Ever Fancy your own Bluebell Patch?

Here's what you need to know...

I’ve mentioned already that we have a line of mature lime trees down our south border. They will have been planted when the area our house now stands was a farm yard. There’s seven in total, six down the south boundary and one adjacent on the west. All in line. They’re huge, maybe 70-80 feet tall maybe more and have to be about a hundred years old judging by the girth of the trees. As you can imagine they are both a welcome feature and a dominating feature of the garden. Not a great deal will grow below a lime tree or line of trees like this. Behind them is an old wall to the village Sunday School so there is no opportunity for light to slip underneath their canopy. In summer, it’s dark and dry under there. But, in Spring, it’s a whole different opportunity for growing.

The soil under the trees is deep and by far the best in the garden. Not perhaps surprising with all the leaf mould added from the falling leaves each year. That was all to be discovered though as every inch of soil under those trees was covered with a thick growth of ivy. I’ve set about removing parts of the ivy - its rather like removing an old carpet that’s been stuck down. I won’t dwell on it suffice to say, it’s not a quick or easy job. Once it was done though, the expanse of deep soil was just too tempting not to plant despite the dark dryness in summer.

The trick is to plant a spring woodland garden; using all those plants that flower in the wood in spring that we stop to admire on our walks. That and few ornamentals that might just tolerate the conditions. And so we come to the bluebell.