Meadow flowers (bluebells etc) - planting under hawthorn tree?

pinkteapot

We have a large-ish (house height!) hawthorn tree in our back border. I've just Weedol'ed a nasty case of ground elder under it and need to dig that out. We're also going to have the tree heavily pruned at some point this year.

I'm wondering what to grow under the tree once I've got rid of the ground elder and other weeds. I'd like to grow meadow flowers (bluebells etc). Firstly, will they grow at all in a shady area like that? Secondly, if they will, how do I buy them/grow them? I've seen seeds but I've never grown anything from seed and I'm a bit clueless. :rotfl:

I do know that I've missed spring flowering (our local wood is covered in bluebells) so I'd be looking at next spring...

radiohelen

You'll be fine with bluebells. You want to pick plants that grow in a woodland/shady environment in the wild. Bluebells come before the tree is in full leaf so they flower happily in dappled shade. Have a google for woodland/shade plants and go mad! Some you can grow from seed but it depends on how quickly you want results. If you buy a bunch of pots with things flowering in them now and enjoy the blooms before planting them later when they have died back you can enjoy the plants this year and next year when they come again.

sooty&sweep

Hi

Be warned that once you've got bluebells you've got them for life. They spread all over the place !

Jen

pinkteapot

Thanks. I love bluebells so I don't mind being stuck with them. That and the fact this is probably a 5-8 year house for us.

I don't want to plant anything yet as we'll be having the tree surgeon in to attack the hawthorn and things may get a bit trampled. So the ground will be clear for a month or two (tree surgeon is a friend of ours and we need to pin him down on a date).

gardenroute

If you've sprayed the elder there shouldn't be anything to dig out; the roots will rot very quickly.
Hawthorn's give a dry dense shade - bluebells will be fine. You could also plant snowdrops to extend the interest and maybe campion (Silene dioica) as well for that woodland look.. Foxgloves may be ok - but the seeds need light to germinate so you may have to start them off in pots/elsewhere.

With just bulbs it will be bare soil in the summer and autumn so it may be worth planting something like ferns or sowing some shady grass seed and mowing it once in a while to prevent weeds like ground elder returing.

theoretica

Remember there are two types of bluebells: the elegant native ones and the brash Spanish ones, and make sure you get the ones you want.

I think my preference is showing...