Campanula medium. Description

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Flowers bells (lat. campanula) belong to the genus of herbaceous plants of the Bellflower family, which includes more than three hundred species growing in places with a temperate climate - in the Caucasus, Western and Central Asia, Europe, Siberia, and also in North America. Bells prefer steppes, meadows, forests, desert areas and rocks. Many species of these flowers grow in alpine and subalpine mountain belts. The Latin name is translated as bell. People call these flowers chenilles, chebotkas and bells.

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Planting and caring for bells

Landing: sowing seeds in open ground - in October or May. Sowing seeds for seedlings - in March, planting seedlings in open ground - at the end of May or at the beginning of June.
Bloom: at different times - depending on the type and variety.
Lighting: usually bright sunlight. There are only a few shade-loving species in the genus.
The soil: any, even rocky and calcareous, but best drained loam with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction.
Watering: moderate and only in dry seasons.
Garter: tall varieties require support.
Feeding: on melted snow - with nitrogen fertilizer, during the budding period - with a complete mineral complex.
Reproduction: annuals - only by seeds, biennials - by seeds and spring cuttings. Perennials can be propagated by parts of the rhizome, root cuttings, stolons, or dividing the bush, but when propagated by seed they do not retain varietal characteristics.
Pests: slobbering pennies, slugs.
Diseases: fusarium, botrytis, sclerotinia.

Bell flowers - description

Most often there are perennial bells, less often - biennial and annual ones. The leaves of the bells are alternate, the bell-shaped flowers of blue, white and different shades of purple are collected in racemes or paniculate inflorescences. Sometimes single flowers are found. The fruit is a capsule with 4-6 slot-like holes. The bell plant can be short, medium or tall.

Growing bells from seeds

Sowing bluebells

Bell seeds are not required preliminary preparation before sowing. They can be sown directly into the ground in May or before winter in October. But if you want them to bloom this year, sow them as seedlings in March.

Since the seeds are very small, they are laid out on the surface of a light, loose, permeable substrate, previously well moistened and consisting of humus, turf soil and coarse sand in a ratio of 3:6:1. There is no need to add fertilizer to the substrate. The seeds are lightly pressed to the ground, sprayed with water from a spray bottle, and then the container is covered with film. Contain crops at a temperature of 18-20 ºC. Shoots may appear in two to three weeks.

Bluebell seedlings

As soon as the seeds begin to germinate, move the container to a bright place, protected from direct sunlight, remove the film and care for the bluebell seedlings as you would any other flower seedlings: water when the top layer of the substrate dries, loosen the soil around the seedlings, and when they are three weeks old and their first leaves develop, the seedlings dive into a large container at a distance of 10 cm from each other. Two weeks after picking, feed the seedlings with liquid complex fertilizer in low concentration

Planting bells in open ground

When to plant bells in the ground

Bluebell seedlings are planted in open ground at the end of May or beginning of June. Most of the bells are light-loving, shade-loving species grown in cultivation are literally only a few, and they can be recognized by the dark green color of the leaves. The bell does not like drafts.

As for the soil, some species grow well on rocky soil, some on calcareous soil, but most species prefer neutral or slightly alkaline well-drained loamy soils. Planting bells in the soil is carried out after its preliminary preparation: for deep digging, sand and humus are added to heavy soils, and turf soil and fertilizers are added to poor soils. Just don't contribute fresh manure and peat, since this increases the risk of plant damage by fungal diseases.

How to plant bells in the ground

Bells are planted in open places, away from bushes and trees, so that their roots can receive the necessary amount of moisture and nutrition. Low-growing bells are planted at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other, medium-height bells at a distance of 20-30 cm, and tall ones at an interval of 40-50 cm. After planting, the soil around the flowers is trampled down and watered well.

Caring for bluebells in the garden

How to care for bluebells

Growing bells is no different from growing any other garden flowers - bells are unpretentious. Water them only when prolonged heat and dryness sets in. After watering, it is convenient to loosen the soil around the flowers and remove weeds. Tall bells are tied to a support as necessary. The bells are fed for the first time in the spring, on melted snow, with nitrogen fertilizer. The second fertilizing with complex fertilizer is carried out in the first half of summer, at the beginning of budding. To prolong the flowering of bluebells, promptly remove faded flowers.

Reproduction of bluebells

Annual bells are propagated by seeds, biennials by seeds and spring cuttings. Perennial bells can be propagated by root cuttings, parts of rhizomes, dividing the bush and stolons, since when propagated by seed they do not always retain varietal characteristics. Terry varieties of bells do not set seeds, so they are propagated exclusively by vegetative methods.

Perennial species of bells with a carpal or taproot system are considered to be vegetatively immobile and reproduce by seeds. Those species that have a short rhizome are considered vegetatively inactive - they are propagated by division and cuttings. Vegetatively mobile are species with long creeping rhizomes, which reproduce both by seeds, division and cuttings, and by rhizome segments and root suckers.

We described the seedling method of propagation to you, but you can sow the seeds in mid-October directly into the ground, where they will undergo natural stratification during the winter months and sprout together in the spring, and all you have to do is plant the seedlings. You can sow seeds in the ground in May, but then they need to be stratified for two months in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator, and since annual bells reproduce well by self-sowing, is it worth complicating your life by stratifying the seeds?

Cuttings of bells are harvested in the spring, in March-April - they are cut from young stem or basal shoots, planted in a light, loose substrate and placed under a film dome to create high humidity air. It is best to use a greenhouse and a special fog sprayer for this purpose. Root regrowth of cuttings occurs within three to four weeks.

The division of the bush is carried out in the third to fifth year of the plant’s life, but some species can be divided already in the second year. At the beginning of May or at the end of summer, large bushes are dug up and, having cut the stems, divided into parts with a sharp sterile knife, each of which should have developed roots and renewal buds, after which the sections are treated with crushed coal and the sections are immediately planted on permanent place.

When propagating by parts of the rhizome, the creeping root of the plant is dug up, divided into parts so that each segment contains renewal buds, and planted in the ground so that the buds are at the level of the soil surface.

Root suckers need to be separated from mother plant and immediately place it in a permanent place.

Bellflower pests and diseases

Blooming bells look very cute, but this is not the only advantage of flowers. They are so unpretentious that planting and caring for a bell is a pleasure and does not require time or effort.

Bells are immune to diseases and pests and are very rarely affected by them, however, when flowers are grown for many years in one place, pathogenic microorganisms - Fusarium, Sclerotinia or Botrytis - accumulate in the soil, which can lead to the death of the plant. To prevent this from happening, treat the bells twice a season, in spring and autumn, with a 0.2 percent solution of Fundazol.

In wet weather, bells may appear slobbering penny, which is expelled by infusion of garlic. Low-growing bells can be damaged by slugs, from which the plants are sprayed with a decoction of hot pepper and superphosphate granules are scattered under the flowers.

Perennial bells after flowering

How and when to collect bluebell seeds

If you want to get seeds of your favorite species, then do not wait for the boxes to open; cut off the inflorescences left for the seeds in advance, as soon as the boxes acquire a brown tint, and ripen them in a ventilated, dry room.

Preparing bells for winter

Planting and caring for perennial bluebells is no different from growing annual or biennial varieties, except that they need to be prepared for winter. At the end of September or beginning of October, the stems of all bells are cut off at the root. This completes the care of annual flowers. As for two-year-olds and perennial species, many of them overwinter without shelter, but southern species need to be covered with dry leaves or covered with spruce branches. Tall bells are covered with a layer of humus or dry peat 15-20 cm high. This will be enough for perennial bells to survive the winter.

Types and varieties of bells

Annual species of bells come from the southern regions, so they are not often grown in areas with a temperate or cool climate. The most famous of them:

Bluebell annual

A low-growing (up to 10 cm) plant native to the Caucasus, Balkans, Mediterranean and Asia Minor with a bright blue tubular corolla. Blooms from May to early autumn. Used for borders and rock gardens;

Dichotomous bell, or forked from the Western Caucasus. It reaches a height of 15-20 cm, has numerous light purple flowers and broadly ovate leaves;

Campanula Kashmiri grows in the Himalayas and Pamirs, reaching a height of only 6-8 cm. Its flowers are purple, small, up to 1.5 cm in length, but there are many of them and they bloom for a long time;

- Caucasian endemic, growing on gravelly soil and in rock cracks. This highly branched plant reaches half a meter in height; it blooms in May-July with paniculate inflorescences consisting of 50-60 pitcher-bell-shaped purple flowers up to 4 cm in diameter with a swollen base and a calyx with deflected sharp teeth;

Bell Mirror of Venus originally from the Mediterranean mountains, from Great Britain and Holland. This species has been known in culture since the end of the 16th century. The height of the bell, or leguzia, reaches from 15 to 30 cm. Saucer-shaped, blue with lilac shade and white in the middle, flowers up to 2 cm in diameter are collected in paniculate inflorescences, blooming from early summer to September. This species has varieties with white flowers.

Biennial bluebells

Presented by the following types:

Bluebell bearded– grows naturally in the subalpine zone of the Mediterranean. It reaches a height of 4 to 30 cm. Its flowers are drooping, goblet-bell-shaped, pale blue, up to 3 cm long. This species blooms in June-July. In culture since 1752;

Hoffman bell- from the Balkans and Adriatic. It is a heavily branched plant, 30 to 50 cm high, with a large number of large drooping white or cream-colored flowers that open in June-July;

Campanula thyrsus And bellflower– plants with spike-shaped inflorescences of funnel-shaped flowers of light yellow color in Campanula thyrsus and bright purple in Campanula spica;

Bluebell grows naturally in the Balkans, Europe and Asia Minor. The plant reaches a height of 70 to 120 cm. Its flowers with tubular pale purple corollas, collected in whorls of 6-7 pieces, open in June-July;

Medium bell grows naturally in southwestern Europe and Asia. In culture, this biennial is sometimes grown as annual plant. It has an erect stem 50 to 100 cm high and goblet-bell-shaped white, blue or pinkish flowers, simple or double, up to 7 cm long, collected in pyramidal inflorescences. The species has been in culture since 1578;

Originally from Europe and Siberia. This is a densely pubescent plant, 70 to 100 cm high, with small blue sessile flowers, collected in inflorescences that are almost capitate at the top and whorled at the bottom.

In addition to those described, such biennial bells as Moesian, Siberian, diverging, spreading, pyramidal, laurel, Formaneca, spatulate, Sartori and orphanidea are known.

All other species belong to perennial bells, which in turn are divided into low-growing, medium-growing and tall-growing.

Low-growing species of perennial bells

– the most widespread cultivated species, native to the Carpathians and the mountains of Central Europe. It is a perennial up to 30 cm high with leafy stems, a basal rosette of ovate leaves on long petioles and ovate short-petioled stem leaves. The flowers of plants of this species are single, funnel-bell-shaped, blue, purple or white, up to 5 cm in diameter. They bloom from June for more than two months. The species has been in cultivation since 1770. The most famous garden forms of Carpathian bellflower:

Alba And White Star– varieties with white flowers;
Celestine And Isabelle– sky blue bells;
Centon Joy, Riverslea, Blaumeise– varieties with blue flowers;
Karpatenkrone– form with purple flowers;
Clip- a miniature plant up to 20 cm high with flowers up to 5 cm in diameter. Can be grown both in open ground and indoors;

Campanula garganica- a perennial up to 15 cm high with fragile creeping ascending stems, rounded three-toothed leaves and blue star-shaped flowers up to 4 cm in diameter. In culture since 1832. The best varieties types are considered:

Major– variety with pale blue flowers;
W.H. Paine– flowers of a light lavender hue with a white eye;

Spiral bell, or spoonleaf grows naturally in the Carpathians and Alps. The plant is miniature, up to 15 cm high. The stems are creeping. Drooping flowers of blue, blue or white color up to 1 cm in diameter are collected in small inflorescences. In culture since 1783. The most famous varieties:

Alba– white bell;
Loder– variety with double flowers blue color;
Miss Wilmott– variety with blue flowers;

- a miniature plant from the Far East with single violet-blue flowers up to 3 cm in diameter and up to 4 cm long with a shaggy corolla along the edge. There is a white-flowered form.

In addition to those described, such low-growing species of perennial bells are known as birch-leaved, hairy-fruited, turfy, saxifrage, Kemularia, daisy-leaved, single-flowered, Oshe, Ortana, warrior, border, Radde, Rainer, ciliated, dark, darkish, three-toothed and Uemura.

Medium-height perennial bells

are represented by the following types:

Bell Takeshima grows naturally in Korea and the Iranian Plateau. It is a perennial, reaching a height of 60 cm and forming groups of basal rosettes. Numerous stems of this species are creeping, creeping, and erect. Single or double flowers of blue, white or pink colors bloom in early summer. The best varieties:

Beautyful Trust– a variety with large white spider-shaped flowers;
Wedding Belz– variety with double white bell-shaped flowers;

Komarov's bell

– Caucasian endemic of amazing beauty, up to 45 cm high, with a branching stem and numerous large flowers of a bright light purple hue, up to 3 cm long, with sharp, turned-away lobes;

grows by Far East and in Siberia. Its thin fibrous stem reaches a height of 50 cm. Numerous hairy leaves in the basal region on reddish petioles, ovoid, lanceolate or acute. Large drooping, pubescent, goblet-bell-shaped flowers on long off-white pedicels are covered both outside and inside with purple dots. The best varieties:

Rubra– a variety with bright flowers;
Alba Nana– a variety with white flowers up to 20 cm high;

Bell Sarastro

A hybrid species of dotted bell with very bright purple flowers up to 7 cm long. The height of the bush reaches 60 cm, diameter – 45 cm.

In addition to those described, the medium-growing species include bells Tatra, polymorphic, rhomboidal, Moravian, flax-leaved, Spanish, wonderful, carnica, Marchesetti, round-leaved, perforated, kholmovoy, Turchaninova, Sarmatian, garlic-leaved, Grossec, pale ocher and hybrids Kent Belle and Pink Octupus .

Tall types of bells include

Campanula latifolia, which grows naturally in the Caucasus, South and Central Europe, in Siberia, Asia Minor, in the European part of Russia and Ukraine in broad-leaved, dark-coniferous and mixed forests and along river banks. It has a straight bare stem more than 1 m high, bare double-serrate leaves up to 12 cm long and up to 6 cm wide, and large axillary flowers forming a sparsely flowered narrow spike-shaped raceme. Funnel-shaped flowers up to 6 cm long, blue, white or light blue with slightly bent blades, bloom in June-August. This species has been in culture since 1576. The most famous varieties:

Alba– with white flowers;
Bruntwood– variety with purple flowers;
Makranta– variety with dark purple large flowers;

Grows in the Caucasus, in Western Siberia, European part of Russia, Ukraine and Western Europe. This plant is from 50 to 100 cm high with erect leafy stems, smooth and serrated leaves at the edges, similar to peach leaves, and wide, bell-shaped large flowers up to 5 cm long, white, blue or lilac-blue, collected several pieces in a panicle. This species has crown and double forms. Flowering begins in the second half of June and lasts more than a month. Bellflower has been in cultivation since 1554. The most famous varieties of the species:

Bernice– variety with blue double flowers;
Tetam Beauty– a variety with large light blue flowers;
Exmouth– a variety with dusty blue double flowers;
Snowdrift– a plant with white bells;
variety mixture New Giant Hybrids– plants up to 75 cm high with large flowers of white and all shades of blue color;

Campanula lactiflora

It grows naturally in Asia Minor and the Caucasus. This plant is from 50 to 150 cm tall with tap root, which allows it to grow well in heavy loamy soil. Bell-shaped, milky-white flowers up to 4 cm in diameter are collected in a racemose inflorescence. They open in June and bloom until the end of summer. The species has been in culture since 1814. The main varieties of this species:

Cerulea– variety with blue flowers:
Alba– a plant with white flowers;

Bells are very beautiful flowers. They plant themselves on my site. Regular. Almost weedy.
But I don’t have large bells of various colors.
Why not plant them?
Let them grow. There's a lot of space.
I bought seeds. These are the ones in the photo on the right.
And as always, I’ll start with theory.

DESCRIPTION

Medium bell - C. medium L.

Homeland - Southwestern Europe, Asia.

A biennial plant in cultivation, sometimes grown as a perennial due to natural renewal. It is distinguished by an erect, stiff-haired stem 50-100 cm tall.
The flowers are goblet-bell-ringed, blue, light blue, white or pink, simple or double, up to 7 cm long, collected in a pyramidal inflorescence. Blooms from June to September. Fruits in August-September. The seeds are small, gray-brown. There are 4500 seeds in 1 g. In culture since 1578.
Bell Cup and saucer two years old. If you grow it through seedlings, it will bloom in the year of sowing, but if you sow it directly in open ground, you will be able to admire the flowering only in the next year.

PECULIARITIES

Location
The plant is light-loving, cold-resistant and moisture-loving.
Prefers deep-cultivated, rich soil in a sunny location.
The bell does not tolerate acidic soils and stagnant water. In damp areas, plants die out in winter.
For 1 sq. m of clay soils, 15 kg are added for digging, loamy soils - 19 kg of humus or compost.
Usage
The flowering of this bell is very rich, the plants are completely covered with large bells, which makes a completely irresistible impression.
Planted singly or in groups against the background of a lawn, in prefabricated flower beds or on ridges, and used as a cut flower. It also looks very impressive in bouquets.
Cut flowers are stored in water for 10 - 12 days.
Difficulties
In addition to the fact that bluebells need good soil for excellent flowering, bluebells are demanding when it comes to growing conditions.
They sprout in the dark. Seeds do not germinate in light.
And one more condition. Winter shelter. The bell requires shelter for the winter. Rosettes of leaves that form by the autumn of the first year need to be covered with dry peat or fallen dry leaves; covering material is also well suited for this.

GROWING FROM SEEDS

You can, of course, plant the seeds directly into the ground. But then the flowers will appear only next year.
Moreover, the bell is especially sensitive to failure to meet deadlines for work. If the rosettes of basal leaves are underdeveloped, the plants may not bloom in the second year, but there is no need to throw them away - flowering will occur in the third year.
In order for the bluebell to pamper us with flowers in the first year, we need to grow it using seedlings.
Sowing the seeds of the middle bell for seedlings in March - early April, for flowering in the summer of the same year. Optimal temperature soil for seed germination: + 20 0C.

The prepared soil in the seedling box is watered before sowing. The bell seeds are lightly sprinkled with fine river sand on top, then the container with the seeds must be placed in a plastic bag to create a greenhouse, and be sure to shade the crops. This is the difficulty - the bell does not germinate in the light.
Bellflower crops are often sprayed and kept under black film or covering material all the time.
Shoots appear in about two weeks.
It will take another 15 - 20 days for the bell seedlings to get stronger.
Then comes the picking phase. Bellflower seedlings are planted according to a 10 x 15 cm pattern.
Transplanted plants are shaded again until they fully survive, for about a week. Seedling care is usual.

CUTTINGS

Looking through the literature about bells, I saw that bells can be taken from cuttings!
This is done like this:
Sometimes they practice propagation of the middle bell by cuttings. They are cut in the spring of the second year of cultivation. The rooting scheme is standard: a cutting with one or two internodes with cut leaves is planted in moist soil with the addition of sand, the other two internodes are left above the soil surface; kept in a moist, warm environment under a film or jar with a small air flow.
LANDING INTO THE GROUND

Planting homemade bell seedlings in a permanent place: May - June. If the seeds were germinated in open ground, the seedlings are planted in a permanent place in August. When planting bell seedlings, you should adhere to a planting pattern in which optimal distance between plants is 30 x 40 cm.

SOURCES

In June, my garden was full of colors, more and more flowers were blooming here and there. And yet, biennial bells became the favorites, and I want to tell you about growing them from seeds. In general, biennial crops traditional for Russia are mallows, violas, forget-me-nots, daisies, foxgloves and Turkish cloves. Not all flower growers like to grow them, because if you sow the seeds in the first year, you will only see flowering the next year.

Blue bells with astilbes and matricarias

However, in my opinion, it's worth it. Firstly, sowing of biennials is usually carried out in June, at this time all annuals have already been planted, there are free pots and a place in the greenhouse or on the windowsill. This is when it comes to growing seedlings. Mallow's seeds are so large that they can be easily sown directly into open ground. Forget-me-nots, as a rule, also have good germination.

Secondly, many biennials subsequently self-sow, having planted them once, then you can simply replant the independently sprouted plants to the right place, without particularly bothering yourself. Thus, mallows, forget-me-nots, and daisies reproduce by self-sowing.

Bluebell seeds "Droplet" in the center

Thirdly, although in the second year, biennials bloom very luxuriantly and for a long time. And for all these reasons, at the end of June 2013, I sowed biennial bells for seedlings. Blue “cup and saucer” and pink “Droplet”. Sowing was carried out in seedling boxes, lightly sprinkling the seeds with soil (a layer of just a few mm).

White bells and pink verbena

If you are new to growing seedlings, then keep in mind that you first need to pour a layer of substrate about 7 cm high into a box (or pot) and moisten it well. We scatter the seeds over the surface of the moistened substrate, sprinkle them with soil and spray them with a spray bottle so that the seeds do not go deep. Then we cover the container with the seeds with film or glass and wait for the shoots to appear. I got them on the fifth day. As soon as small plants turn green, the cover must be removed.

Blooming bluebells and white stars of sedums

After a week, the seedlings have their first true leaf (see photo), after two weeks we thin out the seedlings and, if desired, we prick them, and in mid-August the bells from the seeds become so large that they can already be planted in a permanent place in the flower garden. At the end of September, the plants form rosettes of leaves that overwinter.

Bluebell shoots

The next year, at the beginning of June, the bells produce flower arrows, and in the middle of the first summer month, beautiful large flowers open on them; I have never seen such flowers in perennial species.

Campanula medium, belongs to the Campanulaceae family. A biennial plant, there are groups of varieties that bloom 15 weeks after sowing. In garden conditions, they are considered as biennial plants; in the first year they form a basal rosette of leaves. The leaves are significantly different from the leaves that grow on the flower shoot the following year. The leaves forming a rosette die off in winter because they emerge quite late and are easy to pull out like a weed. It is worth marking the place where the bell grows. In late spring, leafy stems appear, ending in a long inflorescence. Several stems grow from one rosette. The stems are quite rigid and do not require support. The leaves are sessile (without petioles), narrow and lanceolate. The inflorescence is a raceme or panicle, depending on the group of varieties. Individual flowers are quite large, up to 8 cm long. Consisting of five fused petals, the ends are free and slightly turned outward.

The peculiarity of terry varieties is that they pollinate themselves with their own pollen. The seeds ripen in August-September.

Description

It grows on rocky, rocky slopes in southern Europe, especially southwestern France and southern Italy. Due to its large flowers, it is grown almost all over the world. Americans are especially fond of bells. Height, 60-90 cm. Flowering time, June July. You can prolong flowering by regularly removing spent flowers to prevent the plant from setting seeds. Flower color, pink, lavender, violet blue, white, many varieties of different shades of blue. Place, in completely sunny places it blooms more massively; in partial shade the flowering is not spectacular, but lasts longer. Frost resistance, the bluebell in the colder part of our country is not fully frost-resistant, it is better to cover the growing area with compost and mix it with the soil in the spring.

Varieties

Mixture of colors - height 80 cm. Large, double, goblet-bell-shaped flowers of various colors, 6-8 cm in diameter. Blooms June-September. Biennial.
Terry color mixture – height 80 cm. Double flowers 6-8 cm in diameter, collected in large pyramidal inflorescences. Cut flowers remain fresh for up to 2 weeks.
Cup and saucer is a popular variety of the medium bluebell. Height 80 cm. The calyx of the flower is of an original shape, reminiscent of a cup standing on a saucer. Mix of colors.
Carminerose - height 80 cm. Flowers are carmine-pink in color, 6-8 cm in diameter, collected in large inflorescences. Blooms June-September.
Snezhana - height 80 cm. Blooms with snow-white flowers with diameters of 6-8 cm.
Raspberry ringing - height 75 cm. Double flowers, a mixture of colors.
Campana white - height 75-85 cm, grown in a greenhouse or open ground. The flowers are snow-white.
Rosea - height 80 cm, with pink flowers.
Cerulea is a variety with rich purple flowers. Height 80 cm
Cheerful gramophones - a mixture of colors, distinguished by an erect, stiff-haired stem.
Dreaming is a variety with an erect, stiff-haired stem, 80 cm high. The leaves are oblong-oval, the stems are ovate-lanceolate. The flowers are large, pink, 4-5 cm in diameter, collected in pyramidal inflorescences, 30-50 cm long. Blooms June-July.
Alba is a variety with white pyramidal inflorescences that resemble an ice cream cone.
Cantenberry bells is a variety with pyramidal inflorescences. Biennial 80 cm high. Mix of colors
Crimson rose is a biennial with pink inflorescences. Flowering period June-July. Height 70-80.
Rhapsody is a mixture with double inflorescences of various colors, white, pink, lilac and purple.

Care

The middle bell is not particularly picky about the ground. Prefers permeable soil that is fairly fertile and retains moisture well. There will be more inflorescences and larger flowers. On weak soils, to obtain lush flowering, in the spring add a large dose of compost and a multi-component dose of fertilizer.

On best soils, especially those planted in partial shade, the plants will be taller in the event of heavy rain or strong wind should be protected from bending.

When buying seeds, you should pay attention to the height of the plants; low varieties can be successfully planted in pots (standing on the ground) as the central element of the composition, or the entire pot can be planted with a bell. But they are completely unsuitable for any type of balcony boxes, they are too high.

If the summer is rainier, double varieties will suffer more than regular varieties.

Growing from seeds

Medium bell seeds are small, 1 gram = 5000 pieces. For uniform sowing, it is recommended to mix the seeds with dry, clean sand. Medium bellflower is grown from seeds (without filling the seeds with soil) in early June on a sowing site. Approximately 60% of seedlings germinate after 14 days. Planting in permanent place in September.

In a not too warm, bright room, you can try to grow varieties from the “Champion” group, growing them as annuals. Sowing takes place in early March. Until the seedlings have sprouted, the seedlings are left in warm room. After picking, when the plants have two leaves, they are transferred to the most illuminated, cold room, low temperatures stimulate education flower shoot, prevent plants from stretching. Planting in open ground after frost.

Diseases and pests

Can appear spider mites or aphid.

Application

Medium bell is an excellent plant for the back border of a flower bed. Lower varieties are suitable for the central part of the flower bed. In sunny places they look good with lower grasses with arched leaves, for example, foxtail pinnately. It can be planted in front of flower beds; the pinnately bristlecone will cover the yellowed leaves at the base.

More late varieties Can be cut into a vase and remain fresh for up to 8 days. Cut when two flowers are fully developed. Terry varieties are more durable and look better in compositions with delphinium inflorescences.

Notes

In the language of flowers, the bell is a symbol of gratitude, faith and perseverance.

Many flower growers mistakenly believe that the bell is a wild plant. Today there are varieties that are successfully used for landscaping lawns and flower beds, growing in flower pots on loggias and balconies.

Most often, flower lovers choose the middle bell. The history of this plant began in Asia and the south Western Europe in the 16th century. Previously, the cup and saucer bell could only be found in natural conditions. But for many years this magnificent plant has been decorating gardens and summer cottages, it can be seen in squares and parks.

Description of the variety

It is a biennial plant and is often grown as a perennial. This is explained by natural renewal. Bell flowers have a rather tall (about a meter), straight and rigid stem, abundantly covered with villi. This plant is valued for its very beautiful flowers, shaped like inverted glasses with gracefully curved edges. They can be terry or smooth and reach seven centimeters in length. There are up to fifty flowers in one inflorescence.

The bell can be painted in different colors: unusually delicate in all shades of white: from snow-white to milky, elegant blue or dark blue. The pink bell (the middle “cup and saucer”) looks especially impressive. It blooms profusely and lasts from June to the end of September.

The seedlings will allow you to admire the blooming “cup and saucer” bell already in the same year. Growing from seeds - only for the next one. In the first year it is formed root system and a leaf rosette, and the next time a peduncle will grow. By the way, cut flowers can be stored in a vase for up to ten days.

Seeds

Seeds appear in early September, sometimes at the end of August. They are very small and light: there are up to four and a half thousand pieces per gram. Many gardeners practice self-seeding quite successfully: falling seeds take root in the soil and the next generation develops from them. In this case, you do not have to renew the flowerbed every year.

And the middle bell blooms, if favorable conditions exist, throughout the summer, until September.

Features of the variety: choosing a place for planting

Description of the bell given experienced flower growers, indicates that this plant loves light and moisture. It tolerates temporary drops in temperature well.

Prefers well-fertilized and light soil. Does not tolerate acidic soils and stagnant moisture. In damp areas, the plant simply withers away. For one square meter For clay soils, fifteen kilograms of humus or compost must be added for digging. For loamy soils this amount increases to nineteen kilograms.

Use and possible difficulties of cultivation

It should be noted that the flowering of this species is very active - the plant is completely covered with large flowers, which looks simply incredibly beautiful. Bells are planted in groups against the background of a lawn, on ridges, singly, in prefabricated flower beds, and used for cutting. Bouquets of these flowers (especially multi-colored ones) look very impressive and fresh.

But for active flowering, these plants need not only good soil, they also require high requirements to growing conditions. The fact is that seeds germinate only in the dark. They may not rise in the light. And one more important condition that must be fulfilled is winter shelter. Rosettes of leaves that form by the autumn of the first year are covered with dry peat or dry fallen leaves; you can also use covering material.

Bell "cup and saucer": growing from seeds

Seeds are the most common and popular method of propagating the described flowers among gardeners. You can use one of two methods:

sow seeds in open ground;
grow seedlings.

We have already said why seedlings are still preferable to growing a “cup and saucer” bell. Growing from seeds will only allow you to get magnificent flowers the next year, so gardeners prefer the second method.

Before planting you need to prepare:

landing containers;
priming;
seeds.

Use small ones plastic containers or wooden boxes. They must have drainage holes. The soil mixture should consist of six parts of turf soil, three parts of rotted leaves and one part of large river sand. Mix all components thoroughly, pour the resulting soil into containers and water.

Bell "cup and saucer": planting and care

So you've completed everything preparatory work, and now you can start planting. Let’s immediately answer a common question: when to sow “cup and saucer” bells? When growing seedlings, this must be done in October-November, then the plant will have time to form and produce abundant flowering before summer.

Sow the seeds on the surface of the soil, lightly press down and “powder” the top with sifted fine sand. After this, the planting containers are covered with film or glass. Seeds should germinate in a warm, well-ventilated and always dark room. Comfortable air temperature for the plant is +20°C. To darken the glass or film, cover it with dark paper or cloth on top. There is no need to water the seeds; they are only periodically moistened with a spray bottle.

The description of the bell, which can be found in publications on floriculture, guarantees the appearance of the first shoots within fifteen days. After this, the dark fabric can be removed or the drawers can be moved to a lighter place. When the very first leaves appear on your seedlings and they grow to about three centimeters, they need to be pruned. Transplant into larger containers, at a distance of about fifteen centimeters from each other.

After this procedure, the seedlings are again removed to a dark place for ten days - this way they will take root faster. All this time, the plants continue to be moistened with a spray bottle.

Planting in open ground

When the weather settles and the night frosts pass, the seedlings are planted in the ground on lawns and flower beds. This usually happens in the middle or end of May. Already in June you will see the first buds. There should be a distance of at least thirty centimeters between seedlings.

Propagation by cuttings

These flowers can be propagated using cuttings. In the second year after planting the plant, in the spring, when the stem has formed, the healthiest shoot is selected and a cutting is made. It must have at least three internodes. The leaves are removed from it so that they do not take away the strength of the plant.

The cuttings are planted in well-moistened soil. Two internodes should remain on the surface. Close up the cutting plastic bottle or glass jar.

We hope that now an elegant “cup and saucer” bell will definitely appear on your site. Growing this plant from seeds, as you can see, is not too difficult. By following all the rules of planting and care, you will be able to admire the luxurious blooms all summer long.

Many people believe that a bell is wild plant, However, this is not quite true. There are certain varieties that are used in floriculture for landscaping flower beds and lawns; it is also grown in flower pots. Most often, gardeners grow medium bell or Campanula medium L. Its history began in the 16th century in the south of Western Europe and Asia.

Description of the bell

It is a biennial plant and is often grown as a perennial due to its natural renewal. Reaches a height of one meter, the stem is straight, hard. The flowers have the shape of inverted glasses or bells with edges curved outward. They can be smooth or terry, reaching a length of 7 cm. The bell has a variety of colors: shades of white, blue, light blue, purple and pink.

Flowering occurs from early summer to September. When growing seedlings, the bell will begin to bloom in the same year; if sown directly into the ground, you will have to wait until next year: in the first year a developed root and leaf rosette will form, in the second a flowering shoot will grow. Cut flowers can last up to 7–10 days.

Seeds appear in August - September. They are quite small and light: there are up to 4.5 thousand seeds per 1 gram. Many gardeners practice self-seeding: falling seeds take root in the soil and give rise to the next generation. Thus, there is no need to update the flowerbed every year.

There are several types of varieties of medium bluebell that are successfully grown in Russia:

Large-flowered;
Terry - the corolla consists of several rows fused together;
Crowned - the corolla and calyx are the same color;
Variegated - differs in a variety of shades: the leaves are red, yellow and green, the flowers are usually blue and blue.

The most popular varieties include “Droplet”, “Cup and Saucer”, “Vanilla Clouds”, “Pink Gramophone”, “Crimson Ring” and others.

Features of cultivation

To properly care for your bell, you must follow a few simple rules:

Growing from seeds

The easiest way to plant bluebells is to plant them directly in open ground, but then the flowers will appear only next year. Most gardeners prefer to grow seedlings, which are then transferred to flower beds.

If you plant the seeds at the beginning of May, you will have to replant them in open ground only at the end of August.

Cuttings

One of the ways to propagate bells is cuttings. Cuttings are cut for the second spring. A cutting with cut leaves is transplanted into moist soil so that two internodes remain on the surface. Then it is also covered with film to create a greenhouse effect.

Different types of bells

Features of some types of bells

Below are brief descriptions some types of bellflower, which can be found in summer cottages.

Conclusion

The bell is capricious plant, which can become a real decoration for a site or a bouquet. It looks good in the same flower bed with perennial plants or alone.

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 terryness of the flower, they have no fundamental differences, so all the recommendations in this article can be safely applied to any seeds that say medium bell on the packaging.

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

A bell is enough unpretentious plant, however, you should know some landing features. The plant is considered a light-loving plant, but it tolerates partial shade 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:

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.
Removing faded flowers.
Lime is periodically added to the soil.
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 inherit 100% of their characteristics, so some of the seedlings grown from seeds from their own collection “go wild” - they will have 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:

Garden geranium.
Carnation.
Cuff.
Looks amazing in combination with roses, 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.

Medium bell, carnation, horned viola.

Use medium bell for cutting - flowers in water remain fresh for up to 2 weeks.

Photo of a bell in the landscape, in a flowerbed, in compositions:

Can an average bell bloom twice?

How effective is the average bell and how to achieve repeated flowering - in the material of the Garden World blog.

Long gone are the days when the bell cup and saucer could only be found in nature; for many years this plant has been actively grown as an ornamental garden flower. Landscape designers bells are skillfully used to decorate flower beds, lawns, and flower pots on balconies and terraces.

Bell cup and saucer

How cultivated plant The most common type is the middle bell. It is grown as a biennial. The bell has an erect stem, up to one meter high. The stem is abundantly covered with hard fibers. The flowers of the plant are of particular value. They have an unusually beautiful shape, in the form of a glass. Depending on the variety, the flowers can be double or simple. The color of the bells also depends on the variety. They can be crystal white, soft pink, bright blue or dark purple.

The flowering period of this species lasts from June to September, which is a huge advantage for gardeners.

This species is represented by several varieties, but the most popular is the medium bell variety “Cup and Saucer.”

Description of the variety

The bell is extraordinarily beautiful garden plant. It belongs to the biennial species. Grows up to eighty centimeters. It blooms with beautiful flowers, whose structure resembles a cup with rolled edges and a saucer made of the finest porcelain. One inflorescence can contain up to fifty flowers. Its diameter reaches eight centimeters. The color range is extensive. There are specimens with white bells, blue and purple.

This variety blooms throughout the summer months and even in early September, under favorable natural conditions.

Growing a bell in the garden has some features that we will note with great pleasure in the article.

Growing

The bell is not only an exquisite flower, but also a demanding garden plant. In order to fully admire its beauty, it is necessary to take care of its growing conditions and provide proper care.

You need to plant flowers in well-lit flower beds, but you need to make sure that during summer heat, at lunchtime the bell was slightly shaded from direct sunlight.

Flowers need light and nutritious soil. The plant does not tolerate acidic soil. Before planting, the flower beds need to be dug up, a little dry lime added, mixed and fertilized with humus and peat.

Bluebells need moist soil, so they need to be watered, especially in summer time, after which loosen the soil near the plants. However, it must be borne in mind that watering should be moderate, since excessive moisture harms the roots of the plant. Rot may appear on them and the flower will die.

Two-year-old bells are cut off in the fall and covered for the winter with a thick layer of peat or fallen leaves.

With the onset of spring, the shelter is removed and the bushes are fed ammonium nitrate. During the period of bud formation, additional mineral fertilizers must be added to the soil.

How to grow bellflower from seeds

Growing from seeds is the most common method of propagating these flowers. You can do this in two ways:

planting seeds directly in open ground;
obtaining seedlings.

Since the plant is a biennial, planting seeds in open ground will allow you to get beautiful flowers in the next summer season.

Therefore, in gardening it is preferable to use the second method.

First, certain preparatory work is required:

selection of landing containers;
soil preparation.

You can use plastic containers or small wooden boxes to plant seeds. They need to be provided with drainage holes.

For the soil, take six parts of turf soil, three parts of rotted leaves and one part of river sand. All ingredients are mixed until smooth.

The prepared soil is poured into planting containers and watered. Now you can start directly planting the seeds. Note that the process of growing seedlings should begin in October - November, then the plant will have enough time to form and produce abundant flowering in the summer.

The seeds are sown on the surface of the soil, pressed down a little and lightly crushed with fine sifted sand on top.

Then the planting boxes need to be covered with glass or film. Now an important point: the seeds must germinate in a dark, well-ventilated and warm room. The optimal air temperature is twenty degrees. To darken the film or glass on top, you can cover it with a dark cloth. The seeds are periodically moistened with a spray bottle.

The first shoots will begin to appear in two weeks. Then you can remove the dark fabric or put the drawers in a bright place. When the first leaves appear on the seedlings and it grows to three centimeters, it will need to be pruned, transplanted into other containers at a distance of fifteen centimeters from each other. After this procedure, the seedlings are removed to a dark place for ten days; in such conditions they are more likely to take root.

The entire period of growing seedlings requires care. Water the seedlings with a spray bottle.

When warm weather sets in and the period of night frosts passes, bell seedlings are planted in open ground on flower beds and lawns. According to the time frame, this is the middle or end of May. At proper care, in June it will be possible to note the appearance of the first buds.

The seedlings are planted at a distance of thirty centimeters from each other.

Propagation of bells by cuttings

Bluebells can also be propagated using cuttings. In the second year of the plant’s life in the spring, after the formation of the stems, a good and healthy shoot is selected and a cutting is made from it, so that there are at least three internodes. Leaves from the cuttings must be removed so that they do not take away strength. The cuttings are planted in open ground, having first moistened it well, so that two internodes remain on the surface. The cutting is closed with a glass jar or a cut plastic bottle.

As you can see, growing a bell is not so difficult, and if you follow the rules of planting and care, even such a capricious plant will not cause much trouble. The bell will become a real decoration of any garden plot.

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