Common Name: bellflower
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Campanulaceae
Native Range: Caucasus
Zone: 5 to 9
Height: 0.75 to 1.00 feet
Spread: 0.75 to 1.50 feet
Bloom Time: June to July
Bloom Description: Deep purplish-blue
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Naturalize
Flower: Showy
Tolerate: Deer
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Prefers full sun in cool northern climates and part shade in hot summer climates. Best with some light afternoon shade in the St. Louis area. Needs regular moisture. Best in neutral to slightly alkaline soils. Divide clumps in fall every 3-4 years. Spreads by both creeping rootstocks and self-seeding under optimum growing conditions, but is well behaved. Cut back stems after flowering to promote possible later rebloom and to prevent any unwanted self-seeding.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Campanula collina is native to the Caucusus Mountains. It is an upright, clump-forming perennial that typically grows to 12” tall on erect, pubescent stems, and slowly spreads by creeping rootstocks. It features tufts of toothed, ovate-oblong, softly-hairy, dark green, long-stalked, basal leaves (to 2-3” long) and smaller, more lance-shaped stem leaves. Nodding, bell-shaped, deep purplish-blue flowers (to 1.5” long) appear singly or in one-sided racemes in summer.
Genus name comes from the Latin campana meaning bell in reference to the bell-shaped flowers.
Specific epithet means pertaining to hills.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems.
Uses
Rock gardens. Border fronts.