Monty Don has issued a stark warning to gardening enthusiasts over a little-known regulation about wildflowers. Each April, Britain’s woodlands burst into life with stunning displays of wild bluebells.
These blooms capitalise on the fleeting opportunity in spring before trees reach full leaf, producing magnificent carpets of colour beneath dappled shade. Gardeners are often advised to plant the beautiful flowers between September and November so they’re ready to bloom next spring.
But Monty Don, presenter of Gardeners’ World, cautions that there are strict regulations governing bluebells and breaking them could potentially put you in legal trouble. In last year’s Gardeners’ World Winter Special, he states: “Never plant them in a border even the English ones can become invasive, and certainly the Spanish bluebells are an absolute no-no.” It’s also worth noting that it is illegal to plant wild bluebells uprooted from outside your garden and could result in up to £5,000 fines. Purchasing bluebells from a commercial supplier remains legal.
Yet beneath a cluster of trees, especially in well-draining locations that enjoy plenty of rainfall, they will thrive.
Establishing bluebells is simple, according to Monty. Just distribute a handful of the tiny, potato-shaped bulbs at random across your selected area.
They ought to be positioned where they land, in cavities roughly four inches in depth. When establishing amongst tree roots, it’s sensible to carefully test with a hand fork before commencing with your trowel.
All that’s needed is a couple of handfuls of leaf mould combined with the excavated earth.
The cavity should be three times the depth of the bulb and even in clay soils, there’s no requirement to incorporate grit.
However, Monty warns that you need to be careful about where you get your bulbs from. He said: “It has to be stressed, it is illegal to dig up wild bluebells from anywhere. If you go to a wood and see acres and acres of them, take one and you’ve broken the law.”
He suggests that bulbs should be bought from a reliable supplier in May, just after they’ve finished flowering, and then planted in anticipation of a beautiful blue spectacle under the trees next spring.
But for those who are eager to see their garden thrive, Monty stresses patience with bluebells. He continued: “Don’t expect, if you plant a bulb, that it’s going to look fantastic in the first year or even in the second or third year. But they will come through, and they’ll get stronger, and they’ll get thicker.”
Monty notes that the stunning bluebell woods we discover on country walks may have taken hundreds of years to reach their peak, so he advises, “be patient”.
