Forum home Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Harebells

24

Posts

  • I love the way they seem to be suspended from thin air - their little wiry stems are almost invisible image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    Glorious aren't they Dove?  So delicate, yet incredibly strong. Think that's what I love about them  image

    You wouldn't think they could withstand the vagaries of the climate, yet they do better than lots of fluffy, fancy, inbred plants!  No staking or mollycoddling. My kind of plant  image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • I love watching them dance among the short grasses on the clifftops by the sea - magical image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    Isn't it funny how we lust after native bluebells, yet those are every bit as beautiful, and so easy.

    I'd like to sow loads of them in a little area somewhere suitable. Perhaps I'll do that in 2017 image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • I have just checked them out in our wild flowers of the Channel Islands list, and they are not mentioned - I am wondering if either our climate or soil isn't suitable for them - so far I have grown them in potting compost with added grit and vermiculite - so the test will be when I move them on to their final outdoor position.

    Thank you for the picture of the flowers Fairygirl, they do look exquisite don't they.

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    Hi GD - if they grow on seaside cliffs like Dove mentions, I'd think they'd grow for you. We have neutral to acidic soil in most of Scotland - where they are on the hills is generally peaty moorland. Quite different from a seaside location, so they clearly aren't fussy as to soil type, and they grow in shade or sun. image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...

  • Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    Interesting what it says about other planting outgrowing them when subjected to that rain, Dove. 

    I expect it grows well on hills up here because other plants can't grow very well there anyway, and those that do, aren't invasive enough to be a threat. image

    Also interesting that it's described as a plant of  'dry, open, windy places'. Open and windy we have plenty of.  Two out of three ain't bad....image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Kate23Kate23 Posts: 6

    Fairy girl is right, they will grow anywhere, but slugs love them. It's not the weather or soil you need to worry about, it's the slimey monsters! I have a white form too - gorgeous.

  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328

    Strangely enough, Kate23, though I lose a lot of plants to slugs, they seem to leave my harebells alone.  image

    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Sign In or Register to comment.