Soldanella villosa

Soldanella montana or Mountain Snowbell is a charming perennial which can be delicate to grow, like many alpine plants. It has charming bright blue-mauve flowers in early spring, enlivening shaded and cool areas. This plant is happy in mountain gardens, where the snowy blanket protects its budding flowers. it is a plant for knowledgeable collectors, easier to grow succesfully in a pot, and overwintered in an alpine greenhouse. 

Soldanella montana, recently renamed Soldanella villosa, belongs to the primrose family. This botanical species is native to southern Central Europe in coniferous undergrowth or mid-altitude meadows, in the Alpine and Caucasian ranges (Carpathians and Balkans). It grows naturally on loamy-clayey to peaty, humiferous, neutral to acidic soils, which stay moist in summer. Its crown will withstand cold temperatures very well (-19 °C), but its flower buds form before winter and can be destroyed by severe frosts and constant humidity.

The mountain snowbell is a perennial herbaceous plant that forms a small dome of vegetation and blooms from March onwards. Each floral stem is 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12in) high with three to ten, 1 to 2 cm (0 to 1in) long bell-shaped, lilac flowers facing downwards with cut petals, fused at the base. The leaves of Soldanella montana are 1 to 3 cm (0 to 1in) long, bright green, tinged with violet on the underside and persist through winter. They are finely toothed, round or kidney-shaped and leathery.

As with most alpine plants, the mountain snowbell is relatively easy to grow as long as the correct conditions are met. This mountain plant does not like hot climates, scorching sun, or drying limestone soils. In the ground, it should be grown in humus-rich, peaty, well-drained, moist soil, in a slightly shaded rockery, trough or mountain garden. This snowbell can be grouped with saxifrages, Lewisia, alpine gentian, Leontopodium alpinum (the Edelweiss) which like the same environments.