A great blue wave has spread across the country in one of our greatest natural spectacles, as carpets of bluebells have come into flower. But the bluebells were some four or five weeks later this spring than last year, and the cold spring made their appearance more patchy than usual. Britain has around half the world's population of bluebells, and they are also a truly national plant, growing from Land's End to the northern tip of Scotland. They are most at home in ancient woodlands, and in Tudor times their bulbs were made into a starchy glue used for binding books and stiffening ruffs.
The native bluebell flower is a rich blue colour, scented and hung on an arched stalk, but the plant is battling against an alien imposter. The Spanish bluebell is paler, scentless and has an upright flower stalk, and this import has cross-pollinated with the native flower to produce an extremely aggressive hybrid. The hybrid first appeared in the wild in 1963 and has spread rapidly, and now many of the bluebells found in gardens, urban areas and increasingly in woodlands are the hybrid bluebell.
Another sensation to enjoy now in many bluebell woodlands is the heady scent of garlic. This is the smell of wild garlic, which is now festooned with clusters of white star-shaped flowers shining bright against their glossy dark green leaves. By coincidence, wild garlic is a relative of bluebells, and they both belong to the lily family.
