Campanula rapunculoides

Campanula rapunculoides, also known as creeping bellflower, is a widely spread species in woods and rocky fields. It is a robust perennial with a long summer flowering period. Its gracefully pendulous blue-violet bell-shaped flowers are carried by stems about 80 cm (32in) tall. Undemanding and fully hardy, this plant easily establishes itself in the garden, sometimes proving difficult to eradicate where it thrives. It is an ideal plant for slightly wild areas, as it competes fiercely with weeds and often emerges victorious from this underground battle, crowned with flowers of a true blue.

Campanula rapunculoides belongs to the campanula family. It is native to almost all of Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia, where it adapts to various habitats: it can be found in meadows, on dry hills, in deciduous and pine forests, fields, and even along roads and railway lines, preferably in partial shade. It tolerates dry or moist, clay soils relatively rich in nitrogen, and climbs mountains up to 2000 metres (6562 feet) above sea level. This perennial plant, which sometimes behaves as a biennial, is a formidable and charming pioneer. A flowering clump reaches a height of 80 cm (32in) to 1 m (3ft), with a spread of 50 cm (20in). This bellflower spreads through creeping rhizomes and nodules that penetrate deeply into the soil. It flowers from June to September, depending on the climate. From a short tuft of basal leaves which are triangular and narrow, with a heart-shaped or rounded base, up to 12 centimetres (5 inches) long, tall flowering stems adorned with pendulous bell-shaped flowers of bright blue-violet, measuring 2 to 4 cm (1 to 2in) long and distributed on the same side of the stem, emerge in summer.

Campanula rapunculoides is a pretty wild species, perfectly adapted to our climates, which contributes to the biodiversity of our gardens. In this respect, it has a rightful place in a natural bed where one does not mind it spreading. It will be perfect in the company of other pretty wildflowers: mulleins, Spanish lavender (Centranthus ruber), wild chicory, sainfoin, purple coneflower, fennel, field scabious, queen of the meadow, hemp-nettle, perennial sweet pea, or lady's mantle. Its simplicity works wonders alongside the roundness of old roses and softens the heavy corollas of deep red peonies.

About bellflowers:

In bellflowers, the crown grows white stolons that spread underground in all directions ensuring the long-term survival of the plant. The numerous upright stems that arise from this crown or stolons can be fertile or sterile. Thus, when one sees a large population of bellflowers, there are often only the clones of a single individual. On the other hand, different species of bellflowers hybridize very easily with each other and are often accompanied by a variety of intermediate forms, which makes them very interesting for horticulturists.