I would plant them indoors, in a seed flat or pot, so that the soil can be kept constantly moist. Takes about 2 months for fresh seed to germinate, probably a little longer for stored seed. No cold stratification is required. Later, after the temperatures warm up, you can move them outdoors to a full shade location. If the seed haven't germinated at that time, cover the flat or pot with glass or thick clear plastic, to prevent wildlife damage. Leave them in the starting mix for about a year before transplanting. VA Bluebells require shade and constantly moist soil during their active growth and blooming period. Once the blooms fade and seed mature, the plant will go dormant and moisture is less demanding then. They will form long, thick, shallow, horizontal rhizomes as they mature. I am about 100 mi. south of their southernmost natural range and they are difficult to grow here, because of the summer heat and high soil temperature. About 3-4 years is about as long as they will survive, before disappearing. :

I have had Virginia bluebells for many years. They reseed everywhere for me, and the best in a gravel path near a bed where they are supposed to stay. I dig the babies that I can before they go dormant and I can still find them and plug them into the woods. They almost always survive without any special care. It does take three or four years before they get to blooming size. Sandy

Hi John! Thanks for the response. The VB were sown in plastic cell packs, kept in an unheated porch for the winter and put outside in March, as by the time I thought of it, it was too late to find the ground here in Western New York. After they died back I left them in the deep shade under big Arborviae trees (had several species there,including Dodecatheon meadia: Midland Shooting Star, growing pretty much the same as the VB except many more of them, and ungerminate woodland species I was planning to second cycle) and mist-hosed them on the rare dry spells, but being above ground they got pretty dry. In the fall I dug little holes and plopped the little plugs into the ground in the pine woods and covered them lightly with pine needle leaf mold. I wasnt going to order new VB seeds and wait to see how the ones I had made out, but now I really want to get some more and try again. But same problem - no ground here and minus 9 wind chill. I am thinking of ordering seeds and waiting to see if an opportunity arises to find the ground in January, or if there isnt I think what I would do differently is sow them all in one larger biodegradable container, in more nutrititious compound/soil, putting it right outside, and sinking it into the ground in the woods ASAP. Then not looking at it *grin*. Little bitty plants like that make me a nervous wreck. Does that sound like a good plan? Then I shouldnt worry if they only make a little leaf and dry up? PAX Laurette

Good question. I have big groups of them, but I always transplant mine in the spring when I can see them, with the leaves of course sticking above the ground. I just went out and poked around gently where I know they are, and couldn't find any sign of them (I didn't go more than half an inch deep) but I know they have a root kind of like a carrot. I think I would spit the difference, and plant the crowns aboout an inch deep. You could try some at ground level and some deeper, see what happens. They are wildflowers, they may just pull themselves where they need to be.