A wintry gray garden needs a beautiful spring dress after its long sleep. Rabbit bells, which have been slumbering almost forgotten in the ground, are now making their big appearance as designers. They go out onto the garden stage with a bright blue creation consisting of countless small flower bells. They are sure to receive admiring glances. Do your part by providing the right care.
Spanish Harebell
The Spanish harebell, also known as the Spanish squill, comes from the Mediterranean region, more precisely from western Spain, Portugal and northwest Africa. There it grows extensively and wildly on dry rocky slopes and also enriches green grassy meadows. In these climates it is also used to occasional dry seasons.
In the other regions, the Spanish harebell, botanically Hyacinthoides hispanica, has been deliberately planted as a garden plant due to its attractive appearance. There are now numerous hybrid varieties of this perennial plant. As they grow, they form a clump and bloom white, pink or light blue.
Atlantic Harebell
Unlike the Spanish harebell, its distribution area also extends to Central and Northern Europe. It is valued both as a cut flower and as an ornamental plant. But the wild populations are also impressively large. Every spring, especially in Great Britain, they transform countless forest floors and parks into a sea of blue flowers for several weeks. This gave the Atlantic harebell its second name “English harebell”. It is particularly suitable for planting in natural gardens, where it can grow and spread in peace. At the beginning, a few plants are enough, time in interaction with nature will take care of the rest.
Nature conservation
We often encounter harebells in the great outdoors, along hiking trails and under shady trees. It's tempting to take a few of the stems with you for the vase. But that's not allowed, even if it's just a few flower stems out of a huge total. All specimens that grow wild in nature or in the garden are protected. This means that they may not be picked, removed or otherwise destroyed. You can only lend a hand to it if you have planted harebells yourself.
Toxicity
This innocent-looking plant contains toxic substances such as saponins and cardiac glycosides in all its parts, but especially in the bulb and seeds. The latter have a negative effect on cardiac activity when ingested. Overall, this plant is listed as “slightly poisonous”. Their poison most commonly causes the following symptoms:
- Nausea
- Feeling unwell,
- Diarrhea
- Headache
- Stomach pressure
- Contact Allergies
Contact allergies occur when the skin comes into direct contact with the plant sap. Unpleasant itching and redness occur. All other symptoms are immediate body reactions when parts of this poisonous plant are consumed. Of course, no gardener will voluntarily put this plant in their mouth; this does occasionally happen to small children. If this plant is to decorate a family garden, education and care are an absolute must.
Flowering time
The two types of harebells, the Atlantic harebells and the Spanish harebells, bloom at different times. The Atlantic harebell, also known as wild hyacinth, blooms first. Its delicate flowers are already open in April and exude a very light scent. The bluebell squill follows in May, with equally beautiful flowers that are unfortunately odorless. The beginning of the flowering period is also influenced by the current weather. Once bloomed, both species bloom for about two months.
Location and soil
Finally a suitable flower plant for the less popular places in the garden: shady places under trees and bushes where full sunlight rarely reaches. Harebells like to spread under these conditions and add splashes of color where otherwise there would be bare spots. The following applies to hare bells:
- they like it partially shaded to shady
- likes to grow under trees and bushes
- are suitable for shady rock gardens
- prefer moist and well-drained soils
- Humus content promotes their growth
- need enough space to spread out
- They don't like waterlogging at all
- a drainage layer under the bulbs protects them from rot
Tip:
Loamy soil is particularly prone to waterlogging. Before planting the harebell bulbs, loosen up such soil with a little sand so that rainwater can seep away better.
Planting time
The harebell bulbs are planted in the garden in autumn from September to November. Planting should take place before the first frosts, and no more planting after that, no matter what the calendar says. Hare bells are also ideal for a flower arrangement in a pot. They bloom after daffodils and hyacinths and can still delight with beautiful flowers after the other two plant varieties have already bloomed.
Planting
Harebells are delicate plants that do not grow very tall. They almost always stay below 50 cm. When planted individually, they are less noticeable and are more likely to be overlooked. Several hare bells, on the other hand, form a carpet of flowers and can no longer be visually overlooked.
- Groups with several onions each are optimal
- Distance between individual tuffs should be about 12 cm
- Onions can also be planted in long rows
- Planting depth is 6-10 cm depending on the variety
- Onions need to be watered after planting
Tip:
Based on the bulb size, the planting hole should be two to three times deeper. Onions planted too deep do not sprout at all or sprout late. Therefore, when planting newly purchased varieties, pay attention to the exact information on the packaging.
Onion division
It is typical for onion flowers that they take care of their own offspring. So does the hare bell. Every year, many small onions form directly on the main bulb. If the natural flow is not interfered with, the bells will continue to spread on their own. That's a good thing, because the small plants come into their own much better in groups. If you want to decorate other places in the garden with them, you can plant the new onion shoots there. September and October are suitable months for transplanting.
- Wear gloves to avoid contact allergies
- Use a sharp and disinfected knife.
- Carefully dig up the flower bulb.
- Separate the daughter bulbs with the knife.
- Plant the mother bulb back.
- Plant the small bulbs in a suitable location.
- Pour the onions.
- Spanish harebell must be planted 8-10 cm deep into the soil
- Atlantic bells, on the other hand, only need a depth of 6-8 cm
Sowing
If flowered flower stems are left standing, the seeds will ripen within a few weeks. The seeds are so-called cold germinators, which require cold temperatures for germination. Germination inhibition must be overcome with stratification. Since it is quite time-consuming, this type of propagation is not that tempting. Another disadvantage is that harebells grown from seeds only bloom after several years. If you want to have that patience and try seed propagation, you can start with warm-cold stratification in February or March.
- Sow the seed in seed soil.
- Place the pots in a warm room for two to four weeks.
- Keep the soil moist.
- Move to a cold location with temperatures of -4 to 5 degrees
- The small plants are planted out in May.
With a bit of luck, this procedure will lead to new hare bells. If conditions are not optimal, germination can take significantly longer.
Note:
The seeds are poisonous, do not leave them in the open. Especially if they can end up in the hands of children.
Pouring
When the harebell is planted in its preferred location, it hardly needs to be watered. Under trees and bushes, where it is nice and shady, the sun's rays hardly reach the soil and it therefore does not dry out as quickly. Rainfall is usually enough to meet water needs. However, when the harebell blooms, the soil should be checked for moisture from time to time. If the soil feels very dry, moderate watering is necessary. Use the soft rainwater every now and then to keep the lime content within limits. After flowering, when the harebell withdraws, you no longer need to water.
Fertilize
The harebell is extremely frugal when it comes to nutrients. Horn shavings provide it with nutrients evenly over a long period of time. This ensures he althy growth. During the flowering period from April onwards, additional fertilizer applications can promote flower development. As soon as the flower has sprouted again in spring, you can spread some fine compost every two weeks.
Tip:
If you distribute the horn shavings early in spring, the microorganisms in the soil have enough time to release some of the nutrients in time for flowering.
Cutting
Reaching for secateurs can definitely be worth it when it comes to hare bells, as this gives the colorful splendor an extended period of time during which new bells are formed. Since the harebell is poisonous, it is advisable to wear gloves.
- Remove spent flowers regularly
- Cut off all flower heads as soon as the flowering period is over
- Cut off the yellowed and dried leaves close to the ground
- Cut flower stems for the vase if necessary
Removing the flower heads stops the strenuous development of seeds. All the power can flow into the onion.
Tip:
If you want more harebells in the garden, you can simply leave a few flower stalks. The ripe seed sows itself.
Wintering
Harebells for the garden are hardy and are well suited for overwintering directly outdoors. The bulbs remain in place, pull in their leaves and sprout again in spring. In harsh winters, light winter protection is still advisable as a preventive measure. Cover the harebell bulbs in good time before the first frost comes. The following applies:
- dry leaves falling from neighboring deciduous trees are a good layer of insulation
- cut fir branches can serve as a cover
- Protection must be removed in February or March.
Protected like this, the harebells sprout in large numbers in spring. Hare bells planted in containers and pots should overwinter frost-free. These spring bloomers are best moved to suitable winter quarters immediately after pruning. It should be frost-free and not too dark. In spring the pots can be put outside again.
Diseases
Hare bell bulbs are resistant to disease. Too much moisture makes them susceptible to fungal diseases and causes them to rot. When planting, make sure that the soil is well-drained. Mix the soil with a little sand to increase permeability. Also be careful when watering, this is the most effective way to prevent rot.
Pests
Snails like to infest the leaves and flowers of harebells. The plant survives the attack because the underground bulb is spared and sprouts again the next year. Nevertheless, eaten rabbit bells are not a pretty sight. Always be on the lookout for snails and act quickly as soon as you spot the first slimy creatures. This means that the snail plague cannot cause much damage and also does not have the opportunity to lay countless snail eggs for the next year.
If your garden is inhabited by voles, sooner or later they will attack the onions. Prevent this by planting the bulbs together with fine-mesh metal mesh baskets. This way the attracted mice stay out.
