Adenophora confusa Gaudi Violet

Adenophora confusa 'Gaudi Violet' is a perennial plant full of charm, as easy to grow as its close relatives the Bellflowers, and remarkably floriferous from early summer until late in the season. This variety, more compact than the species, also forms a tight clump adorned with very healthy foliage. It will be appreciated for its numerous flowering stems laden with small mauve pendulous bells, intensely visited by bees. Adenophora 'Gaudi Violet' is an excellent plant for sunny borders and beds, and can be grown in any well-drained but moist soil. It also adapts very well to container cultivation for decorating the terrace or balcony.

Adenophora 'Gaudi Violet' belongs to the family of Campanulaceae. Its ancestor, Adenophora stricta subsp confusa, is a tall herbaceous perennial plant native to eastern Asia. The 'Gaudi Violet' selection is distinguished by a much more compact habit, with the plant reaching an average height of 45cm (18in) and a width of 35cm (14in). The vegetation emerges in spring, produced by a thick stump with very slightly trailing roots. It consists of a tight clump of hairy stems bearing dark green, shiny, lance-shaped leaves with toothed edges. Flowering begins in June and continues until September if faded flowers are regularly removed. It takes the form of robust, reddish, leafy stems bearing spikes crowded with numerous mauve, pendulous bells. They are slightly fragrant according to some gardeners. The deciduous vegetation dries up and disappears in autumn.

Perennials native to Asia, very similar to bellflowers, Adenophora differ only by the presence of a tubular or cup-shaped disc arranged around the style of the flowers. Highly cold-resistant, these perennials are easy to grow in a healthy soil, neither too dry nor too wet. They thrive in full sun or partial shade, for example in gravel gardens, rockeries, or on a sloping bank, alongside Euphorbias, Artemisias, Verbena bonariens... In border plantings and partial shade, Adenophora 'Gaudi Violet' blends beautifully with foxgloves, ferns, and Siberian irises. It can also be planted in front of deciduous shrubs such as viburnums, forsythias, and Japanese quinces...