Campanula poscharskyana
| Campanula poscharskyana | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 6.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Campanula poscharskyana (common name: trailing bellflower)
Propagation: Seed - surface sow spring in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 18°c[1]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Basal cuttings in spring[2]. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10 - 15cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring or autumn[3]. Very easy, the plant can be divided at almost any time of the year[4].
Cultivation: Prefers a moist but well-drained rich sandy loam and a neutral or alkaline soil in full sun though it also tolerates partial shade[2][3][5]. We have seen plants doing very well on a north-west-facing wall[K]. Plants are very drought-tolerant and can be grown on a dry stone wall[3], they also succeed in poor soils[4].
Plants are hardy to at least -15°c[3].
A rampant spreading plant[6], it makes an excellent ground cover but can become a nuisance if it isn't sited with care[3].
The species in this genus do not often hybridize and so seed can generally be relied upon to come true[4]. The plants are self-fertile[4]. This species does not produce seed very freely in Britain, but it is very easily propagated by division[4].
There are several named forms selected for their ornamental value[3]. The form 'E.K.Toogood' is less invasive[7].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[8].
Range: Europe - N. Yugoslavia. Naturalized in Britain.
Habitat: Naturalized on walls and rocky banks in central and southern England.
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[K]. A pleasant sweet flavour but the leaves are a little tough[K]. It makes a very addition to mixed salads in the winter, though we tend not to eat it much at other times of the year when there are more leaves available[K].
Flowers - raw. Produced in abundance, they have a pleasant sweet flavour and make a decorative addition to the salad bowl[K].
Usage: A rampantly spreading plant, suitable for ground cover in a sunny position[9][7][5].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, beetles, lepidoptera, self
Notes: A good supply of leaves all year round.
Also consider the very similar C. portenschlagiana.
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ Bird, R. Growing from Seed Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan, 1989.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Crook, H. Campanulas: Their Cultivation and Classification. Country Life, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Napier, Elspeth. Ground Cover Plants. Cassells, 1989.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.