Bluebells, on average, bloom on April 9th, but can be seen through April and into May. Past their prime in London currently, although still thriving in my north-facing back garden. The Londonist has a great website on where to see them in London. And for the rest of the country, see the National Trust’s Bluebell walk page.
Hyacinthus
Our wild hyacinth is officially called Hyacinthoides non-scripta. Mrs Grieve, in her ‘Modern Herbal’ gives this charming account of the Linnean name:
‘Linnaeus first called it Hyacinthus, tradition associating the flower with the Hyacinth of the Ancients, the flower of grief and mourning. Hyacinthus was a charming youth whom both Apollo and Zephyrus loved, but Hyacinthus preferred the Sun-God to the God of the West Wind, who sought to be revenged, and one day when Apollo was playing quoits with the youth, a quoit (blown by Zephyrus out of its proper course) killed Hyacinthus. Apollo, stricken with grief, raised from his blood a purple flower, on which the letters Ai, Ai were traced, so that his cry of woe might for evermore have existence upon earth. As our native variety of Hyacinth had no trace of these mystic letters our older botanists called it Hyacinthus nonscriptus, or ‘not written on.”
Avoid the Spanish
The Spanish variety is causing havoc in some places. It is more robust and can interbreed with ours and endangers our beautiful bluebell walks. Native bluebells are therefore a protected species. We are not allowed to pick them, nor even tread on them.
Old Medical and Practical Uses of Bluebells
It was used as a diuretic and is styptic (Contracting the tissues or blood vessels; stopping blood flow). The bulbs are poisonous in the fresh state. But were used as a starch, much used when stiffs ruffs needed starching. Its gummy qualities led it to be used as a bookbinders gum, and to set feathers upon an arrow.
For Coltsfoot see my post here.
First Posted April 27th 2026
Discover more from And Did Those Feet
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.