Hi, everybody--
I am looking for a nice tall campanula to start from seed and find I need a little advice. Looked it up on Plant Files and promptly became confused by all the choices--so decided to ask here if anyone has a favorite or not so favorite campanula?
I would like it to be on the purpley side of blue and/or a white one.
Must be able to withstand our humidity and heat. And we have a sun/part shade spot for it.
Would it (hopefully) make a nice combination with Lilies?
I found this list with pics, read thru it, and determined that either the 'persificolia' (peach) or the 'medium', perhaps?
http://www.devonian.ualberta.ca/getgro25.html
If you have experience with these, please let me know.
Also please tell us your favorite place to buy perennial seeds...
Thank you very much. t.
Let us consider the Campanula...
I grow persificolia (peachleaf) both white and blue. I love it. Seems to do nicely in sun or part shade. Self seeds abundantly but is easy to control and you can always collect the seed and put it where you want it - I just move the new plants! I dont start perennials from seed but with this kind of plant it doesnt take long to have too many! 3-4 feet high, looks best with a number of plants in a cluster. You might also try Canterbury Bells or Cup and Saucer Dont plant Glomerata - it spreads way to easily unless you want to cover a lot of ground quickly.
Here is a pic from my garden the white is to the left of the birdfeeder and there is some blue in the background.
I'm going to have to put in a plug for the glomerata's esp when they compete with tree roots and dappled shade. Two named varieties work well for me under those conditions: Joan Elliot and Superba. You would think after 4 years that I would know which is which. One is more purple/blue that the other's blue and, for me , they flower two weeks apart. They creep, but if that's a bother, put them in a #7 container and bury the container. I do that with "the pearl" yarrow, gooseneck loosestrife, and "fireworks" goldenrod: all nortorious creepers. There is a white glomerata also, which is weaker than the other two, but still pretty showy in "the white garden". Also a white/pale blue mix ( Bonnie or Bonita, maybe? ) similar to the Monkshood; bicolor. With these you don't need seeds, just move the outside plants. Ken
The shortish light blue flowers (lower red arrow) are the peach-leaf bellflowers....they were about 2-2 1/2 ft high. The taller darker purple bells are another Campanula...I am looking for the exact species....(might be Sarastro?) They were closer to 3 ft high....
To the left is Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red' for comparison. I had lilies in the bed near these, and these were a great height in combination with the lilies covering the midportion....
This is Campanula punctata 'Wedding Bells' a nice double form - about 2-2 1/2ft tall. You can see the darker purple in the background...same as the other pic - these were both first year transplants and so were shorter...
edited for correct species (thanks for the tip...brain farts are us)
This message was edited Feb 12, 2006 10:30 AM
My 'Wedding Bells' is not a carpatica, but a puntata. Too aggressive I think for planting with lilies. I love C. medium, (biennial) for one of the taller kinds, but found it best to grow in full sun or it flopped a lot. C. persicifolia would be one of my chioces with lilies or for partial shade. Another, C latifolia, including 'Brantwood', is another good taller one. Not sure how lactiflora would do, because I always kill that one, but think it's good for PS. I have seeds for C. americana, but haven't tried it yet, and really liked C. pyramidalis, but in full sun here. Plantfiles says sun to partial shade for this one. And Sarastro is a beauty that I just got last year. Would give it a thumbs up for sure. Kent Belle is taller and not quite as nice.
I'm only in zone three, so you would have an easier time growing some that I can't. Consider some of the shorter ones for in front of lilies. Some of the Veronicas are very nice with lilies too.
Thank you for all the good advice and beautiful pics of Campanulas.
I ordered seeds for C. persicifolia, C. medium, and C. glomerata in blues and whites and I will see what I can accomplish with seed starting.
If that doesn't 'take', I will definitely have to go the garden center and buy a couple of these beauties.
I read that C. persicifolia was the best campanula for the South, so I am thinking that one will stand up to our humid conditions, and perhaps the part shade spot I have in mind.
You have given me some confidence to try them! Thanks.
tabasco, I have a white C. persicafolia in shade. It's the only tall plant and the only flowering one. When it blooms, it stands out beautifully. So simple, delicate, airy.
esw, your dark purple Campanula is probably 'Kent Belle', lovely almost glossy 'bells' on this one: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/56873/index.html. 'Sarastro', a new introduction several years ago, is a compact form of 'Kent Belle', growing about 18"-24" versus 'Kent Belle' topping out at approx 36".
tabasco, the persicifolias perform very well for us in our gardens. The only problem we have is sometimes they produce too many flowers! And if we don't stake them they tend to fall over. One of my favorites is 'Chettle Charm' because its flowers are so interesting - white with a 'blush' of purple. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/78846/index.html. And then of course there's 'Kelly's Gold', same flowers with brilliant gold foliage!
New in our gardens last year - Campanula 'Samantha' http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/25149-product.html. This little beauty was outstanding - bloomed forever!
What a coincidence, rcn-- I was just looking through my WFF catalog last night before I went to sleep, wondering about your campanulas....
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/cgi-local/search.pl?text=campanula&dosearch.x=8&dosearch.y=12
So many pretties to choose from!
If you're going to be looking for Campanulas, you might want to try to find 'Hot Lips'. It's a really short one (6-8") that has deep green glossy foliage and best part it reblooms in the fall! One word of caution however, it's aggressive, as are most of the C. punctatas and can quickly take over an area!
Thank you for the Campanula discussion! These are my favorite perennials, but I can't find much out about them. I have had quite a few, but mostly as a young and inexperienced gardener.
I have had Campanula latifolia (I think it is not lactifolia) for 3 years in my part shade garden bed. It has stayed put, but has added a new stem each year. Not invasive at all, in fact, I wish it would self sow more, like my other plants in this area!
I have tried persicifolia Telham Beauty, blue and white, but they disappeared after 2 years. They were lovely while they were there and I would get them again. Also Blue Clips, performing the same disappearing act, but not really worth it, to my way of thinking.
A neighbor has had a lovely planting of Cochlearifolia at the top of her steps and it has just popped back up after an extensive renovation of that area. This is the tiny 6 incher that is great in rock gardens.
I also had a mixed bed of Portenschlagiana and Poscharskayana, but I let a self sown Ajuga take over the bed, and was not careful to protect the Campanulas.
I just ordered a bunch of Campanulas this week from Bluestone Perennials. I hope to place them a little better this time.
I also have the Cochlearifolia - it is really cute. But Blue Clips disappearing? Wow! I have to constantly give it away it self seeds so prolifically. My Persificfolia also self seeds prolifically and I am always moving plantsto newspots.
As I said, I was a new gardener. I am thinking maybe it was crown rot from overwatering. They were an edging plant all along my foundation planting. They were planted in a wide range of soil and water conditions in that strip, but I don't think anything eats them, so who knows?
I think Campanula are one of my favorite flowers and I have always looked upon gardeners who have them in their borders with envy. This has been a most interesting discussion.
I have been doing a little more research and the literature says some campanulas are biennial,some annual, and some perennial. Perhaps that explains why some disappear...and some are more sensitive to drought, over-watering, etc., etc. There seems to be a full range of sensitivity in every way!
This morning I went to Walmart for birdseed and saw the Flower Seed racks so I was perusing... they had about 6 different kinds of campanula seed for sale. I was a little bummed out, because just yesterday I placed my online order for C. seed at about 2 or 3 times the prices asked at Walmart (for Burpee, Plantation, Walmart Brand, American)...
The question is: Do you think the seed strains (for instance) for the Burpee 'Telham Beauty' @ 97 cents is any better than the online Telham Beauty from T & M for 2.50? Or do they all get their seed from the same place and just charge what the market will bear?
Just wondering...
Thanks for all the good C. discussion. t.
This message was edited Feb 13, 2006 4:35 PM
Wow. that's a good question. I always wonder if the cheap seeds somehow aren't as good....
tabasco and Ivy, chances are you get the same seed from Walmart as you do from T&M. T&M always has an incredible selection but they are notorious for a smaller seed count and higher prices. Basically, you're paying for the "name" from T&M.
Walmart charges a cheap price for their seeds as a 'loss leader'. You get the seeds real cheap but they count on you buying all sorts of related products to go with the seeds, i.e. soil, fertilizer, etc, so they take a loss on one sale and make a profit on another!
Have you tried valueseed.com? It seems to be like and outlet for T&M. All seed packs are 49 to 99 cents and shipping is 99 cents for any size order. Great deal
http://valueseeds.com/
Karen
Yes, I've hit Value Seeds pretty hard. LOL
I was just wondering about the difference in quality between the same commonly found varieties at the different price points
--and I see on the back of the 'Walmart Gardens' brand that those seeds are packed by Ferry Morse...
Yeah, $30.00 worth from Valuseed then went back and ordered more expensive seed at T&M! Varieties I couldn't find anywhere else. I am an addict.
Ivy, that's how they get us! LOL We're all addicts in one sense or another, and if they do carry something we absolutely HAVE TO HAVE, they know we'll order from them, regardless of price!
The only place I don't feel bad about overspending is the garden. Maybe that's why I can't control myself there...
I have not had good luck with T&M seeds, and I always thought it was my fault until last year when I paid a LOT for a pkg of Brugmansia seed and it turned out to be datura. Hmph.
I tried a 'new' variety of Canterbury Bells last year that were supposed to bloom the first year from seed. They did, but were very floppy and didn't flower much or long. So this year I'm trying platycodon, just for a change. I'll grow them in a nursery bed and move them to a good spot next year if I like them.
thanks for the clarification rcn48. I too have learned a lot from this discussion - mostly that if I think I am going to remember something....I'd better not trust myself....must go back to the maps I made....and see if I can find the answer there!
Now I will have to try a couple of new ones.
Many of the campanulas grow well here. They like our cool, moist summers. C. latifolia (Great Bellflower) is my favorite tall one. There are some tall Adenophora (Ladybells) that are pretty, too. My Great Bell gets about 5 ft. tall. The great bell self seeds, but the seedlings are easy to move. C. punctata and C. takesimana may be a bit invasive for me. I'll need to wait one more year to know for sure. I've never had problems with C. glomerata (Clustered bellflower), and the C. carpatica (such as Clips) are pretty, but sometimes don't winter over here. The little rock garden varieties are nice, such as Fairies' Thimbles. I think there is a campanula for every climate and every situation!
Good, good, info here on the pretty blue flowers! Thanks so much.
This week I 'wintersowed' :
Campanula latifolia, Great Bellflower, from Plantation Seeds (Walmart)
Campanula persicifolia, Peachleaf Bellflower, from Plantation Seeds
And I have these seeds on the way from "Specialty Perennials": http://www.hardyplants.com/catalog/c296.html
Campanula persicifolia 'Grandiflora Blue'
Campanula persicifolia 'Telham Beauty'
Campanula lactiflora 'New Hybrids'
Campanula pyramidalis 'Mixed'
Campanula persicifolia 'White Bells'
(Check Garden Watchdog before you order from 'Specialty Perennials')
And I ordered a couple of different kinds from Bluestone, to boot. So if all goes well in the winter sowing department, I should have some to share/trade this spring and a pretty blue garden! And if not, LeBug is going to rescue me with a Bellflower from her garden. I can't wait. Thank you!
That's great, tobasco! I wish I'd talked to you earlier, because I have some of the seeds you purchased for trade. Ah, well, mine aren't special cultivars, so maybe you are better off. If anyone else is interested in Campanula, check my trade list. There are also some for SASE.
I just found this thread. I love campanulas - they're one of those plants that everyone has but they don't get much attention. I have several, mostly the shorter types. Blue Clips are all over the place here, and Poscharskyana, and Blue Waterfall. I do have one tall one that I planted eons ago - so long that I don't know which one it is without going out to look at the tag. The Blue Clips is great - it's evergreen here and it blooms from early summer all the way through September.
I openly admit to being a Blue and Purple Flower Freak. All the other colors are just to offset my blues and purples. White daffs to accent the blue pulmonarias, yellow coreopsis to offset the delphiniums, etc. I put in a new bed last year, and tried to convince myself I was going to use just whites and yellows. Then I found an iris that was purple with white and yellow in the throat - Siberian, New Wine. In they went - so be it. I did put in some yellow iris with them, though (Butter and Sugar). Then Pirl sent me some Lousianna iris, and my neighbor gave me some purple tulip bulbs. Now the bed is more purple than white and yellow.
This spring I want to re-do the front of the house and the driveway, and the game plan for now is to use pinks with burgundy foliage to accent. I'm sure I'll end up with blues in there, too, but so far I'm holding out. I know I won't be able to resist putting in some Blue Clips for the long bloom.
Stacy, to augment your craving for all things blue, may I suggest the "bottle" gentian (gentiana andrewsi). Late dark blue flowers that are closed. One of the great shows of nature is to see a bumble bee force one open and disappear within. Ken
While we're considering the Campanulas, we should mention a couple of real nice C. trachelium. 'Bernice', is a soft lavender double, not available from seed of course. And a double white, 'Snowball'. The species looks nice enough too. PF says good for partial shade and easy to start from seed. That's going on my shopping list.
This message was edited Feb 15, 2006 9:33 AM
Thanks Ken - I do have some gentian in the back blue bed. I just put that bed in last year, so I'm looking forward to spring and summer this year.
Campanulas are all good seeders, but they also cross pollinate. Since I collect seeds, I try to keep the different kinds in separate beds. Most campanula behave themselves here, but C. rapunculoides is on our AK invasive list, and I can see that C. takesimana could be a thug in the garden, though it is a wonderful plant! Here is C. takesimana 'Elizabeth'.
Very pretty! My Blue Clips has reseeded, but it's fairly polite - it's easy to move the seedlings to where I want them.
Yes, the clips have lovely big blooms and are nicely compact.
W. your 'takesimana' is quite stylish. And she looks a little shy for being a thug!
I am very excited for my new campanula garden after looking at all of yours above...so many interesting cultivars.
There are many, many Campanulas, and many, many more cultivars! Since I grow all mine from seed, I don't get to enjoy the lovely cultivars, but I think the species are often hardier. Here's another photo of C. 'Elizabeth'. I planted it to one of my beds in 2004, and by the next spring, it had begun to spread by underground shoots.
I dug up a couple and repotted them. It didn't spread much more, but it got BIG! I guess I was expecting a 24" plant with two or three stalks. It got at least 36" high and had several stems with clusters of those big bells. It's a beauty, but a bit unruly. I don't know how it would behave in a warmer climate. By next spring, I'll know whether I need to move it or not.
Ah, I see now! Yes, I was thinking a nice 18 inch beauty, but she's a rather substantial grower!
It sort of leaped up like an unruly octopus and took a bit chunk of the bed space, but I really like all those lovely bells and the foliage turned reddish in the fall. It bloomed quite a long time and late into the fall.
Weezing - Elizabeth is a beauty isn't she? We have her planted in our gardens as well as 'Cherry Bells', 'Wedding Bells' and 'Hot Lips'. Unfortunately, although I love their flowers, the areas we have them planted in are all scheduled for some major "weeding" this year. In the 5 years since planting, 'Cherry Bells' has taken over an area that's at least 6'x6' and it's even spreading out in the gravels of the driveway!! They make a great groundcover if you've got a spot where you don't care if they run rampant, but wouldn't do for a small garden.
Re: C. rapunculoides - I always loved this plant. When living in Maine, I "rescued" some and planted in my garden when I was very new to gardening. I soon regretted my decision after it ran wild in my garden and I began seeing it everywhere - even growing up through the cracks of the pavement in local parking areas!!! I now have it planted in a raised "bed" on our deck where I can still enjoy it but is easily weeded.
C. rotundifolia grows wild here, although I haven't seen it often. Of course, I don't hike much. I like it's little cousin C. carnica: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://flora.nhm-wien.ac.at/Seiten-Arten/Campanula-carnica.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcampanula%2Bcarnica%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26c2coff%3D1%26safe%3Doff I grew this one from seeds I received from Emmy in the Netherlands, and they were labeled 'C. carnea', which didn't match any of my research. I believe they are C. carnica. These are a bit like the little plants my friend grows in her rock bed. I'm pretty sure those are C. cochlearifolia (Fairies Thimbles': http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/406/index.html These are small plants well suited to rock gardens or rock walls.