27 November 2009
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Bellflower, Campanula

Bellflowers can be grown just about anywhere, from rock gardens to woodland areas. The colour range runs from mostly blue, with a scattering of white and the occasional pink. They make good feature plants or backgrounds for roses.

Recommended varieties

Before buying a bellflower, do check its requirements. They can be grown in various positions.

Border campanulas

These come in various shades of blue and can be used as part of quiet, pastel schemes or to offset star performers in brighter, richer colours.

C. lactiflora: the flowers of the milky bellflower appear as frothy heads above the tall branched stems which can reach 1.5m (5ft) high in good, rich soil. It has produced many forms, the best being 'Loddon Anna', 'Prichard's Variety' and 'Superba'. All three cultivars have been given the Award of Garden Merit (AGM) by the The Royal Horticultural Society.
C. latiloba: ideal for making a block of colour in late summer just when the border needs an extra boost. The effect of its bolt upright flower spikes is heightened by the gaping, bell-shaped flowers facing outwards, studded along the 90cm (3ft) high stems. It has parented four particularly good forms, 'Alba', 'Hidcote Amethyst', 'Highcliffe Variety', and 'Percy Piper'. The Royal Horticultural Society has given its Award of Garden Merit (AGM) to the latter four.
C. 'Burghaltii': an aristocratic-looking variety with large hanging bells that are deep amethyst in bud, but open to a beautiful shade of pale, silvery lilac. Its rather lax stems seldom rise above 60cm (2ft) high, and look best where they can lean on shorter neighbours. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
C. 'Kent Belle': a biennial with large, showy, flared flowers which are huge compared to other bellflowers. The blooms are packed tight together on large branching spikes in pastel blue, purple, pink or white. It is best raised from seed each year. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its Award of Garden Merit (AGM).

Wildflower gardens

There are many bellflowers for the wild garden, one of the best being C. latifolia.

C. latifolia: the giant bellflower is a northern English native that is ideal for wilder, shady parts of the garden where it makes a good follow-on from foxgloves in late summer. It produces tall tapering spires of wand-like flower stems. The blue or white flowers have the rather peculiar habit of pointing upwards.
C. rotundifolia: the harebell (called the bluebell in Scotland) is perhaps the most familiar native campanula. Its dainty sky-blue thimbles nod on thin wiry stems in late summer and early autumn. A vigorous spreader, definitely not for tidy, formal borders.

Small gardens

There are several campanulas that can be grown in small city gardens which don't spread so vigorously.

C. 'Gloaming': it has a limited spread and a gentle show of smoky blue flowers.

Alpine and wall plants

Many small campanulas can be grown in containers (traditionally old sinks filled with free-draining soil), which are then placed in bright sun.

C. garganica 'Dickson's Gold': the beautiful golden foliage complements its starry blue flowers. The blooms appear just above tight cushions of toothed leaves in late summer. It thrives when tucked into an alpine sink or wedged between gaps in paving stones.
C. portenschlagiana: formerly called C. muralis, this creeping, short campanula with deep purple flowers is ideal for cottage gardens. It can easily be grown on walls and in paving gaps.
C. pulla: one of the finest plants for an alpine sink, where the deep purple-blue flowers cover its low mats of foliage for several weeks in mid-summer. It benefits from being divided and replanted every couple of years.

Growing tips

Site and soil preferences: with a few exceptions, campanulas are reliable perennials requiring no special care, just a bright, sunny position and free-draining soil.

Division:It is worth digging up and dividing the clumps every few years, throwing away the tired old central parts and replanting the outer, younger, more vigorous sections.

Planting associationsThe large bells of the blue and white forms of C. persicifolia, displayed on elegant waist-high stems, contrast perfectly with the velvety crimson blooms of old roses, such as Rosa 'Charles de Mills'. C. 'Kent Belle' looks very effective flopping over spiky grasses, and the pastel pink C. 'Loddon Anna' is highly effective rising above the purple foliage of heuchera.