Campanula 'Camp Bule' STARINA SPRING BELL bellflower

STARINA SPRING BELL is a charming, blue to blue-violet flowering cultivar of a low-growing bellflower, bred by the Dutch breeder Pim Kaagman in the town of Andijk. It is a freely and long-flowering perennial with a compact cushion of foliage, above which the flowers rise clearly and remain well visible throughout the flowering period. The plant appears neat yet natural, as if it were instinctively maintaining its own proportions. The flowers are bell-shaped, medium-sized, and carried on short, sturdy stems, contributing to an overall balanced appearance. The leaves are small, dark green, gently glossy and often heart-shaped at the base, a feature typical of low Balkan bellflowers. Compared with botanical species, growth is markedly more uniform and flowering lasts longer, often with a tendency to repeat after cutting back. It is part of a small breeding series of early-flowering bellflowers intended for containers as well as the garden, marketed under the name STARINA. It was bred in 1995 and is protected by the US plant patent PP18236, granted in 2007.

STARINA SPRING BELL can create a low yet striking feature along the edges of borders, in stone walls or in larger bowls, where it spreads into a continuous blue carpet. Thanks to its compact growth, it combines well with plants of fine texture, such as small ornamental grasses or low perennials, without overgrowing or suppressing them. Care should be taken, however, to ensure it is not shaded or crowded out by larger, fast-spreading perennials, as ground-covering bellflowers are poor competitors and will begin to thin out. For added colour contrast, it can be combined with plants such as aurinia, aubrieta or saxifraga, where differences in form and colour are particularly effective. In containers it appears cultivated and stable, which will be appreciated by anyone who does not wish to deal with collapsed or drawn plants every spring. If the clump is cut back by at least half after flowering and given regular but moderate feeding, it will often regrow and flower again, reliably and sometimes up to three times during the season.

Hybrid ground-covering bellflowers prefer evenly moist but well-drained soil in full sun, although they also tolerate light shade, especially in warmer climates. For abundant and repeated flowering, they require sufficient nutrients, yet excessive fertilisation is counterproductive and leads to lush foliage at the expense of flowers. They can also be grown in outdoor ornamental containers with good drainage but without a saucer, and with regular, but not excessive, watering. They favour slightly alkaline to neutral soils. These are perennials of moderate longevity which, under good conditions, will persist in one place for many years, although the centre of the clump may gradually thin over time, a natural process rather than a sign of failure. They tolerate transplanting reasonably well if carried out outside the main flowering period and with care for their fine root system. When stems are cut, a milky sap appears, which is neither toxic nor strongly allergenic and poses no risk during normal garden work. Hybrid ground-covering bellflowers are generally healthy and resilient plants, not particularly prone to diseases or pests, provided they are not grown in waterlogged soil or overly dense plantings. The cultivar STARINA SPRING BELL is hardy to at least −34 °C (USDA zone 4).

Last update 29-03-2026