The flower has white flowers like a bell. Colombian bellflower, or Koleria: all about plant care

The genus Campanula, part of the Campanaceae family, includes more than 350 species. In terms of flowering time, most of them are summer flowering. The color palette is varied, with a predominance of blue, cyan and violet shades.

The height of representatives of the genus ranges 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.

Forest bells grow beautifully under trees. There are few such species, unlike sun-loving ones. For owners of forest plots who want to improve their territory, this is simply a godsend. The most interesting shade-loving and shade-tolerant species include:

Nettle-leaved bellflower (photo 1) is a shade-loving plant, 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 flowering time.

Photo 2. Broadleaf bell

The broadleaf bellflower (photo 2) is also shade-loving, about 1.5 m high with straight leafy stems.

Basal leaves in a rosette.

The flowers are solitary.

Color varies from white to dark blue.

July is the peak of flowering.

Photo 3. Peach bell

The peach-leaf bell (photo 3) is 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.

Photo 4. Crowded bell

The crowded bell (photo 4) is also shade-tolerant.

Height up to 0.8 m.

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. The most interesting:

Photo 5. Crimean bell

Crimean bellflower is endemic to Crimea (photo 5).

Height from 15 cm to 50.

The stems are straight and thick.

The flowers are purple in loose inflorescences, on long stalks.

Photo 6. Medium bell

The medium bell (photo 6) is the most popular type. The bush forms a pyramidal shape, less than 1 m in height.

Among its varieties there are forms with pink flowers.

The “Cup and Saucer” variety is very decorative with flowers associated with a tea pair (cup and saucer).

Mountain bells are more in demand in culture, because... rock gardens and rock gardens have been popular for a long time.

In nature, these species live in the alpine mountain belt, mainly on rocky and gravelly slopes. Conventionally, they can be divided into rocky and meadow.

The most decorative of this group are:

Photo 7. Scheichzer's bell

Scheichzer's bell (photo 7) grows in alpine meadows. It is a rhizomatous perennial up to 30 cm tall.

The stems are erect, ending in one or more light purple flowers.

Blooms almost all summer.

Photo 8. Thyrsus-shaped bell

The thyrsus bell (photo 8) belongs to the meadow species.

Biennial up to 50 cm high.

The stem is straight, thickened. The leaves are broad-linear, pubescent, forming a rosette.

The flowers are cream or yellowish in color and form a dense spike-shaped inflorescence.

Flowering occurs in mid-summer.

Photo 9. Birch leaf bell

Birch-leaved bellflower (photo 9) grows in rock cracks.

The 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.

Photo 10. Gargan bell

Gargan bell (photo 10) belongs to the rocky species.

Forms a neat bush.

Height does not exceed 15 cm.

Star-blue flowers open in early summer.

Can be grown in light shade.

All types of bells are good in their own way and should be planted on the site. By the way, many good beliefs are associated with these plants.

In the language of florists, the bell sounds quite unusual - “Campanula”. This name comes from the Latin and Italian word "campana", which means "bell". This is exactly the shape of the bell's corolla. This explains why it is known in our country under this name, which is officially enshrined in the domestic botanical nomenclature.

Throughout history, bells have been treated with love in Russia. This is once again proven by the affectionate names that were used when mentioning campanula in different places: pichuzhnitsy, chebotki, bells, chenilles... And, according to the old belief, a person can hear the ringing of a bell only once a year - on the magical night before Ivan Kupala .

Description

The perennial bell plant develops a simple or branched stem of small size, reaching a height of 5-150 cm. The leaves have a regular arrangement; in some species they are presented in the form of a rosette. Most bellflower species have paniculate flowers, and in more rare cases they are racemose; there are also plants with solitary inflorescences.

Growing

Basically perennial flowers bluebells can grow on any soil, however, even here they have their own preferences. It is recommended to plant them on well-treated soils that provide high-quality drainage, have a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction and are provided with the necessary nutrition. Typically, drainage channels or drainage pipes are installed to solve the drainage problem. This must be done, since stagnation of moisture in winter has an extremely negative effect on the plant, as there is a danger of root rotting and freezing. Areas where moisture accumulates after rain or during snow melt are unsuitable for growing garden bells.

When planting perennial bell flowers, you must keep in mind that the plant can grow well on them only with neutral and slightly alkaline soil reaction.

• to plant bearded and cut-out bells, you will have to prepare an area where soil with a slightly acidic reaction should predominate;
• mountain wild bell species, whose natural habitat is limestone rocks, will feel better in slightly alkaline soils. Therefore, before you start planting a plant, you need to add a small amount of lime to the soil.

Species

The bell genus includes many different species that differ not only in their habitat, but also in other features.

Bluebell Carpathian

This species is most often found on calcareous rocks and in the upper zone of the mountains of Europe. Among the morphological characteristics it is worth highlighting presence of fibrous whitish root. The plant forms many stems 20-40 cm high, usually having a straight, branched shape, thanks to which the bush acquires its characteristic spherical shape. Heart-shaped leaves are located on long petioles. The largest are the basal leaves, reaching a length of 5 cm; the leaves located on the stems are smaller.

The inflorescences grow solitary and are large, reaching a length and width of 3 cm. The characteristic color is blue. The flowering of this type of bell begins in June-early July, but already begins to fade in mid-September. Throughout the entire period, the flowers retain a bright, rich color. Between August and October, seeds begin to ripen and retain high germination rate (up to 90%). If collection is delayed, seeds can reproduce by self-sowing.

This view predominates in shady, mixed forests. The usual habitat is Europe, Western Siberia, North Africa. Many people know this plant as bellweed, hogweed, gooseneck, throat grass and lotion grass, which can be explained by its healing properties, since it helps with inflammation of the throat. You can make a salad from the leaves and roots of this bell, and the young leaves are used as an additive to cabbage soup.

Bellflower

The favorite habitats of this species are the limestone mountains of Europe. It grows in the form of a low-growing creeping perennial, which produces thread-like stems 10-18 cm high. Adult specimens often form a dense turf. The characteristic color of the leaves is light green. Bell flowers have a white and blue tint, grow drooping, not exceed 1 cm in diameter, are presented in the form of loose inflorescences. The flowering time begins in mid-June and continues until the end of August. Throughout the entire phase they demonstrate abundant flowering and fruiting. They reproduce easily by self-seeding. They do not lose their attractiveness until late autumn.

Campanula lactiflora

Most often, this plant can be found in the upper, forest and subalpine zones of the Caucasus and Asia Minor mountains. It is a tall plant, reaching a height of 60-100 cm, and has a large number of brushes that decorate the branched stem in the upper part.

The flowers are quite small and their diameter does not exceed 3 cm; they can have different colors within from milky white to purple color, presented in the form of wide pyramidal inflorescences, include up to 100 different shades. It begins to bloom in June-July, when many flowers open simultaneously. Fruiting is also abundant in August, when many seeds begin to ripen.

This variety of bell is most abundant in the forests and forest edges of Europe, the Caucasus and Western Siberia. Before the growing season, they look like a rosette of basal leaves, from which by mid-summer a slender, strong stem 60 cm high grows. It is decorated with miniature linear-lanceolate leaves that are dark green in color. Clusters of blue or white flowers hang at the very top of the stem. The flower forms a corolla with a broad bell-shaped shape, reaches a width of 3-3.5 cm. There are garden species that are decorated with double flowers. The first flowers open in June and decorate the area until the end of summer.

After wilting, the shoots begin to bear fruits that look like capsules containing many seeds, which reach maturity in August-September. Some species are capable of reproduction by self-seeding. If necessary, you can prolong the flowering of this species and preserve its decorative properties. To do this, it is important to avoid the ripening of seeds, for which it is necessary to promptly remove faded flowers. To obtain seeds, it is recommended to leave individual tender specimens of the peach bell. The photo of the plant is almost no different from the original.

Pozharsky's bell

This member of the family most often lives on the calcareous rocks of Southern Europe and the Balkans. During the growing season forms a dense pillow 15-20 cm high, which consists of heart-shaped petioled leaves combined with a large number of peduncles. The characteristic shape of the inflorescences is broadly bell-shaped, almost star-shaped. The flowers of the Pozharsky bell have a light plum-blue color.

Conclusion

Bluebell is one of those ornamental plants that even beginning gardeners have heard of. This plant has inflorescences that do not stand out in any way, but this does not reduce interest in it. You can also grow bells in your summer cottage, but it is advisable to choose suitable place to plant it. Although this plant is undemanding to the soil, the presence of a fertile composition benefits the bellflower. It is very important to take care of the presence of high-quality drainage, since in swampy soil conditions this plant can easily die.

Perennial flowers, bells, are grown everywhere as garden and country decoration. They are valued for their availability, frost resistance, and variety of varieties. There are about 300 types of bells. Cultivated garden forms are slightly finicky to care for, but with due attention they can decorate the area for many years. The material contains photos and descriptions of the most popular varieties among domestic gardeners.

The garden variety of perennial bellflower or campanula has been cultivated by humans for hundreds of years. The name of the plant and its entire family was given by the shape of the corolla, reminiscent of a miniature bell. In Rus', the flower was also given the names chebotka, pichuzhnitsa, chenille or bell. In the wild, bluebells grow both among tall meadow grasses and on rocky surfaces. The first ones are tall, the second ones are short. The generally accepted varietal classification of all perennial bells is based on differences in “growth.”

Unlike wild meadow species, the flowers are colored not only in blue-blue tones. Shades of garden bells: white, purple, crimson, etc. Tone saturation depends on humidity. The higher it is, the lighter the bud.

The stems of the bell are erect, moderately branched, although there are also climbing subspecies. The plant blooms in the second season from the moment of sowing. The buds open abundantly and fade in waves throughout the summer and the first half of autumn. The corollas of the perennial bell are honey-bearing. The flower is planted in spring or autumn. Any moist soil will suit it.

Attention! An abundance of sunlight is not necessary. Campanula fully takes root and develops even in the shade.

Tall flower varieties

Nettle leaf bell will grow up to 1 m and is distinguished by straight, highly fleecy stems. The greens look similar to nettles:

• lower leaves have long petioles;
• all leaf plates have a serrated edge;
• the green surface is rough.

Nettle-leaved

Blue-violet or white corollas are collected in a brush up to 45 cm in length. The variety blooms for less than a month from the end of June. Seeds are produced en masse. The subspecies actively reproduces by self-seeding.

Attention! Young leaves and roots of the nettle-leaved bell are placed in salads and cabbage soup.

Campanula latifolia- one of the tallest in the family: 1.2 m. It has a leafy straight stem and large basal leaves. The buds (about 6 cm in length) are located in the axils of the upper sessile leaves. Color - blue, bright blue or white. There are subspecies with double buds. Flowering occurs in mid-summer.

Onion-shaped or rapunzel-shaped bell reaches a height of 1 m if grown under normal conditions. On rocky soil the flower may be much lower. The variety behaves aggressively on the site, quickly multiplies and grows. Practice shows: from a pair of seeds, a vast bellflower meadow grows in 2-3 years. It blooms from June until frost, producing long one-sided racemes. The color of the buds is bright purple.

Onion-shaped

Other varieties in the tall category:

1. Campanula lactiflora. Grows up to 1.2 m, although it can be lower. Small corollas are collected in pyramids. The color is lilac or white.
2. The bell is crowded. In addition to being tall (1 m), it has a miniature shape. Multi-tiered inflorescences. The flowers are blue, dark purple or white.
3. Peach-leaved variety. A 1-meter plant with simple or double buds with a diameter of 3 cm. The color of the inflorescences is blue or white. The leaves are dark and small. Blooms until early autumn. Suitable for cutting.

Medium-sized varieties

Campanula rotundifolia is one of the most popular in its family. It has rounded basal leaves. They dry out and die in the summer, during the flowering phase. The top greens stay fresh until October.

The height of an adult plant reaches 60 cm. There may be several stems. The buds are strictly blue, small, arranged in a paniculate inflorescence.

Other medium-sized varieties of campanula:

Round-leaved

1. The spreading bell reaches 50-70 cm in height. It has narrow lanceolate leaves of a rich green hue. Large flowers are collected in spreading panicles. Petals are a soft lilac shade.
2. A perennial variety called Raspberry Ring has single large double buds. The color of the petals is pink. The length of the stem reaches 70 cm. Flowering continues all summer.
3. Bluebell Droplet is a biennial species. The average height is about 80 cm. The buds are large, up to 6 cm in diameter. They are colored white, blue or purple, located along the entire length of the stem. The flowers open alternately during July and August.

Low-growing Campanula varieties

A special feature of this category of perennial bells is the need for lighting. Plants need plenty of heat and sun. They also need good drainage and rocky soil type. For the winter, the flowers are covered with spruce branches. Low-growing include mountain Pozharsky variety with creeping stems, medium-sized serrated leaves and small flowers of a light blue tone. The bud barely reaches 15 cm in height.

Similar to him Portenschlag bell. The buds play blue-lilac-violet shades. The small, round leaves have a serrated edge. Height - 10-15 cm. Flowering lasts until late autumn, weather permitting.

Other crops in this category:

1. Campanula punctata differs from its low-growing counterparts in its winter hardiness. Creeping stems rise 20-25 cm above the ground surface. Inflorescences are sparse. The corollas have a light purple color, unusual for bells, with a dark splash in the center.
2. The Carpathian variety is one of the longest lasting among dwarf campanulas. It blooms from June to late autumn with delicate blue or white flowers. Height - about 15 cm.
3. The Gargan bell does not grow higher than 10-15 cm. It forms lush “pillows” on the site. The petals are folded into a star-shaped corolla and have a gray-blue tint.

Campanula is suitable for growing in the garden. The plant is often used to decorate a personal plot. Before planting, you just need to choose the right variety.

Have you planted bluebells on your property?

Garden bells: video

Of the many types of garden bells (pointed, peach-leaved, rotundifolia, Pozharsky, twisted, milky-flowered, Carpathian, pyramidal, round-leaved and others), not the least of interest is bell medium (Campanula medium L). Its height is up to 1 m, the flowers have a characteristic shape - inverted glasses with a skirt, about 7 cm long, in a cold range of colors (white, blue, lilac, pink, purple). The flowers are double. There can be up to 50 flowers on one stem, which makes this type of bell look like luxurious candelabra.

The plant is elegant, delicate, expressive, solemn, with its own bright image, easily tolerates partial shade, like all bells, looks great in a flowerbed and in a bouquet, it is not surprising that it is popular and if you study the stores, it will be obvious that there are more varieties of the average bell than others (except that sometimes it is inferior to Carpathian and peach-leaved).

In the west, the plant is called Canterbury Bells - similar bells were tied to their horses by pilgrims on their way to Canterbury, the place where the main Anglican church in Britain is located - Canterbury Cathedral.

Varieties

Cup and saucer is the name not so much of a variety as of a variety group. Under this name, many agricultural companies, including foreign ones, produce seeds, most often mixtures of various colors (in English “Cup & Sauser”). All cups and saucers and Chinese sets (as the Gavrish agricultural company chose to call the plant for its “Lucky Seeds” brand) have double flowers with two skirts, as if nested one inside the other. It really does look like an upside down cup and saucer. The shape of the flowers is very harmonious and beautiful.

Other varieties or mixtures of medium bluebell that can now be found on sale: Raspberry Ring - double, mixture of colors (Russian Ogorod), Cottage - simple, mixture of colors (Johnsons, England), Dream - simple, pink (Sedek), Carminrose - simple juicy carmine pink (Gavrish), Gramophone - simple carmine pink (Plasma). Apart from the colors and degree of flower terry, they have no fundamental differences, so all the recommendations in this article can be safely applied to any seeds whose packaging says medium bell.

Growing from seeds

There are two options for growing: seedlings or non-seedlings. In the second case, the plant will bloom only next year.

Seeds for seedlings are sown in March-early April, distributed over the surface of the soil. The plant has good germination, and the procedure for growing seedlings does not differ in any special aspects, except that young seedlings require shading from direct sun.

Sowing in open ground is carried out at the end of May; the seeds are not large, so they are not buried, but mixed with sand, which is distributed over the surface, or a shift is distributed over the surface of the soil, and then sprinkled with a thin layer of sand. The seeds germinate quite quickly; after 2-3 weeks from the moment of sowing, the young plants can be planted in another place at a distance of 10-15 cm. But this is not the final planting location. It is customary to carry out such a transplant to seed beds, planting the plants in a permanent place only in August (every 30 cm from each other).

Mature plants are used as “donors”. Growing spring shoots can be rooted, producing new plants.

It is a biennial, but is often grown as a perennial.

Landing and seat selection

The bell is a fairly unpretentious plant, but you should know some planting features. The plant is considered a light-loving plant, but it tolerates partial shade very well; very often it can be seen along western or eastern walls, where direct daytime sun does not reach. And such semi-shaded places can really be considered ideal. The fact is that the lighting parameter is closely related to two other environmental characteristics: temperature and humidity. And here everything is clear - the bell loves moisture and feels great in the cool. Therefore, if you are looking for a plant to plant under a tree, near a shady gazebo, or a front garden on the east side, it makes sense to consider the middle bell.

The soil must have a neutral reaction (acidic soils are absolutely not suitable), well-drained (dampness leads to damping off of the bushes), light, and nutritious.

In one place, the average bell grows from 3 to 5 years.

Care

The plant is unpretentious; you will need to perform a number of very simple measures:

1. Sufficient watering in dry summers. Bluebells do not like lack of moisture. The plant will not die, but will significantly lose its decorative properties: the flowers will become small, or the plant will stop blooming altogether.
2. Removing faded flowers.
3. Lime is periodically added to the soil.
4. By the autumn of the first year of planting seeds, the plant forms a rosette of leaves; it should be mulched with a sufficiently thick layer of covering (if these are fallen leaves, then at least 10 cm).

Collecting your own seeds

Seeds are collected in early autumn, choosing the healthiest and most lush specimens. Unfortunately, varietal varieties (hybrids) do not pass on 100% of their characteristics by inheritance, so some seedlings grown from seeds from their own collection “go wild” - they will be a classic blue color.

Application in the garden

“Cup and saucer” is good in borders, flower beds, mass plantings, and mixborders. It will look great near the lawn or in small groups.

What is the middle bell combined with?

It looks great with many cultures:

1. Garden geranium.
2. Carnation.
3. Cuff.
4. Looks amazing in combination with, especially pink shades. The photo below does not convey the beauty of the combination of delicate bell-shaped “cups” and lush buds.

Pairs well with grains and herbs. Can be grown in container culture: pots, tubs, vases.