Campanula versicolor
| Campanula versicolor | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 6.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 4' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Campanula versicolor
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 plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
Basal cuttings in spring[2]. Once they are a few years old, plants produce a number of rosettes and these can be carefully removed in the spring and used as cuttings[3]. 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.
Root cuttings are said to work[3]. The plant has a thick fleshy root with a number of crowns. Whilst this can be divided if great care is taken not to damage the root, it is not really recommended because the divisions take a long time to become established[3].
Cultivation: Succeeds in most fertile well-drained soils[4], though it prefers a sunny position in a moist but well-drained rich sandy loam and a neutral or alkaline soil[5][2]. Strongly resents winter wet[5].
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[2]. Plants may require protection in severe winters[5], though they have proved reliable in Cornwall[K].
This species provides some of the nicest salad leaves that we have tried to date, it has an excellent potential as an edible ornamental in the garden, though it is not really suitable for commercial cultivation[K]. The plants have a basal rosette in winter and continue to grow slowly in all but the coldest weather, providing edible leaves most winters[K].
The species in this genus do not often hybridize and so seed can generally be relied upon to come true[3]. The plants are self-fertile[3].
A very ornamental plant[5]. It is closely related to C. pyramidalis, but is more reliably perennial[3].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[4].
Range: Europe - Greece.
Habitat: Rocky places[6] in the lower wood region[3].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[7][8][9]. Rich in vitamin C. A delicious mild flavour with a slight sweetness that reminds people of freshly-picked garden peas, they can be added in quantity to salads and are usually available in winter[K]. They are liked by most people who try them[K].
Flowers - raw. Very pleasant with a slight sweetness, they make a tasty and decorative addition to salads[K].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, beetles, lepidoptera, self
Notes: This is possibly not hardy with you, but you could give it a try either in the edible flower garden, the bed by the road or perhaps where you are growing the pelargoniums by the front door.
We can probably supply in the spring.
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ Bird, R. Growing from Seed Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan, 1989.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Crook, H. Campanulas: Their Cultivation and Classification. Country Life, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.