... of enchantment to the garden in April... especially when planted in clumps larger than the photo shows. It grows nicely in medium moisture well-drained soils from zone 5-8. Gardeners should avoid unamended clay soil. It is said it will do best in dappled part shade. When I read it was native to the Iberian Penninsula [Spain and Portugal] and to parts of northwest Africa I became confident it would do well in central Oklahoma. As it turns out, it does.



"It is distinguished from the common bluebell by its paler and larger blue flowers, which are less pendulous and not all drooping to one side like the common bluebell; plus a more erect flower stem (raceme), broader leaves, blue anthers (where the common bluebell has creamy-white ones) and little or no scent compared to the strong fragrant scent of the northern species. Like Hyacinthoides non-scripta, both pink- and white-flowered forms occur." from Wikipedia



I think it would be wonderful to walk alongside the edge of a huge drift of English Bluebells [Hyacinthoides non-scripta]. But I've learned to be just as pleased by clumps of Spanish Bluebells. The 'Excelsior' bluebells, in partcular, are beautiful when viewed very close-up.