Campanula fenestrellata

Adriatic Bellflower

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Taxonomy and growth

Family: Campanulaceae
Genus: Campanula
Life cycle: perennial
Foliage: evergreen
Growth rate: moderate
Height: 0.15 m
Spread: 0.5 m
Fertility: self fertile
Flower type: hermaphrodite
Pollinators: Bees, Flies, Beetles, Lepidoptera, Self

Uses

Edible uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[K]. A pleasant sweet flavour[K]. It makes a very acceptable addition to mixed salads in the winter[K]. Flowers - raw. Produced in abundance, they have a pleasant sweet flavour and make a decorative addition to the salad bowl[K].

Plant part: Flowers

Plant part: Leaves

Environment

Range: S. Europe - Adriatic Coast.
Habitat: Not known
Light: full sun
Shade tolerance: light shade
Water: moderate
Hardiness: Zone 6+
Soil textures: sandy, loamy
Soil pH: neutral, alkaline
Drainage: well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil: No
Drought: intolerant

Propagation

Seed - surface sow spring in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 18°c^[2]. 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^[1]. 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^[5].

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^[1]^[3]^[4]. Plants are very drought-tolerant and can be grown on a dry stone wall^[3], they also succeed in poor soils^[5]. Plants are hardy to at least -15°c^[3]. Closely related to C. garganica, differing in its larger leaves, longer stems and fewer flowers. The pollen is blue, whilst that of C. garganica is yellow^[7]. The species in this genus do not often hybridize and so seed can generally be relied upon to come true^[5]. The plants are self-fertile^[5]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer^[6].

References

F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
↩1 ↩2
Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan. 1989-00-00
↩
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
↩1 ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
↩
Crook. H. Clifford. Campanulas - their cultivation and classification. Country Life 1951-00-00
↩1 ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
↩
Lewis. P. & Lynch. M. Campanulas - A Gardener's Guide. B. T. Batsford. London. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-7134-8266-4
↩

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