Campanula.
Campanula barbarta close up above and in the meadows UK Wildfolowers .com many thanks to Peter Llewellyn for the use of his photo's. An easy Campanula but needs a moist spot where you will water in the Summer and it is not long lived, forming a tap root, so a nice deep pot is best for growing them in. Mine did flower but I was too late taking the photo. Don't you love the little hairs around its nose, its where it gets its name from. Dislikes limey soil and comes from the grassed upper meadows of the Alps, also in southwest Poland which Marg T. would have loved as Ray was always teasing her that nothing grows in Poland, and in a small area in Norway.
Campanula betulifolia above and below ideal for a trough and relatively easy to grow, loved by slugs and snails, they eat the heart out of the flowers when they are forming as tiny little buds. If you are wondering why it doesn't flower thats probably the reason. Does well in Australia, coming from varying elevations in Turkey, Armenia and the Caucasus.
Campanula turbinata sometimes called Campanula carpatica variety turbinata is said to be dwarfer with unbranched stems which is what we imported from NZ a few years ago now. Not easy to keep in cultivation as I think the group of us that imported it have all lost this lovely Campanula.
Campanula cashmeriana is a beautiful and easy Campanula if grown out of the rain. Coming from the Himalayan, as Reginald Farrer says " found between 6,000 and 11,000 feet in the mountains of its name-country, It is stiff, zigzagging grower, hoary with almost woolly down, and with oblong woolly foliage entire or a little toothed, about an inch long; and most noble large flowers of brilliant blue. It is a slender straggler; and yet slenderer yet, in the same style, is C. evolvulacea. These both sound, as described, admirable; it is only fair to add that this favourable opinion is not universally endorsed." I agree with Farrer it is amongst my favourites.
Campanula caespitosa this species is similar to C. cochlearifolia and is often on seed exchanges as such, but C. caespitosa has a tap root and foliage as below, growing in the crevice garden. It is less wide spread in the wild, being found only in lime stone screes and among rocks in the Eastern Alps. Flower picture above is from the net.
Campanula chorhensis x betulifolia from seed SRGC 745 2/2015 a gorgeous little Campanula I have growing in a trough but needs to be moved now as it is being over crowded. This flower and foliage look closer to Campanula choruhensis than to C. betulifolia both plants come from Turkey and in the wild they overlap so they are thinking the two may cross naturally. It needs a sunny well drained position to do well.
Campanula cochlearifolia syn. bellardii, pumila, pusilla a mat forming Campanula as you can see it is running all the way to the edges of Johns pot. An exquisite little Campanula with little thimbles of blue to 10cm tall if that. Found growing in the mountains of Europe often growing in crevices of limestone rock. Thank you John F. for the loan of the photo.
Campanula collina Archibald 2003 seed Farrer writes "colours the sub-alpine fields of Lazic Pontus about Trebizond, and up to some 5,00 feet in central and eastern Caucasus. It is one of the most gorgeous Campanulas we have, with tufts of downy foliage scalloped-edged and oblong heart-shaped on longish foot stalks, and then the graceful foot high stems, gracefully carrying magnificent big bells of imperial purple, satiny and brilliant, whose only fault is that they pass over almost as quickly as the roseate hues of early dawn." It is lovely but I have to say I don't quite see it as Farrer does. Its a lovely soft blue flowers for me and may be there are differing hues of blue up in the mountains, not sure. It does need a sunny position with a little protection from our hot afternoon sun in Australia, and well drained soil, but definitely worth growing.
Campanula garganica Album a vigorous ground cover in a semi shade position with slightly hairy foliage and wide open starry flowers, will flower all summer if the water is kept up to them.
Campanula garganica Blue a little more vigorous that the white but still a lovely plant.
We are unsure of the name of this Campanula below, seed was collected by Joy while visiting Greece. I have had a white one come up under the benches in the glass house, that I have put in the crevice garden that is doing very nicely, soundly perennial and a lovely soft grey foliage with sky blue flowers.
An unknown Campanula in the tuffa walls at Wisley a lovely dark one, with no name. I have just been informed that this is an Edraianthus pumilo not a Campanula at all Thank you Harry.
Campanula Mae Blyth an import from New Zealand no longer with me as sadly I have lost my plants.
Campanula persicifolia var. planiflora syn. Campanula nitida If you don't grow any or only some Campanula's this would be the one to grow, Hardy, well behaved, clump forming will tolerate sun, not all day but most of the day and about 10-15cm high. Farrer says of it "an interesting and valuable thing from North America rather obscure its history and confused in catalogues" I think that is because it has had quite a few name changes over the years.
Campanula persicifolia var. planiflora syn. Campanula nitida
Campanula x pulloides G. F. Wilson a hybrid between C. pulla and C. carpatica var. turbinata. The plant listed under this name is like C. pulla but with semi erect, lighter flowers and looks more like C. carpatica var turbinata in an earlier photo. Lynn's Rare plants has this listed sometimes
Campanula raineri hybrid a beautiful plant from the South-eastern Alps among limestone rocks. Relatively easy from seed, but difficult to keep. I think it needs to go into a trough or crevice garden as soon as it is big enough as it prefers its fine roots to be kept cool. As with most Campanula slugs and snails love it.
Campanula Samantha a lovely plant from Aaron I grow this near some paving stones where it comes up and flowers in Autumn, another Campanula that likes to keep its roots cool, large wide flat bells similar to Campanula Mae Blyth but much more vigor to the plant. Aaron tells me it is around but I have yet to see it for sale in Nurseries.
Campanula scheuchzeri colony forming, spreading by creeping rhizomes, stems getting up to 10-15cm high it grows around a Cyclamen hederifolium that keeps the roots cool and flowers the same time so I have a pretty pink and blue combination. The flowers are a little more delicate and smaller in structure than C. rotundifolia.
Campanula Silver Chalice since lost, an import from New Zealand.
Campanula Stansfieldei this chance hybrid is considered to be C. carpatica x tommasiniana cross and is one of the most beautiful. I first saw it flowering in the path going into Otto's front door but it seems to have died out from there. Aaron grows it beautifully among rocks keeping roots cool again, Growing Campanula's well seem to be all about keeping the roots cool in our Australian conditions.
Campanula troegerae not one for the garden although saying that, I have not tried it in a trough outside. Raised from SRGC seed exchange quite easy in the glass house. Greyish, downy foliage it trails down the sides of pots and looks stunning, large pale pink buds with wide open white cups. Very local Yusufeli area in Turkey, in part shaded rock crevices.
Campanula x haylodgensis 'Warley White' syn. Campanula x warleyensis an import by Marshal Mitchel one of our founding members. It is still around but not long lived, needs to be propagated by root division every now and then as snails and slugs murder it in spring and beginning of summer. It is Autumn flowering for me and reputedly a hybrid between C. cocklearifolia and carpatica.
Campanula spicata syn. Campanula speciosa growing in the rocky ditch and banks beside the road in San Juan, Spain, in the Pyrenees. There was no seed unfortunately, as this was the most beautiful blue and I would have loved to collect some seed as it would do well in Australia. It is a biennial and only 10-15cm high
An unknown Campanula in the cliff face Monachil Gorge, Spain. I don't know how these plants take root as there looked like there was not a crack to be seen. Above and below.
Campanula? Cazorla Spain very hot in this area of Spain and the large rocks around it were protecting it from the heat. When you click on the picture you can see the Euphorbia weed in the front of it, I now know where it comes from.
Our next photo's are curtesy of Harry Jans beautiful photos and up to his usual excellent standard.
A plant I dream of growing and that is all it will ever be, dreams. One of our members in Kyeton Victoria raised 2 plants from seed and I was given one and after summer there was nothing left of mine or hers. It is hard to replicate the conditions for growing Campanula zoysii, perhaps if we could build a tuffa wall we may be able to grow it, but germinating seed is the hardest part. It is on Bicon so is allowed to be imported as seed or plants. The first time I saw it growing was in pots for sale at Hokonui Alpine Nursery, South Island, New Zealand. Unfortunately I didn't have an import permit at that time and the next time we did go there with a permit there weren't any for sale.
Farrer waxes lyrical about this Campanula and it is too long to repeat here, he obviously felt about it like I do. The limes stone cliffs of the South Eastern Alps is where it is found growing. According to the Alpine Garden Soc. Encyclopaedia of Alpines says it is difficult to grow and propagate and is much loved by slugs and snails, Farrer says day and night protection is needed. I have nothing else to say so I will let the photo's speak for themselves.
Azorina vidalii syn. Campanula vidalii a woody stem plant, from the Atlantic Island, Verde Island and Azores. An easy plant from seed and easy to grow in Australia, sunny well drained position same as a succulent which it is.
Why is this photo in here I can hear you ask? Well this photo was taken at the Snellgrove garden and 'The Snelleuy's' as they were affectionately known always said "It is a Campanula and thats that" when I look at photos for the blog, so many memories flood back to me and its nice to remember passed members.
Adenophora
Adenophora belongs also to the Campanulaceae there are 40-60 species of perennials from temperate Europe and Asia they resemble and are closed related to Campanula, differing only in the bell shaped flowers.
Adenophora triphylla hakusanensis Japan seed 1984, too tall for the rock garden but an unusual Adenophora, shiny, toothed, green leaves forming a clump and tall stems carrying many blue bells.
Adenophora morrisonensis Hayata subspecies uehatae AGS seed 1061 2016 Taiwan Lady bell. Grown in a sunny location well drained gets to approx 60cm.
Adenophora uehatae from Jon B. a lovely form. Thank you Jon for photo.
Adenophera uehatae from seed so different to Jons form
Just to finish off with our own blue bell flower, Wahlenbergia gloriosa which are closely related to Edraianthus rather than Campanula. Very easily grown in a sunny well drained position. You often see them in summer in our National Parks at Falls Creek and Kosciusko, along the road sides in the drains and banks. Seeds well and is easy from division. For sale at Kuranga Native Nursery which is where I bought Ken's plant, that he wasn't able to purchase in Tasmania. Below looks for all the world like a Campanula.
The Alpine Garden Society will not be meeting for the next few months due to the Coronavirus, even though we are a group of less than 100 people it is more responsible to cancel our meetings. We will review the situation during April and let you know what is happening with our meetings. Many thanks to Harry Jan's for his photos, Peter Llewellyn, Jon B. and John F.. This is only a small section on the Campanula that are available in Australia there are many more so do have a go at growing them Woodbridge plant Nursery Tasmania
Due to the cancellation of The Melbourne International Flower Show Victoria many small nurseries will be struggling to sell plants that they have prepared to sell at the show. the links are all live below and many are having sales to sell their plants.
Please stay safe everyone and hope to see you all soon.
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