Bluebells

[Alcazar]

Does anyone know why bluebells growing in a French garden would be a bit sickly?

They have plenty of moisture, but not too much, but their leaves have yellowing and brownish tips, and they look ill.
The affected ones are growing on the bank which delineates our fosse drainage field, but others, planted under trees are OK.

Are they acid or lime loving plants, or neither?

Alcazar

[Jsensiba]

Ours are grand - also under trees. I think they enjoy well-drained but rich soil. Not full sun. Move the things and have a bluebell glade?

Julia, pleased that mine appeared.

[Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas]

According to "la vie cache des sous-bois" they need partial shade and moist but well-drained soil; they prefer it to be sandy and acid but tolerate a wide variety. They do not tolerate being dried out or trampled. If it is too shady they won't produce many flowers. If it is not well-drained the bulbs will succumb to one rot or another.
Naturalists and botanists consider that they grow most vigourously in Great Britain; personally I've never seen them carpeting French wood the way they do there, they are more like wild daffodils, an occasional treat.
Like all wild plants they should not be dug up from private property without the owner's permission and even picking is forbidden in the forts dominiales.

[Sas]

On the same subject I have been thrilled with the success I have had growing bluebells from seed gathered from the dead heads last year - literally hundreds have come up in two seed trays and I'm going to take them to France next winter. Do give it a try.