Campanula garganica 'FILIGREE' Light Blue Adriatic bellflower
Campanula
The genus Campanula is one of the largest and most deeply rooted groups within the European flora. Depending on the taxonomic approach, it includes approximately 300 to 500 species, with the greatest diversity concentrated in the Mediterranean region, the Balkans, and the mountain ranges of Europe and western Asia. The genus was formally described by Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) in 1753 in his seminal work Species Plantarum, where he already noted its remarkable variability in form and growth strategy. Bellflowers have accompanied people for centuries not only as ornamental plants, but also as part of folk symbolism, where the bell-shaped flower evoked voice, calling and protection. Genetic studies point to an ancient origin and repeated adaptations to extreme habitats, ranging from alpine screes to dry limestone slopes.
Adriatic bellflower (or sometimes also called Italian bellflower) is a very attractive ground-covering, mound-forming perennial with star-shaped, light to mid blue-violet flowers. It produces numerous stems with masses of flowers in June and July, and if you cut the whole plant in early August when the main flowering has finished, it will re-sprout into a nice and dense mound with fresh flowers in September and October. Leaves are deciduous, small, mid green, ovate-heart-shaped, marginally toothed.
Filigree bellflower likes fertile, well-drained but evenly moist soil of almost any pH. It can be grown in full sun (never let it dry out completely) or part shade. Ideal for outdoor containers where it looks particularly beautiful when the flowering stems reach the pot edges and lean over the sides making a blue waterfall. Hardy to about -34°C (USDA zone 4).
Last update 04-06-2012
