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Campanula trachelium

AndrewR

By AndrewR

9 comments


Do you know campanula trachelium? It’s known as the nettle-leaved bellflower and it’s a British native. It grows up to three feet tall and although the books say it prefers sunny, well-drained soil, I find it is quite happy in dry shade on a clay soil among roses. It is useful for providing colour in shady sites in June and July. The ‘usual’ colour of the flowers is blue

and there is also a white-flowered form

There are also double-flowered forms; ‘Bernice’ is the blue version

while the white is just called C. t. ‘Alba Flore Pleno’

Many years ago, I visited Silchester Castle in Berkshire where thousands of these grow wild. Among all the blues and whites was one plant with pink flowers – this is not in cultivation so perhaps I need to go there again and see if it is still growing.

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Comments

 

Fascinating, informative and useful blog.
Many thanks, Andrew ...
Added to GoYpedia Campanulas :o)

... yes ... go find the pink Campanula ;o)

27 Jun, 2011

 

Thanks Andrew. Yes, I have it - same colour as your first picture - and it seeds itself everywhere! How long have you had yours?

27 Jun, 2011

 

Sheila - I've had the single-flowered forms for seven years now and bought the double-flowered ones the following year

27 Jun, 2011

 

Well I don't know that one have the common one I like the first one very pretty Andrew

27 Jun, 2011

 

i like it too ............... be nice in pink !!

27 Jun, 2011

 

What a lovely flower/plant - another to add to my wish list, thank you Andrew.

I cant find silchester castle - is it open to the public?

27 Jun, 2011

 

Sticki - it's not really a castle - it's just the old walls around what used to be a Roman town. Now there's just a very small village there outside the walls. It's in Hampshire, about 7 miles north of Basingstoke (near Tadley)

27 Jun, 2011

 

Yes, I found that one then. Perhaps it came with the Romans?

27 Jun, 2011

 

Lovely. I love the double, the while is very angelic looking.

8 Aug, 2011

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