Campanula
Within the Campanula family there are many garden worthy plants that
despite their need for different growing conditions, have one thing in
common, their bell shaped flowers. Hence the common name of
“Bell-flower”. Campanula can be grown in beds and borders, hanging baskets, containers and window boxes and you should be sure
to read about each of the plants on offer as they vary greatly in their
growing habits and requirements.
How to grow
In general,
most Campanulas are very easy plants to grow and will require little
maintenance.The plants in this selection have been expertly grown and
as a result, offer the best start possible to you and your garden. When
plants are delivered you should endeavor to plant them in to their
final positions as soon as possible. If you cannot plant immediately
after delivery you should keep roots moist and store plants in a cool
and bright space until the can be moved outdoors.
Position
Campanulas
are sun loving plants that will also thrive in partial shade. In terms
of shelter, alpine varieties will grow in exposed conditions and in
fact this will help to replicate natural conditions. Taller growing
varieties, however, may require some shelter in the form of other
plants, hedging, screening, fencing or garden
buildings as strong winds may cause stems to bend and snap.
Alternatively you can use plant supports to keep stems
upright.
Soil
A well drained, fertile and
moisture retentive soil is best, although Campanulas grow happily on
nutrient low soil. The key is to ensure that soil does not become
waterlogged as this can be detrimental to plant growth. Improve soil by
digging it over with a garden fork or spade and incorporating plenty of
organic matter, well-rotted garden compost or multi-purpose compost will
be fine. This will help to improve soil structure, drainage and water
retention.
Care
Plants will require regular watering after planting to help them establish
and you should take care to not let plants dry out completely. Once
established plants will be able to tolerate periods of drought and will
form dense clumps. Plant flowers and leaves should be removed as they
start to fade and added to compost bins. An annual mulch in
spring with compost will help to ensure soil is moist and weeds are
suppressed. A regular application of general fertilizer throughout the growing
season will help plants to produce strong, healthy growth and a liquid seaweed feed will
help improve plant vigor.
Top tip
New growth and
flowers are vulnerable to attack from slugs and snails. A full range of
pest control measures, such as slug
pellets and biological controls are available in the pest control
section of the shop.
