in UK woodlands – but not all bluebells are native. Some are Spanish bluebells, which look similar but grow quite differently.” English bluebells can indeed be identified by their drooping stem, while they typically flower on just one side.
Content cannot be displayed without consent
Furthermore, the bloom displays a rich blue hue with cream-white pollen and carries a sweet scent. Spanish bluebells, conversely, stand more erect and produce flowers on all sides.
They’re also distinguished by a paler blue colour and conical form. They lack any scent entirely, and their pollen is pale blue.
Mud and Bloom advised: “Bluebell colonies take a long time to establish – around five to seven years from seed to flower – and the flowers can take years to recover after footfall damage. If a bluebell’s leaves are crushed, they die back from lack of food as the leaves cannot photosynthesise.
“Native bluebells are also protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which means that digging up the plant or bulb in the countryside is prohibited.”
Regarding your own garden, what makes distinguishing between English and Spanish bluebells so crucial?
According to the RHS, the Spanish variety is invasive and propagates rapidly through both seed dispersal and bulb offsets (small, undeveloped bulbs).
The RHS elaborates: “In favourable growing conditions, English, Spanish and hybrid bluebells will slowly but steadily spread to form dense clumps, potentially smothering smaller plants and in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, Spanish bluebell is listed as an invasive non-native species.”
The guidance continued: “In gardens close to wild, native English bluebell populations, Spanish and hybrid bluebells are considered less desirable due to concerns over competition and hybridisation threatening the native bluebell population.
“If your garden is close to a wild population (such as a local woodland), then it is best to avoid planting Spanish and hybrid species, to prevent pollinators transferring pollen and causing hybridisation.”
Effective methods for eliminating Spanish bluebells include excavating entire clumps, removing individual plants with a fork, and consistently mowing lawns where they’re present during spring and summer to weaken the bulbs, stopping flowering and self-seeding, which will ultimately destroy them completely.
The RHS cautioned: “If an area contains a lot of bluebells, it may take several years of digging, forking out or regular mowing to eradicate them completely.”
Comments are closed.