Growing Campanula

A few minutes ago I stumbled upon this little morsel of delightful information: did you know that as of today there are only 76 more days until spring? Think of all the planning, organizing and preparing we can do in 76 days! After Christmas, I like to sort through the deluge of seed catalogs arriving in our post and make a list of all the annuals I must have for spring {poppies, poppies, poppies} as well as reserve the final roses. This year I also plan on editing out a lot of perennials that I’m not crazy about so that means getting out the graph paper and focusing on what will go where (and making my wish list of replacements). I figured, why grow things that I don’t absolutely love? That’s just silly! This will surely keep me busy for a while and (hopefully) make the winter a little less bleak. One of the perennials that will definitely be sticking around are these gorgeous Campanula. I love the purplish-blue bell-like flowers, delicate foliage, the long bloom period and the fact it’s basically maintenance free. Campanula include some 500 or so species and are often commonly referred to as “bellflowers.” They are remarkably easy to grow requiring average soil in full sun to light shade. Soil should remain moist (but well draining) and would benefit from a yearly compost dressing, mulch and neighboring plants to keep roots cool. Divide in early spring and snip flowers after blooming to promote a lighter re-bloom. Taller varieties may require staking. Campanulas make lovely companion plants for roses and the bees love it! More tips can be found HERE.