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Bell, or campanula (Campanula) - a gentle and fragile creation of nature, which attracts with its sweet simplicity. And it got its name from the affectionately diminutive Latin name for the bell - campana... The flowering of bells is so abundant that leaves cannot be seen. The blooming white bell looks like a young girl in a wedding dress, hence her name - Bride. And the variety with blue flowers is popularly called the Bridegroom. In addition, the bells are famous for their blue and blue colors, which mean loyalty and devotion to the family, and the white color, of course, fully matches the image of the bride and speaks of purity and innocence. The donated bells in the language of flowers say: "I'm thinking of you."
Bells hit the market in large quantities in the spring and many are sold throughout the summer. They are often purchased as a gift for March 8 or other dates and are considered indoor plants. But many flower lovers have trouble growing these plants. And they arise because not all species sold in pots are suitable for room maintenance. Let's figure it out in detail.
Sole for the windowsill
The best type for indoor cultivation is the bellflower, in European style - the Italian bell, where it grows in nature.
Bellflower (Campanula isophylla) - a perennial plant, subject to certain conditions of detention, it can persist and bloom for many years. Many varieties have been bred, differing in size, color and structure of flowers.
More information about the bellflower and its varieties - on the page Bell.
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Other types of pot bells
Recently, other types of bells have entered the flower market, which can be grown as potted plants, providing them with bright light all year round and a cool winter. Most of them are varieties or hybrids of some types of bells, which are usually grown in our open field and are winter-hardy. As potted plants, they are used for home decor and floral arrangements.
With the onset of heat (no frost), you can try to plant them in open ground after hardening. In summer, they will look beautiful in container compositions, in rockeries and on alpine slides, in supporting walls, in curbs and as ground cover plants for padding shrubs. Plants need to provide light partial shade in the middle of the day. Flowering lasts almost all summer. However, these plants are grown according to intensive technology in greenhouses and may not take root in the garden, and even more so they will be unable to overwinter. But it will be difficult to provide them with proper conditions at home, rather, such potted plants should be considered as miniature original bouquets for the holidays.
Let's arrange them in decreasing order of stability in room conditions.
Bell (Campanula x haylodgensis) - hybrid, obtained from crossing the bells of the Carpathian and spoon-leaved (Campanula carpatica x C. cochleariifolia).
The leaves are ovate and sharply serrate, the stems are long and thin, outstretched, forming a small pillow. Flowers on long stalks appear at the ends of the shoots, they are simple, and more often they are double. In indoor conditions it feels rather good.
Terry varieties Blue Snow, Blue Wonder - with blue flowers and White Snow, White Wonder - with white flowers are often on sale.
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Bell of Portenchlag (Campanula portenschlagiana) recognizable by funnel-shaped purple-lilac corollas, small dark green ivy-shaped leaves and longer, outstretched shoots. Perennial.
The Porto bell with purple-blue simple flowers is not uncommon for sale. This variety is also sold by various producers under the names Get Mee, Blue Planet, Lotte, Aurora, Take Mee.It is one of the most widespread cultivars of bluebells in Europe. And recently a variety with white flowers Porto Ice White was bred, in which a slight bluish tinge sometimes shines through.
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Ambella White - also with white flowers. There are many other varieties with different variations of the purple-blue color in the color of the corollas (Dark Take, Miss Melanie, Resholt Variety, Ambella Purple, Ambella Lavende, Ambella Blue, etc.) These bells are delivered in bloom almost all year round.
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Pozharsky bell (Campanula poscharskyana) - a good ampelous option for hanging baskets. And it's better in the open air. Perennial, it is easy to distinguish it by large, rounded, jagged leaves at the base of the plant, hanging shoots, studded with lilac-blue or white bells up to 2.5 cm long, with deeply dissected narrow corolla lobes. It blooms for more than a month, at this time it can also decorate the interior.
Spoon bell (Campanula cohlearifolia) - a low perennial plant with many peduncles with white, blue or blue drooping flowers up to 2 cm long and 1 cm in diameter, with pointed corolla lobes. Semi-oval leaves, sparsely toothed. In the pot culture, there is a variety with rich blue flowers.
Bell middle (Campanula medium) - a well-known garden biennial plant. In recent years, very spectacular dwarf potted varieties in white, pink, blue have begun to be supplied. The flowers are large, the same as in the open field, 5-7 cm long, goblet, with a bent limb. The lower leaves are oval-oblong, stem leaves are ovate-lanceolate. They are grown with retardants that inhibit vertical growth, so the rich pyramidal inflorescences of potted plants come straight out of the ground and amaze with their beauty. The plant is biennial, after flowering it makes no sense to nurture it and should be used only for temporary decoration or as an original gift instead of a bouquet.
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Long-columnar bell(Campanula longistila)- an annual species (monocarpic, dies after flowering). It has branched stems with numerous flowers, folded jug-bell-shaped corolla of purple color. Leaves are oval, narrowed towards the base, serrated along the edge.
In a pot culture - the Isabella Blue variety with delicate lilac flowers. A pot with a flowering plant delights with a cap of flowers (up to fifty at a time), surrounded by graceful green foliage. After flowering, the peduncles can be cut off and a repeated “bell ringing” can be achieved. May be a gift option, but more suitable for open air.
Carpathian bell (Campanula carpatica) - a well-known open ground plant with wide open corollas, in varieties up to 5 cm in diameter. Leaves on long petioles, from ovate-triangular to broadly lanceolate, serrate along the edge, pubescent in some varieties. It grows in the form of a small curtain.
Cultivars with white (Alba), blue (Blue Moonlight) and blue (Blue Clips) flowers have been created. There is an improved, with larger flowers, a series of Pearl varieties: Pearl Deep Blue - deep blue, Pearl Light Blue - blue, Pearl White - white. Not often on sale. The plant is not indoor.
Bell peach (Campanula percicifolia) - with erect, often unbranched stems about 50 cm high. The leaves are collected in a basal rosette, tall peduncles are densely covered with broadly bell-shaped flowers. This species is very popular in horticulture, many varieties with white, blue and blue corollas have been bred, among them there are terry varieties, as well as varieties with variegated leaves; also grown for cutting. Compact varieties are marketed as pot plants, F1 hybrids Takion White with white flowers and Takion Blue with blue flowers, suitable for potting but not suitable for indoor use.
Not quite a bell
It is worth mentioning one more pot bell. Although it belongs to the bellflower family, it is a representative of a different genus - shirokokolokolchik, or platycodon (Platycodon).
Large-flowered bellflower (Platycodon grandiflorus) sold for planting in open ground and flowerpots, but not for indoor maintenance. Potted plants are short, with only a few flowers or attractive, swollen, lantern-like buds. The open flowers are very large, up to 8 cm in diameter, extremely showy. The bluish leaves create a wonderful backdrop for them. This species is grown in open ground, where it has stems up to 60 cm in height, blooms for up to 2 months, and potted plants after planting - for a shorter period. The dwarf varieties Astra Blue (blue-violet) and Astra White (white) are supplied in pots.
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What to consider when buying a plant
The best time to buy bluebells is in spring and early summer, when you can enjoy a longer flowering period. Choose a specimen with a lot of buds. When examining the plant, pay attention to the leaves - they should be green, with shine, without dry brown spots. Often, when placed tightly during transportation in humid stagnant air, the bells rot, rot appears at the base of the stems and on the leaves - refrain from buying such a plant.
Be sure to remember that caring for bells in the summer is simple, but they require a cool winter rest period for successful long-term cultivation.
Home care
We will describe the rules of care for an equal-leaved bell. Other species contain the same, but take into account their greater demand for light.
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Illumination... Although the bellflower does not require full sunlight, it needs good lighting with little direct sunlight. This will ensure compact growth and abundant flowering. On less lit windows, the flowering will be more modest.
Growth phases and temperature conditions... From October (after the end of flowering) to February, the bell plunges into rest with the partial withering away of the aboveground part. Shoots are shortened to him up to 3-5 cm above ground level. At this time, it is necessary to provide the bell with a cool content in a bright place at a temperature of + 4 + 10 ° C with limited watering, however, not allowing it to completely dry out. In nature, bells can survive short frosts, but in a pot culture they cannot stand temperatures below zero. And wintering in warmer conditions has a bad effect on subsequent flowering.
In mid-February, the plant is transferred to a warmer room with a temperature of + 15 + 18 ° C and gradually, as it grows, the frequency of watering is increased. From this time until May, the period of active vegetation lasts. The growing shoots are not pinched at first, but later you can take cuttings for rooting and renewal of the old plant.
From June to September, the time for budding and flowering comes. Find the coolest place for the bell in the summer - it is undesirable for the air to heat above + 22 ° C. At temperatures above + 18 ° C, provide high humidity with good ventilation.
Bloom... Bells are long-day plants, the budding of flower buds begins with a light period of at least 15 hours, so flowering occurs only in the middle of summer and lasts 2-3 months. Each flower is kept open for 3-4 days, after which it should be carefully plucked out so that the plant does not waste energy on ripening the seeds and continues to bloom profusely. For earlier flowering, it is helpful to provide the plant with extra light to achieve the desired day length. The most lush flowering occurs in the second year after planting. The bell does not tolerate heat well, therefore, to extend the flowering time, provide it with cool conditions in summer, protect it from drafts and sudden temperature changes.
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Watering and feeding... The abundance and frequency of watering, as well as top dressing, depend on the season and the condition of the plant. During active growth and flowering, from about mid-February to early October, watered abundantly, maintaining the soil in an evenly moist state, preventing stagnation of water in the pot and pan. At this time, fertilizing is carried out with a universal complex fertilizer. As the plant gradually withers away and transitions to a dormant state (October), the frequency of watering and their abundance gradually decrease, but in winter (until February), the complete drying of the earthy coma should not be allowed - the soil is maintained in a slightly damp state so that the perennial roots do not dry out. With the onset of a dormant period, all dressings are canceled. From mid-February, the plant is transferred to a warm room and gradually increased watering and resumed feeding, starting with small doses.
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Soil and transplants... Ready-made slightly acidic or neutral light soil is suitable for the bell. If the soil is acidic, neutralize it with dolomite flour. Add perlite to the soil to ensure good drainage.
The bellflower is a minor, after a few years it grows old, its stems at the base become thick, so it is better to renew the plant from cuttings every few years. To do this, in small pots (8 cm in diameter), in early spring, several cuttings are rooted at once. As they grow, once every 2-3 months, they are carefully transferred into slightly large pots. The maximum size of a bell pot usually does not exceed 13-15 cm in diameter.
To fill a hanging basket or flowerpot, you can combine plants from several small pots when it is time to transfer them. Blue and white varieties bloom at the same time, therefore, for greater decorativeness, they are often combined.
During transplantation, old specimens can be neatly divided into several parts, although it is preferable to use the method of rooting cuttings for propagation.
It is advisable to propagate varietal plants by dividing the coma or by cuttings. But some varieties are able to multiply by sowing seeds.
Young spring shoots about 5 cm long are taken for cuttings, 1-2 lower leaves are removed. The bottom of the cutting is powdered with Kornevin and gently immersed 1 cm in slightly moist sterile soil (peat and coarse sand or perlite in equal parts) or a small peat tablet. The cuttings are placed in a greenhouse at room temperature under illumination. Rooting will take 2-4 weeks.
During transplantation, old specimens can be divided into several parts, but perennial stems that have lost their decorative effect remain. Gently shake off the old soil, trying to damage the roots as little as possible, and pour fresh soil into the empty places. For better root recovery, spray the crown once a week and spill a lump with a solution of Zircon, 4 drops per 1 liter of water.
Possible growing problems
- The plant looks drooping and unkempt, the leaves turn yellowish... The sun is too bright to be the cause. Protect the bell from direct sun.
- The plant loses its turgor, weakens, the leaves turn yellow... Possible reasons may be a lack of moisture, too heavy and poorly drained soil, which causes stagnation of water in the soil and rotting of the roots, as well as a lack or excess of fertilizing. Establish a watering regime, improve drainage.
- Long non-flowering shoots are formed... A possible cause is excessive heat. Find a cooler place. Also, provide the plant with bright, diffused light during growth.
- A grayish bloom, brown spots are visible on the leaves and stems... Perhaps, from too damp soil and stagnant humid air, the plant is affected by a fungal disease. Treat the bell with a fungicide, adjust the irrigation regime and provide good ventilation in the room.
- Large white spots appeared on the leaves... The bell may be affected by powdery mildew.The disease often occurs during heatwaves, especially if the plant lacks moisture. Treat with powdery mildew fungicide, improve conditions.
- Sweet discharge appeared on the leaves... Check for aphids and other pests, and treat with insecticide.
- Whitish leaves... A possible cause could be a spider mite injury. This often happens when the plant is regularly overdried or kept in a too hot room. Arrange a regularly warm shower, treat with acaricide in case of severe damage, observe the watering regime and find a cooler place.
- Leaves are eaten by pests... When kept outdoors in a garden, the plant can be attacked by snails and slugs. Collect them by hand. When kept at home, large holes around the edges of the leaves can be left by the weevil. The insect is nocturnal and difficult to spot during the day. Treat the plant with Aktara's systemic insecticide.
More about plant protection - in the article Houseplant pests and control measures.
Photo by Rita Brilliantova and from the GreenInfo.ru forum
