CAMPANULA. Bellflower. Widespread, Northern Hemisphere. Showy perennials of variable habit, many of them well adapted for rock garden and container use. Most have attractive basal foliage and bright, bell to saucer shaped flowers, their shades ranging from violet or deep pink to white. Most are winter-deciduous. Sun or part shade, most soils, regular watering for most species. Hardy to 0^oF. or below, except as noted. Why do we grow so many? Don’t ask.

alliariifolia. This is a robust perennial, rising 2’ or more in flower. It has long-stalked, nearly heart-shaped basal leaves, up to 3" long. Both leaves and stems are furry throughout. It is summer-blooming, with many broad 2" bells nodding along one side of each erect stem. Flower color is usually cream-white.

‘Birch Hybrid’. Evidently derived from C. portenschlagiana, described below. This is a densely matting selection, under 6" high. It has closely packed, conspicuously wavy-edged leaves and bears masses of nodding violet blossoms in summer.

carpatica. Tussock bellflower. One of the showiest of the low growing campanulas. It forms tight low mounds with scalloped leaves with many upfacing bowl shaped blossoms in summer. The variety turbinata has bright purple 2" flowers on 6" stems, while alba displays similarly large but pure white flowers on 8-10" stems.

cochlearifolia. A ground-hugging plant with small round, shiny leaves and many 1/2" blossoms nodding on 6" stems in late summer. The typical form has violet flowers, while those of the variety alba are snow white.

glomerata. Quite distinctive in texture, this species typically has basal clusters of large rabbit ear leaves and tall (2' or more) blooming stems along which purple bell shaped blossoms are arranged in dense, separated clusters. The variety acaulis is atypical with congested growth, displaying its flowers in massive clusters 6" tall or less. ‘Joan Elliott’ displays 2' stems of vivid purple flowers. The seed strain ‘Crown of Snow’ has slightly shorter stems, very large clusters and pure white blossoms.

kemulariae. A broad but very low mat. The leaves are scallop-edged, dark green and beautifully shiny. The flowers are broadly bell-shaped and bright purple in color. They appear in late spring and summer. 10^oF or less.

orphanidea (?). We generally try to avoid offering biennial plants, given the disappointment that can follow their demise. However, this one was too beautiful to avoid. Since it sets good quantities of seeds, and the seeds are easily grown when planted during the cool season, my conscience is clear. The plants make low mounds of broad, scallop-edged, quite grey leaves (unusual for a campanula) in their first year. In late spring and summer of the second they produce branched stems carrying many broad pale lavender bells, somewhat pinched just behind the flared tips. Everyone should have one.

persicifolia, Peach-leaved bluebell, is a robust species, useful in the perennial border. It forms basal clumps of narrow, thick-textured, shiny leaves, graced in spring and summer by tall (2’ or more), branching stems of 1" bowl shaped blossoms. There are several good seed strains with large purple flowers, and ‘Alba’ and others with white flowers. ‘Chettle Charm’ is a recent introduction with distinctly bicolored flowers, lavender-blue overall with broad cream-white centers.

pilosa. A dainty ground-hugging mat, closely packed with shiny leaves and producing large, nodding violet bells on 2-4" stems, mostly in spring and fall.

portenschlagiana (muralis). One of the prettier campanulas used for ground cover. It makes mats of hummocks with bright green, wavy-edged leaves and covers itself with clusters of small violet to lavender bells in summer.

poscharskyana. Serbian bellflower. Once it would not have occurred to me to include this common ground cover in the guide. However, campanula enthusiasts have been busy making new selections, and the result is some substantial improvements on an old theme. This is a tightly clumping perennial, with more or less evergreen basal foliage and seasonal flowering stems which trail and ascend to 1' or more. The leaves are somewhat dull in surface, crinkled and toothed, making them less attractive than those of many bellflowers. However, it fills in well and produces great quantities of lavender-blue 1" bells, from spring to fall. ‘Alba’ is a selected form with nearly (not quite) pure white flowers. ‘Blue Gown’ has prettier blossoms of light, nearly true blue. ‘Lisduggan’ has lavender-pink blossoms. Below 0^oF.