Campanula, Bellflower: A Profile of a Perennial Flower

The botanical name for this perennial, campanula, is from the Latin word for bell and refers to the shape of the flowers. Bellflowers vary in size, shape, and plant form but are usually various shades of blue, lavender, and white. They bloom from late spring into early summer.

How to grow: Bellflowers need a good moist (but well-drained) soil with plenty of organic matter mixed in. In the North, plants will tolerate full sun as long as the soil is not dry, but elsewhere a spot in semishade is preferred, with more shade needed farther south. Frequent division and transplanting keep up the vitality of your plants.

Propagation: By division or by seed.

Uses: Plants are beautiful in the border, useful in the rock garden, and fine for the shade or wild garden.

Related species: Campanula carpatica blooms at a height of ten inches with solitary blue flowers. It is effective as an edging or tumbling over a small rock cliff. Campanula glomerata, or the clustered bellflower, usually bears a dozen blossoms in tight clusters at the top of a 14-inch stem. Campanula persicifolia, or peach bells, bears white or blue flowers on stems up to three feet high and prefers moist soil. It is an excellent cut flower.

Scientific name: Campanula species

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