Campanula poscharskyana 

28 Jun

Campanula poscharskyana flower (07/05/2011, London)

Campanula poscharskyana flower (07/05/2011, London)

Position:  Will flourish in full sun to partial shade.

Soil: Moist and well drained.

Flowering period: Summer.

Eventual Height: 15cm

Eventual Spread:  Indefinite

Hardiness: 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b

Family: Campanulaceae

Campanula poscharskyana is a deciduous perennial with a mat forming habit. Its foliage is rounded, bright green with serrate margins. The hermaphroditic, violet, star-shaped flowers are borne on upturned stems in summer. This plant spreads by underground runners.

Campanula poscharskyana, commonly known as the Trailing Bellflower, is native to the Dinaric Alps in the former Yugoslavia, although it has been naturalised elsewhere, including central and southern England. The edible leaves of the plant have been used in salads, having a sweet taste but some people believe them to be a bit tough and unpalatable.

The etymological root of the binomial name Campanula  is derived from the Latin campana meaning ‘bell’. Poscharskyana is named for Gustav Poscharsky, a 19th century German gardener.

Campanula poscharskyana (07/05/2011, London)

Campanula poscharskyana (07/05/2011, London)

Campanula poscharskyana may be useful to the landscape architect as an effective ground-cover in rocky, exposed locations, although full sun during mid day should be avoided. Depending on location this plant may be invasive due to it being spread by underground runners.

The Royal Horticultural Society have given the cultivar Campanula poscharskyana ‘Stella’ their prestigious Award of Garden Merit.

Campanula poscharskyana will tolerate most soil conditions; it will be happy in neutral, acid or alkaline pH levels, or in loam, sand, clay or chalk based and will prefer an exposed location facing an eastern or southern aspect.

Ecologically, Campanula poscharskyana will attract many pollinating insects such as beetles, flies, lepidoptera  and bees.

Campanula poscharskyana requires little maintenance. This plant may be cut back after flowering to preserve a compact shape.

Davis Landscape Architecture

One Response to “Campanula poscharskyana ”

  1. peejay 19/08/2013 at 21:26 #

    This plant forms slow growing mounds of leaves during the spring. When flowering, it produces long stems up to two feet long, covered in flowers. When flowering has finished the stems die off, and can easily be pulled away.
    When the original clump has grown to a foot across, you can easily dig it up (it has shallow roots) and divide it into twenty or more pieces and replant them a foot apart. By the following year they will completely cover the area, forming excellent ground cover.

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