Va. Bluebells plant time

I want to plant Va. Blubells this year. I know they bloom in Spring, but when do you plant the rhizomes? They are rhizomes aren't they?
Should I order a plant instead? I'd rather get the root, but I don't know much about them. Please advise.

Mmm .... I *think* I planted mine in the fall. They might well be rhizomes; they looked like roots, so.... I don't think I'd order the plant - if it's off season for them, they simply disappear - the foliage and everything goes away, so it's not like you would have a plant to look at anyway.

Have you found a good source? I got mine from Viola Valley www.violavalley.com , they don't have spectacular ratings in the watchdog, but they do have great prices.

I recently ordered seeds of this plant. If I'm successful in germinating them, I suppose it will be two or three years before I see blooms. Google it and read some of the information. Sheryl is correct. Following bloom, the plant pretty much disappears until the next spring. You will want to plan to interplant with flowering annuals or later blooming perennials that can co exist with the bluebells so they will cover the bare spots left once the v bluebells are done for the year.

It sounds like a lovely spring plant to try in the garden. Good luck with your project.

Mary

My Virginia bluebells easily spread by seed. They will bloom the second year from seed. They can make quite large patches, but do completely disappear a few weeks after blooming. They work well with hostas.

I planted mine in the fall. They were these little 'rooty' things...

This picture was taken last May.

Beautiful! I need to trade for some again - anyone have extra roots to trade?

Yes, they are supposed to be planted in the fall. I will have to put that on my to do list for fall. Whew! There's always a to do list isn't there?
I think the Va. Bluebells are lovely and Carolyn, your picture is really pretty. Such a quiet peaceful look about them. Are the bluebells in the picture on level ground? Our woodlands are in our backyard but on a steep slope. I am thinking the roots would wash away if I planted them in the woodlands.
Pagancat, I tried the Viola Valley but when I clicked on it, it said "does not exist".

Thank you for responding to my post. Birder17

Ooops - sorry about that! Try this one.... http://www.violavalleywildflowers.com/

If you have a source for plants from someone's garden, you can plant them in the late spring/early summer just as the plants start to yellow and die back... before they disappear for the year. This gives them a chance to root well in the fall, and be ready for spring. If you order roots, they will usually be delivered in the fall, but if you are trading, the above procedure is just fine. (It's easier than trying to locate the roots after the plant dies back to the ground!)

Birder -

I have them on level ground. In this picture, you can just make them out. They are on the right side of the arbor.

Ooo.... that garden looks so much like spring I wanna cry....

Carloyn, very pretty. thanks for sharing. Pagancat, I tried that website address and it worked! Thanks.

You are welcome!

I was reading in one of my garden books today, "The Four Season Landscape". There was a picture stating underneath it that the tree was a dogwood, with Va. Bluebells, periwinkle, an azaelea and tulipia hybrids: all of which bloom at the same time. I plan on doing the same. I think that would look really pretty. It also shows "layering".
BTW, I love the book not a lot of colored pictures--but really good ideas and lists of plants from trees, shrubs, bulbs, perennials, annuals that bloom in each season.

Here's my clump of Virginia Bluebells. I've left them alone for 18 years. I should divide them, but don't want to ruin a good thing. I like my clump and look forward to the flowers every spring. I have a lot of other perennials planted in that area and they hide the disappearing bluebells later.

Sad story: For 14 years I passed this house on my way to work. Out in front, by the road, was this enormous planting of bluebells all around a tree. The house was a '70s ranch and the bluebells were probably as old. It was so gorgeous and I looked forward to seeing the flowers every spring. Then the house was sold. One day they were there and the next time I looked the new owners had killed them all and planted grass seed!!! I guess they didn't like the looks of them when they died back. What a shame! Makes a gardener weep.

That would have broken my heart, too.

How very sad. If only you had known that is what they were going to do. I guess, in retrospect, when the for sale sign went up, one should ask if they want to keep the flowers. I have a ton of flowers in my yard. It's what keeps me at this home even though it is not real practical for people ready to retire. It's on a slope. I feel, if I sell the place, people will let all my flowers go "south".

I just don't get people that destroy Virginia Bluebells and plant "grass"! Gee Whiz! I sort of try to get rid of all my "grass".

Me too. I've gotten rid of so much lawn, that my DH can't get around on the lawn tractor. Now I get to mow most of the front yard with a walk behind mower. Rats, foiled again!!

pastime: Oh, but think of the exercise! :) I bet your landscape is very pretty.

Hi birder17.
You are using root, plant, and rhizome interchangeably. It is confusing. Best time to plant Virginia bluebells is actually late summer and early fall when they are completely dormant. But if you plant a plant that is established in a pot now, that is fine too. All of the leaves and flowers come from a thickened root called a rhizome. It is like a dark brown skinny carrot. Small feeder roots will grow off of the rhizome when the soil warms up. That is why if you plant an established plant now, you will be okay, as opposed to a "bare root rhizome" which will have few if any feeder roots to help it along. Wild dug plants are always sold bare root. The worst time to plant would be from mid-April through May when the plant is actively growing. AFter flowering, all bluebells will go dormant and die to the ground usually by early summer. I hope this helps.

Thanks.

Really good information, sungardens - it all gets so confusing - I still don't know the diff between a bulb and a corm, either.

From Bulbsociety.com:

The Difference Between Bulbs, Corms, Tubers, Roots

Technically speaking, many popular "bulb" flowers are not produced from true bulbs at all. Crocuses and gladioli, for example, are really corms, while such favorites as dahlias and begonias are really tubers.

The differences between bulbs and corms are slight, and indeed the two look very similar. The main distinguishing trait is the method of storing food. In corms, most of the food is stored in an enlarged basal plate rather than the meaty scales, which in corms are much smaller. Corms generally tend to be flatter in shape than round, true bulbs.

Tubers and roots are easily distinguished from bulbs and corms. They have no protective tunic and are really just enlarged stem tissue. They come in a variety of shapes, from cylindrical, to flat, to just about any combination you can imagine. Many come in clusters.

Generally, however, you are safe using the term "bulb." Bulb has commonly come to mean any plant which has an underground food storage capacity.

Kay, we're gonna rename you "Goo-gal", lol.

Thanks!

LOL - google is my BFF!

^_^

This is from a book I have called "Bulbs": "The word bulb is an all-embracing term covering bulbs tubers and corms. They are all highly condensed storage organs... tubers are actually swollen stems or roots, corms are a swollen piece of last years stem, and rhizomes are swollen modified stems."

Birder17,
I wanted to tell you about my VA bluebells. I was at a garden center on July 23rd last summer, and saw a bunch of VA bluebells on sale for $1 each. They were dormant, so there was no foliage to see. I lifted one up a bit, and saw that the roots looked good. I bought all that they had (21 of them), and planted them around the edge of a bed under a large oak tree that same day. It was VERY hot, and I was pretty worried that most of them wouldn't come up in the spring - but I figured for a $1 a piece it was worth a try. Guess what. I have 21 beautiful VA bluebell plants that have come up, and now have flower buds on them. So, I would agree that late summer is a good time to plant them - especially when you can find them on sale!

pgt: Thank you for your advice. Lucky you!! I would like to see your V. bells in bloom. I don't think any garden center even sells Va. Bluebells around here. I am going to order some this fall. I already know where I want to put them.

Mine have come up and starting to bud out, yay!

Okay guys, I have been receiving e-mails from catalogs offering V. Bluebells. Should I buy them now? I am afraid I may not be able to get any in the fall. None of our garden centers carry bluebells.

Up to you - I got mine in the fall.

You can plant them now for blooms next spring.

I finally got some pictures of some of my VA bluebells that I planted last summer. Here are a few.

Another pic

One more :)

I think I've read that you can plant VA bluebells up until they go dormant. You'll just have to wait (and mark the planting spot) until next spring for the flowers. These go totally dormant and when it's time for me to plant annuals, I have to be careful where I dig.

Mine were dormant when I planted them. No green at all, just roots.

Bluebells are so much hardier than I give them credit for. They love growing in my gravel stairs.