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Advice on bulbs, please
AlxNic
Posts: 259
Good morning
I am new to gardening and have just started sorting out my very elderly mother's garden which hasn't been touched for over 10 years.
There are lots of clumps of green leaves growing, which I find to be hyacinth bulbs. The bulbs are close together (touching) with lots of green leaves but the flower stalk in the middle is about 10 cm with very little flower heads at the end. You can't see them unless you look for them.
I'm not sure what to do - I am resigned to digging them up if they can't be saved.
Any advice on what to do - or the reason they became like that would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Alex
0
Posts
leave them for now, the flowers are just starting to form. they'll flower in a couple of weeks, once they've flowered then you can lift and divide/replant somewhere else
Welcome Alex.
The description sounds a bit like bluebells, but , as treehugger says, leave them a while longer for a proper ID.
As my dear late mother would have said " act in haste, repent at leisure"
Thank you, both, for your advice.
I will leave them - the flowers look so stunted (compared to others' hyacinths) it looked a bit hopeless
Hi Alex
If you want to take a photo (or three) and post them on here then we may be able to offer more advice/ideas - to upload a pic you need to click on the green tree icon on the toolbar above where you type your post 
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thanks for the suggestion, Dovefromabove. here they are
Ok - that really helps
Those are Spanish Bluebells (bluebells are related to hyacinths so the confusion is understandable 
). They're paler coloured and different to the native English type, and don't have their lovely scent, but they're quite pretty 
However they do spread if they're happy and can be a bit invasive.
If I were you I'd leave them to flower (they look pretty in a jug on the breakfast table and you've got enough there to pick a bunch or two).
Then when they've flowered you can dig them up and replant them in an area where you would like them to be. They're pretty tough and as long as you give them a good bucket or two of water when you replant them they'll survive.
Hope that helps
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thank you, Dovefromabove
That all makes sense. There are so many groups of these - and the garden is not that big. With the information you have given me I can decide to keep/move them.
Apart from some shrubs, the only things left in the garden (untouched for 10 years) have been several species that come low on my welcome list.
The garden is looking a bit empty at the moment but I have done a lot of sowing in the bare parts so come summer it should be OK.
I'm really glad to have found the forum - it's great to have the help of people, who know what they are doing
Alex
You're welcome AlexX
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
These do look like Spanish Bluebells, which are a nuisance as they cross-breed with our much more elegant native ones to produce hybrids which are fertile. If you are anywhere near a bluebell wood (2 miles) I would suggest digging them out and getting rid of them in such a way that they can't regrow. This may take a couple of years. If you're not near a bluebell wood I would suggest the same thing! Many bluebell woods now have intermediate populations, which is a great shame. They're very invasive - I had to deal with a garden that was overrun with them. Don't give them away in a mistaken act of charity.
That's why picking them and bringing them inside is a good idea - less chance for the bees to cross-pollinate them
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.