Caption
Dalmatian bellflower (campanula portenschlagiana) in the garden.
Planting, Growing, and Caring for Bellflower Plants
Blue flowers can be hard to find and easy-to-grow blue flowers even more so. If bell-shaped blooms, pollinators, and blue hues are your thing, discover bellflowers (Campanula). Learn how to plant, grow, and care for this “belle” of the garden.
About Bellflowers
Bellflowers are members of the genus Campanula, which comes from the Latin “little bell.” The bells vary from open saucer to pixie cap to tubular. They’re loved by bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds and function as excellent pollinator attractors when planted en masse.
Bellflower blooms are five petals fused at the base and can be on tall spikes or arrayed individually on the plant, depending on the species. Most flower from midsummer to autumn. They are cold-hardy and can survive in USDA Zones 3 to 8.
The genus has hundreds of species! They can be perennials, biennials, or annuals! Whether short groundcovers or tall prairie plants, most are covered in light blue, lavender, or purple bell-shaped flowers, although white varieties are also available.
Bluebells are a perfect addition to cottage-style gardens. They are happy to grow in the sun or partial shade. They’re a good plant to grow under trees.
Due to their wide range of varieties, they are versatile, adding fairy-like beauty to woodland edges, paths, bed borders, fencing (taller varieties), rock gardens, and as the spiller in hanging baskets.
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Growing
New bellflowers will need weekly watering in spring and early summer until they are established. They prefer evenly moist but not soggy soil. With proper mulching, they should be fine receiving the same watering as the rest of the garden, whether that’s rain or from your irrigation.
Some types of campanulas need support. If so, stake when growth is two-thirds complete.
Trim off dead stems and vegetation in early spring before the plants break dormancy.
As blossoms fade, deadhead the more visible tall varieties or container plantings; this will promote more flowers and prevent self-seeding. Most varieties can be cut back to the base. With Campanula lactiflora, just pinch off the top blossoms for more blooms. If you give them the “Chelsea chop” in late spring (cutting down by one-third), they will flower again.
Bellflowers do need some TLC. If left untended, they will fade away. To avoid this, take cuttings every three years (in springtime) and propagate if you wish.
Types
- Tall bellflower (C. Americana) is a prairie native biennial. It grows well in partial shade and reaches 3-5 feet tall in the second year. Although a biennial, it often self-seeds, maintaining a presence in the garden or meadow.
- ‘Takion Blue’ (C. persicifolia) is a peach-leaved bellflower that forms a mounded shape about 12-16 inches tall and wide. It’s hardy in Zones 4-8 and covered in upright lavender-blue flowers. It’s often called Fairy Bellflower or Fairy Bells. Can you see why?
- Dalmatian bellflower (C. portenschlagiana) is a fantastic trailing species. It is semi-evergreen, hardy in USDA Zones 3-8, and perfect for trailing over the edge of hanging baskets or rock walls.
- ‘Rapido Blue’ (C. carpatica) is a groundcover type of bellflower best planted in groups. It stays only 5-8 inches tall and not much wider and is super cold-hardy.
- The best border bellflowers are named forms of Campanula lactiflora.
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