Hyacinthoides non-scripta, otherwise known by its common name of English Bluebell, and Hyacinthoides hispanica - Spanish Bluebell, are spring flowering perennial bulbs. To gain the full beauty of these plants they are best planted en mass where their bell shaped flowers carpet the ground in shades of jacaranda-lavender blue.
They are both hardy, can tolerate root competition (perfect under trees!) and cope with summer dryness when they are dormant. The Spanish Bluebell is somewhat more hardy with more robust flowers but lack fragrance.
Plant bulbs 6cm deep, 5-10cm apart, in Autumn in shady to semi-shaded areas. They grow perfectly under deciduous/semi-deciduous trees where they can brighten up the darker areas of the garden. Start watering when growth appears and keep soil slightly moist until foliage dies off after flowering. It is ideal to keep bulbs relatively dry whilst dormant.
In Europe, fields of bluebells can be admired amongst woodland settings. I loved watching the movie "Bright Star" (said to be about the love story between the romantic poet Keats and Fanny Brawne) just for the seen where Fanny (played by Australian actress, Abbie Cornish) sits surrounded by bluebells.
According to the language of flowers, the meaning of Bluebell is 'Constancy'. I guess when everything else in your garden is changing you can always rely on the Bluebells to show their pretty faces each spring without fail. Bless!
