Nature endowed bell carpathian extraordinary tenderness and unique grace, which is what landscape designers use to create fabulously beautiful compositions (most often, a flower is used in slides). Planted in groups, these flowers form dense clumps with a scattering of large cup-shaped flowers. It would take a whole treatise to tell you all about bluebell flowers, so we will only focus on the most important points in growing them.
Site selection and soil for planting
The Carpathian bell is not whimsical by nature, so its planting and further care can be carried out both in sunny places and in partial shade. The best soil for this plant is fertile, well-drained, neutral to slightly acidic. In heavy, poorly drained soils, where frequent stagnant water occurs, the bluebell quickly dies from excessive waterlogging. If you plant a flower in heavy loamy soils, then add sand and deoxidized peat when digging. Excessively loose sandy soils should be mixed with humus or soddy soil. By following these requirements, you will provide your plants with good conditions for overwintering.
Growing a Carpathian bell from seeds
Sowing a plot prepared for bluebells with seeds is the most common method of growing a plant. The weight of a thousand seeds is very small and amounts to only a quarter of a gram. Under good conditions, for germination, 4000 seedlings will be obtained from one gram of seeds.
Did you know? In ancient times, our ancestors believed that with the help of a bell you can attract a loved one. The girl was supposed to pluck the plant at dawn and attach it to the window shutter. Soon the one we love was supposed to visit.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
The seeds of this plant are very capricious, therefore, in order for them to germinate well, a certain thermal hardening is required. Preparation of planting material and sowing should begin in February. From this point on, the seeds must be kept for one month at a temperature of + 20 ° C under diffused light, moistening them evenly. Also, fresh air must be constantly supplied to them. These microclimate requirements are very important for successful seed germination. Those shoots that appeared prematurely, before the planned date, need to be transplanted into a separate container.
Further, the heating of the planted material must be replaced by temperature hardening with a range of -4°C to +4°C. This stage should last a month and a half. At the same time, it is very important that the seedlings are affected by natural environmental factors, but it is advisable to keep the temperature in the box under control when it drops sharply outside. The seeds grow most successfully under a layer of lush snow, which protects them from freezing, and melt water provides the necessary moisture on sunny days. Hardening lasts as long as the average daily temperature is higher than the upper limit of the specified range. As soon as the first shoots appear, the container with the earthen substrate must be transferred to a room where the temperature is between +10°C and +15°C. 
This method of seed hardening is very laborious, but at the same time very effective. There is another option for propagating bluebells, in which the seeds are not sown immediately into the soil, but are processed in a mixture of wet sand in a plastic bag. At the first stage, they are heated according to the type of the first method, but at the second, the hardening is transferred to the refrigerator for the same period as in the first variant. Then, the seed is placed in boxes with prepared soil mixture (without deepening) and sent to conditions with a temperature regime of +10°C...+15°C. In order not to blur the seeds, they are not watered, but sprayed with a spray bottle. The soil substrate can also be moistened by microcapillaries through a water tray.
Important! The substrate, before sowing seeds into it, must be well moistened and saturated with moisture.
After sowing, soil moisture and seed illumination should be monitored. Optimum conditions for growth occur after 10-25 days from the date of planting. The seedlings will be very dense anyway, so picking should be started as soon as the first leaves appear. In order not to greatly harm the seedlings, they can be transplanted in groups of 4 plants in one seedling pot or multi-cell plates. Only ascended bells need to be moderately moistened and often allowed to breathe fresh air. The first fertilizers are applied 14 days after picking.
This is the most suitable time, as the Carpathian bluebells will move away from stress and fully restore their root system. The Carpathian bell can already be planted on a permanent "place of residence" in open ground when its seedlings have reached a month of age. It must be well lit and ventilated, and not prone to severe waterlogging. In the worst case, the bells will gradually be oppressed and more likely to be exposed to various kinds of diseases.
Sowing seeds in open ground
The Carpathian bell adapts quite well to various conditions, so its planting with seeds can be carried out immediately in open ground. This event should be held in the fall in mid-October or in the spring, in May. Bell seeds should be planted in a mixture of sand, soddy soil and weathered peat. The soil should be light, loose and well ventilated. Seeds do not need organic fertilizer. Since the planting material is very small, it must be laid out directly on the surface of the soil and sprinkled with a little sand. Spring shoots germinate in two weeks, and autumn shoots 10-14 days after the ground thaws.
Important! The Carpathian bell is one of the species whose seeds germinate better after hardening, so it would be more logical to plant them right before the snow falls.
When three full-fledged leaves appear on the plant, the seedlings can dive according to the 10x10 cm pattern.
How to care for bluebells on the site?
The Carpathian bluebell, which is unpretentious in care, does not impose special requirements on the environment, so its cultivation will not become a burden to you.
How to water?
Watering should only be carried out during a period of prolonged heat. Then you have to spend up to 10 liters of water for each adult plant. After watering, the soil in the root zone must be weeded and loosened to allow free air circulation.
Fertilization
Feeding should be done twice a season. The first is in early spring, when there is still snow, by applying nitrogen-containing fertilizers. The second - during the budding period, the bushes will respond perfectly to top dressing with complex fertilizers based on minerals.
Pruning inflorescences
Transplantation of young flowers to a permanent "place of residence" is carried out in early summer. Next year, when the bluebell blooms, be prepared to prune the faded inflorescences soon. This is necessary in order to prevent spontaneous self-seeding. Otherwise, many interfering, chaotically growing flowers may appear nearby. Fruit-boxes need to be collected before they darken and open. If you want to plant bluebells, then simply plant them in the soil from August to September or next May. Regular pruning of the dried inflorescences of the Carpathian bluebell will prolong its flowering periods. And if at the end of it shortly cut all the flower stalks, then in a month the plant will bloom again.
Soil mulching
Since the Carpathian bell does not tolerate stagnant moisture, the soil for its cultivation must be loose. However, during periods of intense heat, in order to avoid rapid evaporation and retain the necessary moisture, it must be mulched on the contrary. Those plants that grow on rocky hills do not need this event. Bluebells can not stand the neighborhood with weeds, so weeds should be removed from flower beds in a timely and very careful manner.
Did you know? According to ancient beliefs, the bell brings love to the young, peace to the elderly, and generally makes people happy.
Carpathian bell in landscape design
The Carpathian bellflower is such an attractive flower that it is worth paying due attention to its description. It reaches a height of 30 cm. The leaves are heart-shaped, small, collected in a rosette and growing closer to the roots. Due to this arrangement, a neat spherical bush is formed, with a diameter of 30 cm. Single flowers in the form of funnels of white, purple and blue shades cover the entire bush of the plant in large numbers. The Carpathian bell perfectly coexists with bright daisies, cute lobelia, fragrant alyssum and lush aubrieta.
Very attractive composition of colorful plants. Among the alpine hills, the Carpathian bell is successfully combined in the design of the garden with saxifrage, periwinkle, juvenile and stonecrop. When making a rockery, plant bells against the background of grass carnations, subulate phloxes, fescue and iberis. Recently, trends in landscape design have been popular for placing flowering plants in flowerpots. Delicate Carpathian bells are planted in the beds framing the paths, as well as mixed flower beds with mostly undersized flowers.
Disease and pest resistance
For the most part, diseases and pests are not terrible for the Carpathian bell, so the plant is rarely affected by them. True, with many years of growing flowers in one place in the soil, there is an accumulation of pathogenic microorganisms - Fusarium, Sclerotinia and Botrytis. They can destroy the plant. To prevent this, twice a season (in spring and autumn), treat the flowers with a solution of "Fundazol" at a concentration of 0.2%. 
During periods of high humidity, slobbering pennitsa appears on the bells, which is removed with garlic infusion. The leaves and shoots of the flower are attacked by slugs and snails. You can drive away pests with the preparations "Thunder" and "Meta". Also, the leaves of bluebells are often covered with rust, which copper-containing preparations help to fight. In order to prevent it from infecting the plant, it is necessary to carry out regular preventive spring and autumn tillage with Gumi or Fitosporin preparations.
Did you know? They say that this flower served as a prototype of the bell, so its Latin name is "campanula", which comes from the word "campana" - translated "bell". In Italy, they call the bell towers - campanillas.
Other methods of reproduction of the Carpathian bluebell
H Along with seed propagation of the bell, there are also vegetative methods: dividing the bush and cuttings. Their use allows you to increase the number of plants in the summer and autumn. Also, during vegetative propagation, the possibility of cross-pollination and splitting of traits is excluded, therefore, it is guaranteed to obtain identical planting material and transfer all varietal traits.
cuttings
The Carpathian bell for cuttings is expelled at a temperature of + 10 ° C. Cuttings should be cut into three centimeters in size with one or two kidneys. Favorable periods for this are the spring months. During this time, you can get a lot of planting material. The cuttings take root very well and the root system is fully formed after three weeks. Cuttings should be planted in multi-cell plates, three pieces each. The substrate is prepared as follows: take earth, sand and humus in equal proportions, and then mix them.
Plant the cuttings and cover with a layer of sand a couple of centimeters. Sand has good absorbency, so it perfectly retains moisture, while remaining loose and ventilated. This favorably affects young roots. The most suitable conditions can be created with a fine mist machine under the plastic sheet. The use of vegetative propagation methods significantly accelerates the flowering of the bell.
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The Carpathian bell is a delicate flower, which is used with great pleasure to decorate plots by both landscape designers and ordinary summer residents. Growing these plants is not difficult, but it still requires certain knowledge and skills.
To help gardeners, in the article we will talk about how to properly plant a Carpathian bell and how to care for it.
Carpathian bell is a perennial plant of rhizome type. The height of an adult flower does not exceed 30 cm, so it is most often used as a border or background plant.
The foliage is oval in shape, the edges of the leaves are slightly pointed. The flowers are funnel-shaped, characteristic of bluebells, grow up to 5 cm in diameter.
The color of the petals varies from light blue, almost white, to deep purple. Joint plantings with pale blue and purple flowers look very nice.
The bells look spectacular in the compositions against the background of white, pink and yellow flowers. Plants in monoplants are also interesting, especially against the background of emerald uniform greenery. Photo of a flower on the site.
Application in landscape design
The plant in the garden landscape is often used for growing on alpine hills, to decorate rocky gardens. Vases with Carpathian bells are becoming very popular now. In addition to bells, you can make compositions with other colors.
Ideal plant as a border for framing paths in the garden, flower beds, other landscape elements.
Growing conditions
We will find out in which place in the garden planting and caring for the Carpathian bluebell will be the most effective.
Location selection
The plant is unpretentious to its habitat, so you can plant a bell both in the sun and in partial shade. Shady places, however, are not very desirable for the plant, as they will not allow the bell to demonstrate the full beauty of flowering. In a shady place, the color of its petals will not be so bright.
An ideal place for growing these plants is a rocky hill - natural or artificial. On a hill, the roots of flowers will not freeze due to stagnant water in winter.
Soil composition
The bell will grow well in fertile soil, well-drained, permeable, neutral or slightly acidic.
You should not plant a flower in soil with poorly permeable, heavy, dense soil. In such soil, stagnation often occurs, due to which the bell often dies. The fact is that the roots of the plant cannot stand prolonged waterlogging, they rot.
However, if the soil on the site is just like that - dense and heavy, before planting a flower, you can improve it, make it more loose. To do this, dig up the bed, adding river sand and peat to it.
If the soil, on the contrary, is too loose and loose, it should be mixed with humus or soddy soil. This measure is necessary, because in excessively loose soil, the roots of the plant can freeze in winter.
Important: before planting seedlings or seeds in the ground, the latter must be properly moistened.
Growing seedlings
Usually the Carpathian bell is grown in seedlings. Next, we will consider all the nuances of this process.
Stratification
In order to harden the planting material, they begin to prepare it already in February. Starting from this month and until March, the seeds should be kept at a temperature of +20 degrees, not forgetting to moisten them regularly. The procedure will make the seed material more resistant and viable.
If during the process of stratification some of the seeds germinated, they should be transplanted into the ground. After a month of hardening at a temperature of +20 degrees, the next month and a half, the seeds must be kept at a temperature of +4 to -4 degrees.
Sowing
After hardening, the bell seeds are placed in containers with soil, while the seeds do not need to be buried. Germination occurs at a temperature of + 10-15 degrees.
Seeds do not require standard watering, instead they must be periodically sprayed from a spray bottle. Such gentle moisturizing will avoid erosion of the seeds.
seedling care
The seeds of the Carpathian bell germinate 10-25 days after sowing in the ground. Since the seeds are small, seedlings usually turn out to be quite thick: they need thinning.
A pick is made as soon as the first pair of true leaves appears on the sprouts. In addition, it is necessary to regularly moisten the soil in containers, as well as ventilate the seedlings. Two weeks after picking, top dressing is applied for the first time.
At the age of one month, the seedlings of the Carpathian bluebell are ready to move under the open sky. By this time, the root system of the plant is already quite developed, and the seedlings themselves have managed to get stronger.
Attention: if you live in the southern region, you can plant seeds immediately in the garden, without first germinating the seedlings.
Sowing seeds in open ground
The plant is unpretentious: therefore, if the climate is not too harsh, you can plant directly with seeds in open ground. Usually, cultivation from seeds in open ground begins in mid-autumn or in May.
However, sowing in autumn is more preferable, since under a layer of winter snow the seeds naturally stratify and harden.
Landing is carried out on a bed in prepared soil. The composition of the soil should be as follows:
- sod land;
- river sand;
- old peat (not greasy).
There is no need to fertilize the bed with organic matter before planting.
Seeds are laid out directly on top of the soil and do not go deep. Since the seeds are tiny, burrowing can make it difficult for them to germinate. It is recommended, however, to sprinkle the crops on top with sand.
When planting in the spring, the first shoots can be expected a couple of weeks after planting. Autumn planting, even seedlings next spring - about 10-14 days after the snow melts and the ground thaws.
After the appearance of three full leaves on the seedlings, the plants dive. It is necessary to leave the strongest and most healthy sprouts in the garden.
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Care
Let's get acquainted with the features of caring for the Carpathian bell growing in the open.
watering
Moisten the soil in the garden, usually only during the summer drought. When watering, they spend a bucket of water per 1m2 of soil. It is recommended after the moistening procedure to loosen the soil and remove weeds from it.
Important: in spring, you can not water the bells at all, since the plant will have enough moisture from the melted snow.
top dressing
The bell is fed twice during the growing season. In the spring, nitrogenous fertilizers are applied so that the green part of the plant forms faster. The second time they make top dressing at the beginning of flowering. Potassium and phosphorus compounds are used to help set more buds.
You can not be too zealous with the introduction of top dressing, because otherwise, excessive formation of green mass and poor flowering against this background are likely.
pruning
This procedure is performed the next year after planting. Faded inflorescences are cut off. The procedure allows:
- prevent spontaneous self-seeding;
- preserve the decorativeness of the flower bed;
- provide the “living” part of the plant with sufficient nutrients.
Attention: when pruning leaves, do not forget to collect the fruit-boxes first. Otherwise, self-seeding cannot be avoided.
Every spring, in addition, it is necessary to inspect the plants and remove frozen, weak and diseased specimens.
And in order to make the flowering period longer, experienced gardeners do the following: when the first wave comes to an end, the flower stalks are cut short. And about a month later, the Carpathian bell blooms again actively and magnificently.
Mulching
The procedure is carried out after watering and allows you to provide the roots of the plant with a sufficient amount of moisture. In addition, a layer of organic mulch also protects against weeds. Note that when growing a bluebell on an alpine slide or in other rocky landscape, mulching is not performed.
Pest and disease control
The Carpathian bell is a plant that is quite resistant to various diseases and pests. Usually a flower gets sick if the rules for caring for it are not followed or if it is grown in the wrong place.
If you grow a bell for several years on the same bed without a transplant, the plants are likely to become infected with fungal pathologies. To avoid this misfortune, you should spray the flower bed with Fundazol in spring and autumn.
If you grow a flower in conditions of high humidity, the plant may become slobbery. This disease is not dangerous and is easily removed by garlic tincture.
Sometimes the foliage of plants is affected by rust, forming ugly brown-brown spots on the green. Preparations containing copper will help get rid of the problem. And in order to initially avoid rust disease, it is necessary to spray planting bells in the spring with Fitosporin solutions or the Gumi preparation.
Of the pests, the danger is mainly snails and slugs. To cope with these insects, you should spray the bells with Meta and Thunder preparations.
The Carpathian bell is a very delicate, refined, but not too fastidious flower to care for. These features make the plant a favorite of many gardeners, allowing it to be used in various landscape design projects.
Flowers bells (lat. Campanula) belong to the genus of herbaceous plants of the Bellflower family, which includes more than three hundred species growing in places with a temperate climate - in the Caucasus, Western and Central Asia, Europe, Siberia, and also in North America. Bluebells prefer steppes, meadows, forests, desert areas and rocks. Many species of these flowers grow in the alpine and subalpine zones of the mountains. The Latin name is translated - bell. In the people, these flowers are called chenille, chebotki and bells.
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Planting and caring for bluebells (at a glance)
- Landing: sowing seeds in open ground - in October or May. Sowing seeds for seedlings - in March, planting seedlings in open ground - at the end of May or at the beginning of June.
- Bloom: at different times - depending on the type and variety.
- Lighting: usually bright sunlight. There are only a few shade-loving species in the genus.
- The soil: any, even stony and calcareous, but best of all drained loam of neutral or slightly alkaline reaction.
- Watering: moderate and only in dry season.
- Garter: tall varieties require support.
- Top dressing: on melted snow - with nitrogen fertilizer, during the budding period - with a complete mineral complex.
- Reproduction: annuals - only by seeds, biennials - by seeds and spring cuttings. Perennials can be propagated by parts of the rhizome, root cuttings, stolons, dividing the bush, but when propagated by seed, they do not retain varietal characteristics.
- Pests: drooling pennitsy, slugs.
- Diseases: fusarium, botrytis, sclerotinia.
Read more about growing bluebells below.
Bluebell flowers - description
Most often there are perennial bells, less often - biennial and annual. The leaves of the bells are alternate, bell-shaped flowers of blue, white and different shades of purple are collected in racemose or paniculate inflorescences. Sometimes there are single flowers. The fruit is a box with 4-6 slit-like holes. The bell plant can be short, medium and tall.
Growing bluebells from seeds
sowing bluebells
Bluebell seeds do not require pre-treatment before sowing. They can be sown directly into the ground in May or before winter in October. But if you want them to bloom this year, sow them in March for seedlings. Since the seeds are very small, they are laid out on the surface of a light, loose, permeable substrate, previously well moistened and consisting of humus, soddy soil and coarse sand in a ratio of 3:6:1. It is not necessary to add fertilizer to the substrate. The seeds are lightly pressed to the ground, sprayed with water from a spray bottle, and then covered with a film. Contain crops at a temperature of 18-20 ºC. Seedlings may appear in two to three weeks.
bluebell seedling
As soon as the seeds begin to germinate, transfer the container to a bright place, protected from direct sunlight, remove the film and take care of the seedlings of bluebells, as for any other flower seedlings: water when the top layer of the substrate dries, loosen the soil around the seedlings, and when they are three weeks and they will develop the first leaves, the seedlings dive into a large container at a distance of 10 cm from each other. Two weeks after picking, feed the seedlings with liquid complex fertilizer in a weak concentration.
Planting bells in open ground
When to plant bluebells in the ground
Seedlings of bluebells are planted in open ground in late May or early June. Most of the bluebells are photophilous, there are literally a few shade-loving species grown in culture, and they can be recognized by the dark green color of the leaves. The bell does not like drafts.
As for the soil, some species grow well on rocky soil, some on calcareous, but most species prefer neutral or slightly alkaline, well-drained loamy soils. Landing bells in the soil is carried out after its preliminary preparation: for deep digging, sand and humus are introduced into heavy soils, and soddy soil and fertilizers into poor soils. Do not apply only fresh manure and peat, as this increases the risk of plant damage from fungal diseases.
How to plant bluebells in the ground
They plant bells in open places, away from bushes and trees, so that their roots can receive the necessary amount of moisture and nutrition. Undersized bells are planted at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other, bells of medium height at a distance of 20-30 cm, and tall ones at an interval of 40-50 cm. After planting, the soil around the flowers is trampled and watered well.
Caring for bluebells in the garden
How to care for bluebells
Growing bluebells is no different from growing any other garden flowers - bluebells are unpretentious. They are watered only when prolonged heat and dryness are established. After watering, it is convenient to loosen the soil around the flowers and remove weeds. Tall bells are tied to a support as needed. The bells are fed for the first time in the spring, on melted snow, with nitrogen fertilizer. The second top dressing with complex fertilizer is carried out in the first half of summer, at the beginning of budding. To prolong the flowering of bluebells, remove wilted flowers in a timely manner.
Reproduction of bluebells
Annual bells are propagated by seeds, biennials by seeds and spring cuttings. Perennial bluebells can be propagated by root cuttings, parts of the rhizome, dividing the bush and stolons, since they do not always retain varietal characteristics during seed propagation. Terry varieties of bluebells do not set seeds, so they are propagated exclusively by vegetative methods.
Perennial types of bluebells with a carpal or tap root system are considered as vegetatively immobile and propagate by seeds. Those species that have a short rhizome are considered vegetatively inactive - they are propagated by division and cuttings. Species with long creeping rhizomes are considered vegetatively mobile, which are propagated by seeds, division and cuttings, as well as rhizome segments and root offspring.
We described the seed seedling propagation method to you, but you can sow the seeds in mid-October directly into the ground, where they will undergo natural stratification during the winter months and sprout together in the spring, and you will only have to plant the seedlings. You can sow the seeds in the ground in May, but then they need to be stratified for two months in the vegetable box of the refrigerator, and since annual bells reproduce well by self-seeding, is it worth it to complicate your life by stratifying seeds?
Bell cuttings are harvested in spring, in March-April - they are cut from young stem or basal shoots, planted in a light loose substrate and placed under a film dome to create high air humidity. It is best to use a greenhouse and a special mist sprayer for this purpose. Root regrowth in cuttings occurs within three to four weeks.
The division of the bush is carried out in the third or fifth year of the plant's life, but some species can be divided already in the second year. At the beginning of May or at the end of summer, large bushes are dug up and, having cut the stems, they are divided into parts with a sharp sterile knife, each of which should have developed roots and renewal buds, after which the cuts are treated with crushed coal and the delenki are immediately planted in a permanent place.
When propagating by parts of the rhizome, the creeping root of the plant is dug up, divided into parts so that each segment contains renewal buds, and planted in the ground so that the buds are at the level of the soil surface.
Root offspring must be separated from the mother plant and immediately planted in a permanent place.
Bell pests and diseases
Blooming bluebells look very cute, but this is not the only advantage of flowers. They are so unpretentious that planting and caring for the bell is a pleasure and does not require time and effort. Bluebells are immune to diseases and pests and are very rarely affected by them, however, with many years of growing flowers in one place, pathogenic microorganisms accumulate in the soil - Fusarium, Sclerotinia or Botrytis - which can lead to the death of the plant. To prevent this from happening, twice a season, in spring and autumn, treat the bells with a 0.2% solution of Fundazol.
In wet weather, slobbering pennitsa may appear on the bells, which is expelled with an infusion of garlic. Undersized bells can be damaged by slugs, from which the plants are sprayed with a decoction of hot pepper and superphosphate granules are scattered under the flowers.
Perennial bluebells after flowering
How and when to collect bluebell seeds
If you want to get seeds of your favorite species, then do not wait for the boxes to open, cut off the inflorescences left on the seeds in advance, as soon as the boxes turn brown, and ripen them in a ventilated dry room.
Preparing bells for winter
Planting and caring for perennial bluebells is no different than growing annuals or biennials, except that they need to be winterized. In late September or early October, the stems of all bluebells are cut to the root. This completes the care of annual flowers. As for biennial and perennial species, many of them hibernate without shelter, but southern species need to be covered with dry leaves or covered with spruce branches. Tall bells are covered with a layer of humus or dry peat 15-20 cm high. In order for perennial bells to survive the winter, this will be enough.
Types and varieties of bells
Annual species of bluebells originate from the southern regions, therefore, in areas with a temperate or cool climate, they are grown infrequently. The most famous of them:
bluebell annual
- a short (up to 10 cm) plant native to the Caucasus, the Balkans, the Mediterranean and Asia Minor with a bright blue tubular corolla. Blooms from May to early autumn. Used for borders and rock gardens;
Bell dichotomous, or forked from the Western Caucasus. It reaches a height of 15-20 cm, has numerous light purple flowers and broadly ovate leaves;
bluebell kashmiri grows in the Himalayas and the Pamirs, reaching a height of only 6-8 cm. Its flowers are purple, small, up to 1.5 cm in length, but there are many of them and they bloom for a long time;
- Caucasian endemic, growing on gravelly soil and in rock crevices. In height, this strongly branching plant reaches half a meter, it blooms in May-July with paniculate inflorescences, consisting of 50-60 pitcher-bell-shaped purple flowers up to 4 cm in diameter with a swollen base and a calyx with deflected sharp teeth;
Bell Mirror of Venus originally from the Mediterranean mountains, from the UK and Holland. In culture, this species has been known since the end of the 16th century. In height, the bell, or legusia, reaches from 15 to 30 cm. Saucer-shaped, blue with a lilac tint and a white center, flowers up to 2 cm in diameter are collected in paniculate inflorescences that bloom from early summer to September. This species has varieties with white flowers.
biennial bluebells
represented by the following types:
bluebell bearded- grows in nature in the subalpine zone of the Mediterranean. It reaches a height of 4 to 30 cm. Its flowers are drooping, goblet-bell-shaped, pale blue, up to 3 cm long. This species blooms in June-July. In culture since 1752;
Hoffman's bell from the Balkans and the Adriatic. It is a strongly branching plant 30 to 50 cm high with a large number of large drooping white or cream flowers that open in June-July;
thyrsoid bellflower And bellflower- plants with spike-shaped inflorescences of funnel-shaped flowers of light yellow color in the thyrsoid bell and bright purple in the bell spiky;
Bellflower large-eared grows naturally in the Balkans, Europe and Asia Minor. The plant reaches a height of 70 to 120 cm. Its flowers with tubular pale purple corollas, collected in whorls of 6-7 pieces, open in June-July;
Bell medium naturally grows in Southwestern Europe and Asia. In cultivation, this biennial is sometimes grown as an annual plant. It has an upright stem 50 to 100 cm high and goblet-bell-shaped white, blue or pinkish flowers, simple or double, up to 7 cm long, collected in pyramidal inflorescences. In culture, the view is from 1578;
Native to Europe and Siberia. This is a densely pubescent plant with a height of 70 to 100 cm with small blue sessile flowers collected in inflorescences that are almost capitate at the top and whorled downwards.
In addition to those described, such biennial bells are known as Moesian, Siberian, divergent, sprawling, pyramidal, laurel, Formanek, spatulate, Sartori and orphanidea.
All other species belong to perennial bells, which in turn are divided into undersized, medium and tall.
Undersized species of perennial bluebells
- the most common species in culture comes from the Carpathians and the mountains of Central Europe. This is a perennial up to 30 cm high with leafy stems, a basal rosette of ovate leaves on long petioles and ovate short-petiolate stem leaves. Flowers in plants of this species are solitary, funnel-bell-shaped, blue, purple or white, up to 5 cm in diameter. They bloom from June for more than two months. Cultivated since 1770. The most famous garden forms of the Carpathian bell:
- Alba And White Star- varieties with white flowers;
- Celestine And Isabelle- sky blue bells;
- Chanton Joy, Riversleigh, Blaumeise- varieties with blue flowers;
- Karpatenkrone- a form with purple flowers;
- Clip- a miniature plant up to 20 cm high with flowers up to 5 cm in diameter. It can be grown both in open ground and in indoor culture;
Gargan bellflower- perennial up to 15 cm high with fragile creeping rising stems, rounded three-toothed leaves and blue star-shaped flowers up to 4 cm in diameter. In culture since 1832. The best varieties of the species are:
- Major- a variety with pale blue flowers;
- W.H. pain- flowers of a light lavender shade with a white eye;
spiral bellflower, or spoon-leaved in nature grows in the Carpathians and the Alps. The plant is miniature, up to 15 cm high. The stems are creeping. Drooping flowers of blue, blue or white color up to 1 cm in diameter are collected in small inflorescences. In culture since 1783. The most famous varieties:
- Alba- white bell
- Loder- a variety with blue double flowers;
- Miss Wilmott- a variety with blue flowers;
- a miniature plant from the Far East with single violet-blue flowers up to 3 in diameter and up to 4 cm long with a corolla shaggy around the edge. There is a white-flowered form.
In addition to those described, such low-growing types of perennial bells are known as birch-leaved, hairy-fruited, soddy, saxifrage, Kemularia, daisy-leaved, single-flowered, Oshe, Ortana, warble, border, Radde, Rainer, ciliated, dark, darkish, three-toothed and Uemura.
Perennial bluebells of medium height
represented by the following types:
Bell Takeshima naturally grows in Korea and the Iranian highlands. This is a perennial, reaching a height of 60 cm and forming groups of basal rosettes. Numerous stems of this species are creeping, creeping, rising. Simple or double flowers of blue, white or pink color bloom in early summer. The best varieties:
- Beautyful Trust- a variety with large white flowers of arachnid shape;
- Wedding Balz- a variety with double white bell-shaped flowers;
Komarov's bell
- Caucasian endemic of amazing beauty up to 45 cm high with a branching stem and numerous large flowers of a bright light purple hue up to 3 cm long with sharp turned lobes;
grows in the Far East and Siberia. Its thin fibrous stem reaches a height of 50 cm. Numerous hairy leaves in the basal region on reddish petioles, ovate, lanceolate or sharp. Large drooping pubescent goblet-campanulate flowers on long off-white pedicels are covered both outside and inside with purple dots. The best varieties:
- Rubra- a variety with bright flowers;
- Alba nana- a variety with white flowers up to 20 cm high;
Bell Sarastro
- a hybrid type of dotted bell with very bright purple flowers up to 7 cm long. The height of the bush reaches 60 cm, diameter - 45 cm.
In addition to those described, medium-sized species include bells Tatra, polymorphic, rhomboid, Moravian, flax-leaved, Spanish, wonderful, karnika, Marchesetti, round-leaved, perforated, hilly, Turchaninov, Sarmatian, garlic-leaved, Grosseka, pale ocher and hybrids Kent Bel and Pink Octupus .
Tall types of bells include
broadleaf bell, which naturally grows in the Caucasus, in Southern and Central Europe, in Siberia, Asia Minor, in the European part of Russia and in Ukraine in broad-leaved, dark coniferous and mixed forests and along river banks. It has a straight bare stem more than 1 m high, bare doubly-serrate leaves up to 12 cm long and up to 6 cm wide and large axillary flowers forming a rare-flowered narrow spike-shaped brush. Funnel-shaped flowers up to 6 cm long blue, white or blue with slightly recurved lobes bloom in June-August. This species has been cultivated since 1576. The most famous varieties:
- Alba- with white flowers;
- Brantwood- variety with purple flowers;
- Makranta- a variety with dark purple large flowers;
Grows in the Caucasus, Western Siberia, the European part of Russia, Ukraine and Western Europe. This plant is 50 to 100 cm high with erect leafy stems, smooth and jagged leaves at the edges, similar to peach leaves, and wide-bell-shaped large flowers up to 5 cm long, white, blue or lilac-blue, collected several pieces in a panicle. This species has crown and terry forms. Flowering begins in the second half of June and lasts more than a month. In culture, the peach-leaved bell has been cultivated since 1554. The most famous varieties of the species:
- Bernice- a variety with blue double flowers;
- Thetam Beauty- a variety with light blue flowers of large size;
- Exmouth- a variety with dusty blue double flowers;
- snowdrift- a plant with white bells;
- variety mixture New Giant Highbreeds- plants up to 75 cm high with large flowers of white and all shades of blue;
Campanula lactiflora
in nature grows in Asia Minor and the Caucasus. It is a 50 to 150 cm tall plant with a taproot that allows it to grow well in heavy loamy soil. Campanulate milky-white flowers up to 4 cm in diameter are collected in a racemose inflorescence. They open in June and bloom until the end of summer. Cultivated since 1814. The main varieties of this species:
Annuals Campanula Plants on K- Back
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Growing garden bells is not difficult. These are completely non-capricious perennial flowers. Beauty and long flowering, combined with unpretentiousness, made this plant a favorite for many. What varieties to choose for your garden?
Blue and purple bluebells of various kinds grow in fields and meadows everywhere, these are beautiful wildflowers of the temperate climate. Small, profusely flowering plants with bell-shaped flowers of blue and white are called "bride and groom" and are grown as indoor flowers. The most beautiful bluebells of different colors and shapes adorn the gardens. Having once grown such a perennial in your flower bed, you will never want to give it up.
Bell or campanula (Campanula) is a genus of herbaceous plants from the Campanulaceae family. The name comes from the Latin word campana (bell) , in the shape of the corolla of this flower . The genus includes about 400 species distributed in the temperate climate zone. Under natural conditions, it is found in the Caucasus, Siberia, Central and Western Asia, Europe, has some distribution in North America.
For the most part, these are perennial plants, among them there are tall, medium-sized and very small. Inflorescences are usually paniculate or racemose, rarely single-flowered. The corolla is bell-shaped, tubular or wide open depending on the species. Coloring - blue or purple in different shades, sometimes lavender, garden varieties come with white or pink flowers. There are also terry bells.
Many types of bluebell are considered rare species, listed in the Red Book.
Garden campanulas differ in the height of the bush and the shape of the leaves, the height of the peduncles and the number of flowers. Natural species are unpretentious, frost-resistant and are great for decorating gardens. Cultivated forms are more capricious, demanding on conditions, do not always successfully hibernate, they are more difficult to propagate, but they are superior in decorativeness to wild ones.
The appearance may be different depending on the origin of the variety, but the rules for caring for all perennial campanulas are approximately the same.
The most common types of bluebell (Campanula)
peach-leaved bellflower(Campanula persicifolia) reaches a height of 50-90 cm. The leaves are elongated, narrow, shaped like peach leaves. The stems are slightly branched, erect with wide bells 3-4 cm in diameter, lilac-blue or white. It blooms from June to mid-July, if the summer is cool - until autumn. Garden varieties are distinguished by larger flowers and a large number of them in the brush.
Carpathian bell(Campanula carpatica) - perennial undersized garden plant, reaches a height of 30-40 cm. The bush is spherical, 30 cm in diameter. It blooms from mid-summer to autumn with large cup-shaped flowers. The size of the flowers is about 3-5 cm, the shade is more often blue, less often purple and white. Prefers full sun but can grow in partial shade. Perfect for decorating rock gardens and landscaping balconies.
Campanula lactiflora(Campanula lactiflora) is a perennial plant with a branched stem about 90 cm high. Flowers 3 cm in size of a milky or lilac shade are grouped in a pyramidal inflorescence, from a distance resembling panicled phlox.
Pozharsky's bell(Campanula poscharskyana) is distinguished by thin creeping or lodging shoots, the bush is about 20 cm high and forms a dense cluster of leaves and stems with blue or lilac flowers. The shape of the flower resembles a star. Flowering is plentiful, in the midst of flowering, leaves under the flower head are almost invisible. There are varieties with lilac and lavender shades of the corolla.
bluebell crowded (Campanula glomerata) has a single stem 20-40, sometimes up to 60 cm high. Blue or purple medium-sized bells are collected in a dense inflorescence at the top of the stem. There are undersized varieties.
Bell medium(Campanula medium) is a biennial plant with tall stems, up to 1 meter in height. The flowers are elongated, up to 7 cm, with strongly curved edges. Shades - blue, purple or white, there are garden varieties with pink and deep purple flowers. In areas with mild winters, it reproduces by self-sowing, in colder zones it requires shelter for the winter.
Bellflower round-leaved(Campanula rotundifolia) is a low herbaceous plant, from 15 to 40 cm in height. The basal leaves are rounded, with a coarsely serrated edge, die off by the time of flowering, the stem leaves are narrowly lanceolate. The flowers are small, blue or light purple, collected in a spreading inflorescence.
The use of a bell (campanula) in landscape design
Due to the wide variety of forms and types, campanula is used in flower beds of all kinds, is part of mixtures for flower lawns, and decorates rock gardens. Undersized bluebells look great as borders, they are planted in flat rockeries and in the foreground of mixed flower beds.
Tall bells are used in group compositions, they are good in the background of a mixborder, near a fence or in a front garden. For landing, it is better to choose a place protected from the winds, otherwise you will have to install supports, which is not always beautiful.
Campanula is the perfect plant for a rustic garden.
Blue-purple bells look very natural in combination with white daisies, orange marigold, red poppies.
Bluebells are often used to create a flower bed of continuous flowering, they are able to bloom almost all summer, especially if you cut off flowering brushes in time so that seeds do not set.
illumination. Most campanulas are photophilous plants, but grow well in partial shade. In lightly shaded places, flowering will last longer than in the sun, and in dense shade there will be few flowers.
The soil. Bluebells are not demanding on soils, but light and loamy soils are preferred. These perennials should not be planted in wetlands and areas with high standing groundwater. The acidity is close to neutral or slightly alkaline. It is useful to add wood ash before planting. Some species grow well in rocky soil.
Campanula trachelium 'Bernice'
Campanula carpatica
'Clips Light Blue'
Campanula persicifolia
‘Chettle Charm’
Watering. Campanula does not tolerate prolonged drought. This affects flowering - there are few flowers and they are small. If the summer is dry and hot, then watering is required in the evening. In areas where there is a lot of sun and little rain in summer, it is better to plant these flowers in partial shade.
Fertilizer. On fertile soils, bluebells grow well and bloom profusely without any fertilizer. But since the plant is perennial, the soil is gradually depleted, therefore, in the second year, nitrogen-containing fertilizers are applied in the spring for good development of the leaf mass, then they are fertilized with complex mineral dressings before flowering.
Wintering. Natural species winter well without any worries, but garden campanulas, especially terry ones, do not always successfully endure winter. In late autumn, the bells are cut and covered with spruce branches or peat. It is very important that there is no stagnant water in the spring or during the thaw. The plant may wilt. If the probability of stagnant water is high, then the best option is a high bulk flower bed.
Transfer. Adult campanula generally does not tolerate transplants. The plant is longer and may not bloom. There are species that have taproots, it is better not to transplant them at all. Transplantation is best done in spring or late summer. When digging up plants, be sure to leave a large earthen ball on the roots.
Campanula persicifolia
‘Pride of Exmouth’
Campanula medium
canterbury bells
Campanula lactiflora
lactiflora 'Prichard's Variety'
Bluebell is not considered a long-lived perennial. Therefore, if nevertheless there was a need to transplant a bush, then the best option would be at the same time to divide it for rejuvenation.
Diseases and pests. The plant is fairly disease resistant. Problems can arise from excess moisture and poor lighting. bluebells in adverse conditions affected by powdery mildew, rust. To prevent the development of diseases, the plant and the earth must be treated with preparations with copper or foundationol. The soil can be disinfected by treatment with a solution of potassium permanganate.
reproduction. The main types of reproduction of bluebells are seeds and dividing the bush. Some hybrid forms do not produce seeds or young plants do not inherit parental properties. In this case, propagate by dividing an adult bush or cuttings.
Seeds are harvested when the pod turns dark brown. Sowing is carried out in the spring in prepared containers or directly into the soil. The seeds are very small, so the soil must be very well cultivated, the seeds cannot be covered. If seeds are sown for seedlings, then they do it in early spring, the container must be covered with foil. As necessary, airing and spraying the soil from the spray gun is carried out. After 2-3 weeks shoots should appear.
Growing a perennial bell: types and photos of flowers
After 20 days after germination, seedlings can be transplanted into open ground on seedling beds. The end of May is considered a good time for this. At the end of August, grown and strengthened seedlings should be transplanted to a permanent place.
It is sown in open ground in mid-autumn, the seeds can be lightly sprinkled with soil mixed with sand. Seedlings appear in spring. In the first months of summer, grown seedlings can be planted in a permanent place. Annual forms of the bell are propagated only by seeds.
To propagate the plant by dividing the bush, you should dig out the bush and divide it into parts, leaving a few buds for growth. Divided rhizomes must be immediately planted in a permanent place. Do it in the spring, in April or May. You can separate the bushes after flowering, in August.
The root system is different depending on the species. If the roots are deep and powerful, then it is better to divide the bushes in early spring, small plants with shallow thin roots are divided in May, when the soil warms up well. There are species that have one taproot, they cannot be divided, such bells are propagated by seeds.
Propagation by cuttings is carried out in June, cutting off a young flowering stem and placing it in the ground. Be sure to shade the cutting. He takes root for about a month. This method is best suited for bells with lodging or creeping shoots. Cuttings should be taken from healthy large bushes. They are planted in moist soil and shaded. The growth of young plants begins in about a month.
The genus bellflower, which is part of the bellflower family, includes more than 350 species. According to the timing of flowering, most of them are summer-flowering. The color palette is varied, with a predominance of blue, blue and purple hues. The height of representatives of the genus is from several centimeters to one and a half meters. Bluebells can be divided into three large groups, based on their natural habitats: forest, meadow and mountain.
Wood bells grow well under trees. There are few such species, unlike sun-loving ones. For owners of forest plots who want to ennoble their territory, this is just a godsend. The most interesting shade-loving and shade-tolerant species include:
Nettle bell (photo 1) - shade-loving, about 1 m high. The name corresponds to the shape of the leaves. The flowers are large (about 4 cm), broadly bell-shaped, in racemose inflorescences. There are varieties with double-shaped flowers. June-July is the time of flowering.
Broadleaf bell (photo 2) is also shade-loving, about 1.5 m high with straight leafy stems. Basal leaves in a rosette. Flowers solitary. The color varies from white to dark blue. July is the peak of flowering.
Bell peach (photo 3) shade-tolerant. The height of straight stems often exceeds 1 m. The flowers are blue, in racemes. A variety of garden forms have been developed. Blooms from June to autumn.
The crowded bell (photo 4) is also shade-tolerant. Height up to 0.8 m.
Bell in landscape design. Kinds
Unpretentious. The flowers are bright blue, in large spherical inflorescences. Blooms all summer. Also has garden forms with double flowers.
There are many meadow species. They require sunny areas similar to natural ones. Most interesting:
The Crimean bluebell is an endemic of the Crimea (photo 5). Height from 15 cm to 50. Stems are straight, thick. Purple flowers in loose inflorescences, on long stalks.
Bell medium (photo 6) - the most popular type. The bush forms a pyramidal, less than 1 m in height. Among its varieties there are forms with pink flowers. Very decorative variety "Cup and Saucer" with flowers associated with a tea pair (cup and saucer).
Mountain bells are more in demand in culture, because. rock gardens, rockeries and rocky gardens have been popular for a long time. In nature, these species live in the alpine belt of mountains, mainly on rocky-gravelly slopes. Conventionally, they can be divided into rocky and meadow. The most decorative of this group:
Scheuchzer's bell (photo 7) grows in alpine meadows. It is a rhizomatous perennial up to 30 cm tall. The stems are ascending, ending in one or more light purple flowers. Blooms almost all summer.
Thyrsoid bell (photo 8) belongs to the meadow. Biennial up to 50 cm. Stem straight, thickened. The leaves are broadly linear, pubescent, form a rosette. The flowers are cream or yellowish in color, form a dense spike-shaped inflorescence. Flowering occurs in mid-summer.
Bell birch (photo 9) grows in rock crevices. Its buds are reddish, and the opened flowers are snow-white. Plant height up to 15 cm. It blooms at the end of May, flowering lasts more than a month.
The Gargan bell (photo 10) belongs to the rocky ones. Forms a neat bush. Height does not exceed 15 cm. Blue-blue asterisk flowers open in early summer. Can be grown in some shade.
All types of bells are good in their own way, they should be planted on the site. By the way, many good beliefs are associated with these plants.
If you want to decorate your site with a beautiful and at the same time unpretentious flower, then the crowded bell will be an excellent choice!
Video: Campanula care. Bell care
This variety of bluebell requires almost no care, it grows even in the most unfavorable conditions, such as lack of moisture.
Therefore, it is a great option for beginner gardeners or just for those conditions where other species cannot take root! And in general - this is a very beautiful flower, let's take a closer look at the nuances of care and planting.
Planting a bell in the ground
The crowded bell can be planted in the ground in any month of spring or summer.
3 reliable varieties of garden bells
There are two types of reproduction - seeds and vegetatively.
As for the seeds, they are simply sown superficially, with little or no processing of the soil. But only natural species propagate by seeds, only vegetative propagation is suitable for decorative ones.
Video: BELL - GROWING, HEALING PROPERTIES!!!
Speaking of soil. It can be planted in almost any soil. But we must remember that it does not tolerate wet soil, so you need to be careful with watering and do it rarely. This also applies to fertilizers - there should be a minimum of them if you want to get beautiful, low "bushes". The crowded bell does not like heavily fertilized soil. To get a border, you need to plant plants at a distance of 20 centimeters from each other.
Vegetative propagation is carried out by dividing the bush, separating the daughter sockets. At the same time, even if they do not have a root system - it's okay, it will easily appear by itself.
Bell Care
This type of bell is completely unpretentious and even in some way independent. But a little help still won't hurt him.
Video: Growing aquilegia and crowded bell. Part 1 - Landing
The temperature regime of this plant is very wide. It withstands both a fairly severe drought and calmly survives the winter cold, therefore it does not require shelter for the winter at all, which makes it an unusually hardy type of flower.
Despite all its unpretentiousness, this type of bells still has small requirements. It needs regular weeding and loosening. It is also required to remove faded shoots in a timely manner.
Video: Garden bell / Widebell / Platycodon from seeds
It is also worth remembering that our bell, like any other plant, can suffer from diseases or pests. Of the diseases, it is worth highlighting spotting and rust - the most dangerous for the bell. And the pests include spider mites and slobbering pennitsa, as well as caterpillars, which often like to eat bell leaves. Therefore, let it all be so independent - regularly inspect the bushes for damage from pests or diseases in order to prevent detrimental effects on all seedlings. And best of all - treat the bell bushes in time with appropriate protective equipment.
So we learned those few nuances that are needed for proper planting, growing and caring for a crowded bell. This type is widely used in landscape design, both among professionals and simply among people who at least decorate their site with something beautiful. Follow the tips in this article and you will add a delicate purple color to your “bouquet” of colors!
