According to a legend, flowers bells ring once a year - on the night of Ivan Kupala, at the same time when the fern blooms. Their distinctive feature can be called a bell-shaped or tubular five-part corolla, often with a deeply cut upper face. At the same time, flowers can be either collected in inflorescences, or individual.
The size of the buds and the length of the stem vary significantly depending on the species. In nature, there are quite tall varieties (up to 100 cm), and dwarf varieties (10-25 cm). 1100 species of bluebells are known, however, recently it has been rather difficult to see this plant in the fields and forests. Many varieties are listed in the Red Book.
In apartments and private houses, you can often find bells. Indoor flowers are represented to a greater extent by an even-leaved species (C. isophylla), originating from Italy. The buds of this plant can be either white or blue. People often call them “bride” and “groom”, respectively.
This plant is grown and many summer residents in their areas. Bluebell flowers are quite unpretentious in care and easily propagated by cuttings and root processes, and the usual sowing of seeds in the ground.
The vegetative method is applied mainly to terry and semi-double varieties, since they often have no seeds at all. This method allows you to get plants that exactly repeat the external signs of the uterine.
But still, most often flowers are bells propagated by seeds. Since they are very small in this plant, they are first mixed with sand. The latter must be steamed or calcined before use. Sowing is usually done in winter in boxes or any other container. The most suitable for bells is light fertile soil. Too deeply seed is not recommended. You can plant bells even in a superficial way.
Boxes are dug into the ground at the site and covered with foil. In this form, they are left until spring. In May, young plants in sunny weather must be shaded, otherwise they will get burns. Watering is carried out carefully - best through a strainer.
In June, the seedlings obtained in this way are dived onto shady beds. Bells can be transferred to a permanent place of growth only next spring. Caring for adult plants is not very difficult. It is enough to feed them in the spring after germination with any nitrogen fertilizer, periodically weed and loosen. Watering is required quite moderate.
Flowering begins in June and, subject to timely removal of faded buds, may continue throughout the summer. Many believe that these are unusually aesthetic flowers. White bells "bride" (Alba) will decorate any, even the most sophisticated flowerbed. Blue - “groom” (Maji) - are distinguished by an unusually delicate shade. These two varieties can be considered the main, most often used in the landscape design of country houses. They both relate to the appearance of a bell with an equal leaf. In addition, sometimes flowerbeds and lawns are decorated with a peach-leaved bell and a milky-flowered bell.