Photo credit: AOKI Shigenobu

Bellflower

Genus: Campanula

Introduction to Bellflower

Campanula also goes by the name Bellflower. It grows over a wide swath of the northern hemisphere. Campanula is seen as one of the more beautiful and fragrant additions to any landscape and home garden. Campanula includes perennials, annuals and even biennials in its lists of remarkable floral species. It has an extremely diverse array of shapes and sizes within its genus. Today, thanks to the great level habitat diversity within this genus, Bellflowers can be seen providing the essential highlights to rock gardens, woodland-based gardens, intentionally designed wild scenery and floral borders. Often blossoming in a cupped star shape, the Campanula lends credence to its name's Latin root, campana, which means 'bell.' Many varieties of Bellflower bloom in ivory white, rich blue and a variety of other colors including violet, pink and gold. Notable species of Campanula include Harebell and the exquisite Canterbury Bells. Interestingly, the Bellflower is the namesake of at least three different United States cities located in California, Missouri and Illinois. This attests to the prominence of this flower in North America as well as other temperate northern climates. It should be mentioned, however, that the flower is known to grow all over in the Northern hemisphere, including regions such Europe, China, Russia and Japan. One very beautiful variety of Campanula that comes from the perennial line is the Milky Bellflower (Campanula lactiflora). It grows as tall as 3' and as wide as 2'. Its leaves take on the shape of an oval and lead up to the flower blossoms at the ends of the plant's stems. With partial shade the milky Bellflower makes an excellent garden border. Another lover of partial shade is the Dickson's Gold (Campanula garganica) which brings a cheery springtime yellow into the summer months of June, July and August. This, too, works well in a garden's border décor. One particularly well-composed plant comes in the form of Alba (Campanula latiloba). It grows a base of evergreen rosettes that one can find neatly draped over the root base like a mound. Shooting up from the mound are a series of firm stalks filled with fragrant white blossoms. This variety is ideal for a "snowy" garden theme.

Features of Bellflower

Species from this genus often attract butterflies, birds and bees. Although it may take a fair amount of time to develop its roots and begin to thrive, the Campanula is a highly beneficial addition to anyone's home garden. Certain species are not big producers of bird seed due to the fact that their main method of propagation is by root division. Others allow gardeners to break open the dried up pods and collect the Campanula seeds for later sowing.

Bellflower Hardiness

Bellflowers can withstand a wide range of climate zones. As a perennial it survives in zones 3 through 9.

Growth Habit of Bellflower

While many Bellflower species are able to grow to a height of 6', some barely clear 6". Generally speaking, a Bellflower will not overrun a garden by self seeding. The conscientious gardener should, however, make sure that its seeds are collected before the pod breaks on its own.

Bloom Time of Bellflower

This summer time blossom provides that necessary perk to any home garden whose springtime bursts of color have already faded away. That's because many varieties of Bellflower continue to bloom in lively colors long into June, July and August.

How To Propagate Bellflower

When sowing a Campanula from seed, it is best to do so in the fall. For the most advantageous results it is recommended that growers begin outside, planting the Bellflower seeds in covered containers and letting them germinate in coldframes or greenhouses that are not heated. For indoor growing, home gardeners should stratify the Campanula seeds. It may also be noted that, for certain species such as the Samantha variety, collection of seeds from the plant does not promise to yield good results.

Transplanting Bellflower

Once the seeds have germinated transplant the Bellflower seedlings into the ground well after the last frost of the season.

Soil for Bellflower

Soil for Campanulas should be sufficiently fertile. While keeping it moist, it should also be potted with good drainage. The wide variety of possible pH levels that the Campanula can grow with attests to the diversity of species types within this genus. While certain varieties of this plant fare well in acidic soil that measures a pH level of 5.1, others tend to thrive in soil environments as basic as 8.5.

Watering Bellflower

It is important to keep Bellflowers well watered. Campanulas should be watered regularly to maintain the moisture of the soil.

Sunlight for Bellflower

Most Bellflowers do best with ample sunshine tempered by a little bit of protection. This means that partial shade is often ideal for growing these beautiful flowers.

Care and Maintenance of Bellflower

Generally, it is important to fertilize the soil of Campanulas with a product that does not contain very much salt due to the fact that this genus is highly sensitive to the substance. Cutting back on the leaves and flowers is advisable during the winter, before the fading of the vegetation takes its full effect.

Pests of Bellflower

Fortunately, Bellflowers are resistant to deer. The only pests that pose a major threat are the ones smaller than a planter box. These include slugs and snails which can be neutralized with common insecticides.

Diseases of Bellflower

Campanulas are susceptible to crown rot and other forms of mildew. Preventing wet feet is essential to avoiding these impediments to the plants' health.

References

Davesgarden.com "Campanula" http://davesgarden.com Accessed 2005-01-25

Swallowtailgardenseeds.com "Campanula" http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com Accessed 2005-01-25

Botany.com http://www.botany.com Accessed 2005-01-25

Digging Dog Nursery http://www.diggingdog.com Accessed 2005-01-25

Dictionary.com, American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language http://dictionary.reference.com Accessed 2005-01-26

Dictionary.com, U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau http://dictionary.reference.com Accessed 2005-01-26

Goldsmithseeds.com  Accessed 2005-01-26