Pyramidal bell growing from seeds. Growing bells in open ground

Campanula or Campanula is named for the shape of its flowers - they look like miniature bells. There are more than 400 species in the genus Campanula, but no more than 20 are used in decorative floriculture. Most are perennial plants, but there are also annuals.

Kinds

In gardens in the middle zone they usually grow the following types bells

broadleaf

A perennial, it has slender inflorescences that look beautiful against the background of wide leaves and ferns. The flowers are purple or white, large.

Nettle-leaved

Perennial, the leaves are wide, like the previous species, but the edges are more jagged. The flowers are lilac or white, the corolla length is 2-4 cm. When sowing seeds collected from varietal plants, ordinary wild bells grow.

Peach-leaved

Drought resistant perennial species 40-160 cm high. Flowers of all shades of blue or white, corolla length up to 3.5 cm. Propagated by self-sowing, grows quickly, but is not aggressive - it does not displace other plants.

Average

Biennial plant 50 cm high. The flowers are very large, the corolla length is up to 7 cm. The color is blue, white, light blue or pink.

Milky-flowered

Perennial, height 25-150 cm depending on the variety. It blooms almost all summer with small fragrant star flowers: white, pink or purple. Looks beautiful in large curtains.

crowded

Perennial, flowers are collected on the upper part of the stem in an inflorescence-bouquet. Plant height is from 20 to 60 cm. Corollas are 1.5-3 cm long, light purple or white.

Rapunzel-shaped

Perennial 30-100 cm high. The flowers are purple and reproduce well by self-sowing. This is a weed that wildlife grows along roadsides. On the site he is able to, without the help of a gardener, a short time spread over a large area.

Spot

A perennial with large flowers - up to 5 cm. One inflorescence can have up to 5 drooping, white or purple flowers covered with purple dots. The shape of the corollas is similar to elongated glasses. A varietal plant can have up to 30 flowers.

Carpathian

A small perennial no more than 30 cm high. The flowers are large or small, white, blue or purple. It propagates by self-sowing and blooms profusely.

The first bluebells bloom in June. They look fragile and defenseless. In fact, the flowers are hardy and not capricious, they can withstand strong winds and rain, and do not freeze in winter. Only southern species need light cover with spruce branches or dry leaves for the winter. The insulation layer should be no more than 20 cm.

Peachleaf and crowded bells are drought tolerant. Other species will have to be watered in hot weather.

Caring for a bell is easy. In early spring, feed the plants with urea. As soon as the plants begin to bud, feed them with fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

In spring and early summer, the flowerbed will have to be weeded several times. In the future, the bells themselves will not allow the weeds to develop. Plants bloom for a long time, and if you carefully remove dried flowers, flowering will last even longer.

How to tie

Bells with a height of more than 70 cm will have to be tied up. Their stems may break, especially if they form a lot of buds. Use pegs or bars for gartering. In late autumn, dried stems are cut off at the root.

Diseases and pests of bells

Plants growing in one place for a long time can develop fungal diseases. If spots appear on the leaves or they begin to dry out, treat the plants and the soil around them with Oxychom.

Slugs like to live under low-growing species. To get rid of them, sprinkle a little superphosphate on the surface of the soil or spray it with a solution of hot pepper.

In damp weather, leafhoppers settle on bells growing in the shade or in weed thickets. Insects secrete a foamy liquid and lay eggs in it. Foam can be found on the undersides of the leaves and on the stalks. The hatched larvae suck the juice from the plants and the bells die. You can get rid of leafhoppers using garlic infusion or spraying with Fitoverm.

What not to do

Most types of bells are unpretentious. However, there are critical errors in care that can cause complete plant death.

When growing bluebells from seedlings, keep in mind that the seedlings will grow slowly at first. They must not be disturbed. It is better to water not from a watering can, but by spraying.

Bluebells should not be planted in areas that are flooded during rain or melting snow. In such places, their roots rot out and the plants freeze out in winter.

Flowers do not like fresh organic matter. After applying unrotted manure or peat, the plantings will develop fungal diseases. Better fertilize your bluebells mineral fertilizers.

The bluebell gets its name from the unique shape of the flower. Previously, it could only be found in open fields, but there were connoisseurs who chose this flower to decorate their plots. Breeders who developed many new varieties did not ignore it either. Now you can see the bells of white, purple, blue, pink flowers, double and smooth, perennials and annuals, with a varied shape of inflorescences.

Growing a bell: planting

The first action of a gardener who decides to add a bell to his flower beds is to choose a planting location. This flower grows well in sunny or slightly shaded areas, but does not tolerate stagnant water - unless groundwater are located close to the surface, it makes sense to find or create a small hill. Otherwise, when grown on swampy soil, the flower will freeze in the first winter. You can recognize varieties that do well in shaded areas by their dark green foliage, but, like the others, they need to be protected from drafts.

It grows poorly on heavy soils, so they need to be “lightened” by adding humus or sand. Poor soil is mixed with turf and fertilized well. A close to ideal option for bellflowers would be light soil with neutral acidity. However, here it is worth focusing on the individual requirements of the selected variety - some species feel better in soil with a weak alkaline reaction, others prefer rocky or calcareous soil.

The future flowerbed is prepared in advance. They dig up the earth, remove weeds and roots, apply fertilizer - superphosphate and rotted manure are enough. Fresh is not recommended for the same reason as peat - there is a risk of introducing fungus into the soil.

Seedlings and division of rhizomes

If you decide to grow a bell, caring for it will depend on the method of propagation.

1. Planting seeds in open ground occurs in the fall, around October. It should be noted that if a species that grows in the wild is selected, its self-seeding will have to be carefully monitored, since the bell actively reproduces. The selected seeds are planted in the prepared soil, keeping a distance of about 2 cm. There is no need to bury them: just sprinkle them with soil on top. If you plant using this method, the first shoots will appear already. in early spring. At the end of May - beginning of June they can be transplanted to permanent place.

2. Bellflowers are planted in seedlings in March. Its seeds are very small, so a mixture of soil is prepared for them from three parts of humus, six parts of turf, and one part of coarse sand.

No fertilizer is required at this stage. The seeds are pressed to the substrate and generously sprayed with water from a spray bottle. Glass is placed on top of the boxes: it is easier to remove than polyethylene in order to spray and ventilate the seedlings. After 2-3 weeks the glass is removed. Further care caring for plants is no different from caring for any flower seedlings: watering as needed, keeping in a fairly sunny place, picking seedlings after three true leaves appear. Two weeks after picking, you can apply the first complex fertilizer, diluting it with water to a minimum concentration. Young bells are planted in open ground after the threat of frost has passed (at 18-20? C).

3. In August, after flowering, the bell can be divided by rhizomes. When the above-ground part of the plant is cut off, the bush is dug up and carefully divided into several parts, which are immediately planted in new places. The distance between such “plots” should be at least 50 cm.

Sowing either before winter or seedlings will help achieve flowering this year. When the root is divided, the bell will bloom only next year. So that young plants quickly gain decorative look, in the spring they are fed with nitrogen. To increase frost resistance, phosphorus is added under the flowers, and potassium is added in the fall.

Bellflower: caring for flowers after planting

Depending on the height of the plant (low, medium or high), plan the distance between the bell bushes. Young flowers are planted at a distance of 15, 30 and 50 cm from each other, respectively. When the planting is finished, the soil around the stem is well compacted and watered. In general, the bell requires minimal watering - the flower is quite unpretentious, and can easily do without regular irrigation.

As for fertilizers, in the spring the bell can be fertilized with wood ash, and the flowerbed can be mulched with humus or rotted manure. You can “force” the plant to bloom beautifully and quickly with the help of low concentration mineral fertilizers - they are applied just before the bell buds. In order for the flowering to last longer and be lush, you just need to remove the dried flower stalks, the petals on which have already lost their decorative appearance.

What bluebells don't like is heavy soil and weeds. Timely weeding and loosening will provide him with an “easy life”, for which he will thank the gardener with abundant flowering.

When the seed box reaches the desired stage of ripening, it acquires a brownish tint. At this moment it’s time to cut it off: the color signals that the box will soon open. It will not be possible to collect tiny seeds from the ground, so it is better to cut them together with the “packaging” in advance.

How to propagate bellflower: planting cuttings

There are several ways in which you can propagate a bell bush and get another plant:

cuttings;

root shoot;

dividing the bush;

a piece of rhizome.

The best option depends on what type of bluebell needs to be propagated. If this annual plant, then a new bush of the same variety can only be obtained by planting seeds. Young green cuttings can be separated from biennials in the spring, or they can be planted as seedlings, just like annuals. Perennial bells are propagated by the vegetative methods listed above: the only exceptions will be species whose rhizomes have a spindle-shaped or racemose shape (these will have to be propagated by seeds). Based on the shape of the rhizome, you can determine The best way reproduction of each specific type.

So, if the root is short and highly branched, then it will not be possible to cut off the “baby” from which a new plant will grow - this bell can be grown from seeds or in any other vegetative way. A piece of rhizome can only be obtained from a bluebell, whose root goes deep into the ground.

The collected seed boxes should be laid out on clean paper and dried in a windless place. Since they were collected while still immature, they will open up on paper, and then it will not be difficult to collect the small seeds in a separate container.

You can divide the bush starting from the third year. By this time he has gained sufficient vitality. The exception is some varieties, such as peach-leaved and speckled - these can be separated already in the first autumn. It must be taken into account that the plant must have time to take root either before the heat (planting in May) or before frost (August, September). Generally this method allows you to get a plant that exactly matches all the data mother bush, which will preserve all its qualities. This is especially important for gardeners who prefer sparse double or southern varieties: the former are difficult to grow from seeds, while the latter simply do not have time to ripen in more northern latitudes.

The bush is divided as follows: the entire above-ground part of the plant is cut off, and it is dug out by the roots. The division is carried out so that each individual plant has buds and a sufficiently developed root system. Bells are planted in pre-prepared holes so that the buds remain on the surface.

Bell - enough unpretentious plant, which does not require any special skills or knowledge. Any gardener can grow it if desired.

The flowers, familiar to everyone since childhood, owe their name to their external similarity to miniature bells. Even in Latin they are officially called “Campanula” - bell. We also often affectionately call them bells, chenilles, and chebotki. Like many flowers, they are sung in beautiful legends.

According to one of them, the first church bell was created in the image of this delicate, fragile gift of nature. It was after their quiet ringing was heard after the wind blew that the priest ordered a copper mold to be cast for the temple in the image and likeness of a flower. Even today there is a belief that their quiet crystal ringing can be heard on Ivan Kupala. Another legend tells about the growth of bells on the site of the scattered fragments of the mirror of the goddess Venus.

Many peoples perceive the bell as a good talisman, capable of driving away all evil spirits with its ringing. It is considered a symbol of faith, joy, openness, increase in wisdom, and harmony between Man and Heaven.

There is a sign that bells dream of good news, good changes in personal life, warning against rash actions. And the enthusiastic praise of this flower by poets and artists deserves a separate discussion.

The desire to get an armful of bells is indomitable, but the picked bells quickly fade... In order to admire them for a long time, it is better to grow them in nature or in your apartment. We invite you to get acquainted with the characteristics of flowers and methods of growing them more specifically.

Description of the flower

The bellflower family of the herbaceous genus has more than 300 species. They grow in the temperate climates of Europe, Asia, the Caucasus, Siberia, North America. They can be seen in the steppes, meadows, mountains, on rocks, and desert areas.

The shape of flowers up to 7 cm long resembles inverted glasses, bells with edges that curve outward. Their surface can be smooth or terry with a variety of colors (white, blue, purple, pink).

Along with racemose, paniculate inflorescences, there are also solitary flowers. Their ripe fruits look like a box with up to 6 slot-like holes.

Until recently, most bluebells were garden flowers, with the exception of indoor even-leaved flowers. Their varieties Alba and Mayi with white and light blue flowers are called bride and groom.

However, today other low-growing, compact double plants have appeared, which are grown not only in open ground, but also in room conditions.

They are divided into a significant number of species and subspecies, hybrids. The main criteria for classification as a particular species or variety are the height and timing of growth of these flowers.

Thanks to different heights straight, stiff-haired stems with alternate leaves and bell-shaped flowers, the following types are distinguished:

• short (from 6 to 20 cm)
• medium height (up to 1 m)
• tall (more than 1 m).

Along with these characteristics, the entire number of flowers is divided, first of all, according to the timing of their growth: one- and two-year-old, perennial. For the right choice its variant among the many varieties of Campanula, let's look at the most popular of them among our gardeners.

1. Annuals bells came to us from the southern regions. In places with cool and temperate climate are less common.

Among them there are plants of both low and medium height. Here the most popular plant is the eponymous bellflower, low-growing, forked (dichotomous), Kashmiri. Due to their small growth, the flowers look great near borders and on rock gardens.

The short guy never tires of winning over his fans California bluebell(Phacelia bell-shaped) with dark shades of flowers. It is cultivated mainly for decorating slides, borders, container groups, etc.

Medium-growing summer varieties are also very popular in our area: long-columnar and, as if in memory of ancient legend– Mirror of Venus. Despite their short lifespan, their numerous flowers from May to early autumn delight with their different colors.

1. Two-year-olds The most common flowers are “natives” from the subalpine zone of the Mediterranean, the Adriatic, Asia Minor and even Siberia. Having grown up in their native climate, they take root well in our country under similar conditions. These include low-growing bearded bluebells.

Among the medium-growing ones, Campanula Medium (medium) can be called a favorite. He has been known since late XVI centuries, is prone to natural renewal, so it is sometimes grown as a perennial option.

Campanula medium Campanula medium

This species has several varieties, where it enjoys special sympathy among many gardeners. Cup and saucer.

This plant is interesting for its flowers like a cup with gracefully curved edges and a thin porcelain saucer. The beauty is collected in a large inflorescence, which can accommodate about 50 bells with a diameter of up to 8 cm and a wide color palette.

Along with them, varieties of coarse-haired, Hoffman, thyrsus-shaped, and spicate bells are also popular. In many gardens, such biennials are grown as: Siberian, Moesian, laurel, spatulate, divergent, spreading, pyramidal, Sartori, Formateca, etc.

1. Perennial species are found much more often than those growing for 1-2 years. They are also divided into subgroups depending on the height of the plant.

Among short species, the leader in prevalence is Carpathian bell, born in the mountains Central Europe. It has been known in floriculture for about 250 years. The plant barely reaches 30 cm and has stems with densely arranged leaves. However, it is short-lived, because it lives in one place for no more than three years.

His best known garden forms Alba and White Star with snow-white single funnel-shaped flowers. These are also Isabel, Celestina, Blaumeize, Riverslea, Centon Joy, Karpatenkrone with sky blue, blue, purple flowers with a diameter of up to 5 cm. And if these varieties are more adapted to open spaces, then the miniature Klip can also be grown as an indoor crop.

Popular low-growing bells also include varieties Gargan, spiral-leaved (spoon-leaved), birch-leaved, daisy-leaved, Ortana, Radde, three-toothed, Shamisso, Uemura and many others.

Medium height perennials are represented by Takeshima and Komarov bells, dotted with numerous stems, simple and double flowers of various colors and sizes. Here the best varieties are considered to be Beautyful Trust, Wedding Bells, Alba-nana, Rubra.

BELL TAKESHIMA "Beautiful Trust"

It is worth paying attention to the hardy Platycodon, which is often called broadleaf. It is notable for its luxurious terry large flowers with different colors. His the best varieties: Album, Nanum, Marisil, Pleno Alba and a number of others.

Among this subgroup, the most popular medium bell with double flowers should again be mentioned. It is very unpretentious, cold-resistant, but loves bright places with moist soil. Its lifespan can be long due to self-seeding (natural renewal). In warm regions, Campanula Medium opens its buds even in the first year of planting seeds.

Tall perennials grow in their natural environment along river banks, in the forests of Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, and Asia Minor. Varieties have been bred in the culture, the names of which indicate the characteristics of the leaves.

They differ not only in the height of the stem, but in the richer aroma of the flowers. Some names focus attention on the color of the flower, for example, milky (Cerulea, Pritchard Verajeti).

This category also includes noble-flowered, Bolognese, nettle-leaved with double flowers, crowded, rapunzel-shaped bells. Along with them, peach leaves are very popular (Bernice, Tetham Beauty, Exmouth, Snowdrift, New Giant Hybrids).

This one is far from full review allows you to get an idea of ​​the wide selection of bells for growing on your plot, balcony, or in your room.

Growing from seeds

This method is the most universal, and the only one for annual bells. It can also be successfully used for biennials and perennials, except for varieties with double flowers. The exclusion of the latter is explained by the fact that the seedlings are not able to retain these characteristics or the seeds may not set.

Preparing seeds and soil does not involve the use of complex agricultural techniques. Bluebell seeds do not need preliminary preparation to sowing. Regarding the soil, some plant varieties are well adapted to calcareous, rocky places. However, most varieties of bluebells are suitable for neutral/slightly alkaline soil, well-drained loam.

Preparing the soil chosen for planting flowers involves deep digging. For heavy soil, sand or humus is added, and depleted areas are enriched with humus and fertilizers. At the same time, in order to avoid the risk of fungal diseases, you should not use fresh peat or manure that has not completely rotted.

Using the seed method for growing seedlings allows you to see flowers already in the first year after planting.

• To do this, small seeds are sown in containers with soil prepared in advance from March.
• At the same time, they are lightly pressed with the palm of your hand, and not sprinkled with earth.
• The substrate must be light, loose, permeable and pre-moistened.
• This is achieved by mixing turf soil, humus coarse sand in a ratio of 6x3x1.

After sowing, the contents of the container are sprayed with water, covered with film and placed in a warm place up to +20 ºC. After 15-20 days, shoots appear, seedlings are transferred to a place where direct rays of the sun do not reach.

Here, traditional care for seedlings of many flowers is carried out without covering with film. This is watering when the top layer of the substrate dries, careful loosening around the young shoots.

When the first true leaves appear, after 20-24 days, diving is carried out into separate containers at a distance of at least 10 cm. After this, after 2 weeks, the shoots should be fed with a liquid, weakly concentrated complex fertilizer.

Sowing seeds directly into open ground is done before winter in the 2nd half of October or in spring (end of May). During autumn sowing natural selection full-fledged seeds will pass in the winter, and the strongest of them will sprout together in the spring. These seedlings can be used for planting in the chosen location.

May sowing requires stratification lasting 2 months. However, this somewhat lengthens the path from seed germination to flowering plants.

It should be taken into account that bells sown in this way are used for the first year to develop roots and leaf rosettes. Only in the second year of life do they grow shoots with flower ovaries.

Grown seedlings are planted in open ground from the end of May to the end of the first ten days of June. When choosing a location on a site, you should give preference to light or slightly shaded areas without drafts. It is advisable to place bells away from trees and bushes to obtain sufficient quantity nutrition, moisture.

When planting low-growing seedlings, the distance between flowers should be up to 15 cm, medium-growing - up to 30 cm, tall - up to 50 cm. Upon completion of planting, the soil near future bells is carefully compacted and well moistened.

To preserve moisture and prevent the appearance of weeds, the row spaces can be mulched. Gardeners note that thanks to seedlings, you can admire flowers already in the first year of their earthly life.

Bell Raspberry ringing

One of the attractive qualities of bluebells is their ease of care. It consists of regular watering during hot weather, further loosening the soil around the flowers, and removing weeds. Tall varieties will need staking or securing to supports.

• Feeding is carried out in the spring nitrogen fertilizer for an increase in vegetative mass and earlier flowering.
• During budding in early summer, phosphorus or complex additives are needed.
• In autumn, potassium fertilizers are applied to increase the winter hardiness of the plant.
• If a particular variety prefers the soil to an alkaline, neutral reaction, it is important to reduce the existing acidity with the help of ash.
• IN summer period Moderate application of rotted humus is suitable.

In order to extend the flowering time, it is necessary to remove fading inflorescences. At the same time, all faded shoots of tall varieties are cut off. If you plan to collect seeds, then browned, but not yet opened, boxes are left on the plant.

How to collect seeds

For long-term cultivation of your favorite bells, seeds are collected from mid-August to the end of September. It is noteworthy that 1 g contains up to 5,000 small, light seeds.

Harvesting begins after the boxes turn brown and are about to open. Pre-cut inflorescences should be placed on thick paper or canvas in a dry, well-ventilated room.

Clean the crumbled seeds from the remains of bolls and dried leaves, and then use them for growing seedlings or in open ground.

In case of delay in timely collection, they are allowed to fall on the ground. Due to self-seeding, the cycle of seed convergence will be repeated without additional stratification and all the processes of growing bells.

Among the many advantages of bells is their resistance to pests and diseases. These undesirable phenomena can occur when flowers are grown in one place for a long time. Indeed, in this case, the soil accumulates various harmful microorganisms.

And their constant presence in contact with plants provokes disastrous consequences for them. Avoid such negative phenomena Treating flowers with a weak solution of Fundazol helps.

Excessive humidity can favor the appearance of slugs. Here effective means The fight can be by spraying the plants with a decoction of hot pepper or with superphosphate granules sprinkled between the flowers.

Along with seed seedling method There are other options, the use of which depends biological features varieties, types of plants. So, if one-year-old bells reproduce by seeds, then two-year-old bells prefer vegetative ones (by seeds and cuttings).

Species of perennials with taproot and carpal root systems are considered vegetatively immobile and can reproduce by their seeds. Plants with creeping long roots, classified as vegetatively mobile species, tolerate all these methods + bush division well.

However, it is better to propagate perennial flowers:

• parts of rhizomes,
• root cuttings,
• stolons,
• dividing the bush.

Despite the possibility seed propagation, these species are losing their birth characteristics. This is especially reflected in double varieties, which even lose their ability to produce seeds.

With the vegetative method, cuttings are prepared in the spring. From early March to mid-April, they are cut from young basal or stem shoots. Then they are planted in a loose substrate and placed in microgreenhouses, under a film to maintain optimal humidity. Within a month, the cuttings begin to grow roots, after the development of which, you can begin planting the plant.

The use of propagation by dividing the bush is permissible after 2-3 years of plant life. To do this, in May-June, a large bush is selected, dug up, and the above-ground stems are cut off.

Dividing the bush into parts is carried out with a sterile, sharp garden knife. Each part must contain developed healthy roots and renewal buds. The cutting areas of each cutting are treated with crushed coal or ash, and then immediately planted in abundantly watered soil.

When propagating the rhizome in parts, only the creeping part is dug up, from which sections are made from mother plant with renewal buds. They are planted in the ground with an open bud above the soil surface.

Bluebells bloom twice: video

Thanks to the varieties of flowers, their growth, and multicoloredness, these plants provide a wide field for imagination when decorating the landscape. They can be used as spectacular accents on lawns, flower beds, and edgings. Bells are indispensable when creating constantly blooming compositions.

The bell is suitable for both flower beds with perennial flowers and well-groomed green lawns. In landscape-type compositions, it perfectly coexists not only with its “brothers” - bells, but also with other flowers. These are spectacular roses, colorful phlox, unique adenophora and gypsophila.

Due to the long-lasting decorativeness of flowering, it looks organically with common cosmos, hollyhocks, calendula, carnations, black-browns, ferns, hosta, etc.

Harmony of colors from different varieties, species with each other, other representatives of the fauna deserves separate consideration. The main thing is that the bell allows every gardener to show their talents as a landscape designer.

Garden bells, Platycodon: video

Bells are popularly considered garden flowers, the only exception was the bellflower, which is widespread in culture indoor plants, the main representatives of which are popular varieties Mayi and Alba with white and bluish flowers, which are popularly referred to as the bride and groom.

But recently, compact and low-growing bells, which are intended for growing in open ground, are beginning to gain positions in indoor floriculture. The champions among these plants are the terry variety of bells.

Varieties and types of bells

It grows on the edges of bushes or on slopes. It is a perennial with a spindle-like root system and a straight or slightly branched stem. The leaves are ovoid, pointed, rough and pubescent underneath.

Depending on weather conditions, the bell grows up to one and a half meters. The flowers are not large, light blue in color, solitary or collected in groups in the axils of the leaves, creating racemose inflorescences.

Forms buds in June, the flowering period occurs from July to early August. Flowering lasts about two weeks, some plants continue their flowering period due to lateral stems. The number of flowers is very large, up to about a hundred, and sometimes more.

The seeds are collected in August. The bell flower reproduces very well by self-sowing. If you want to plant these flowers in your garden, then you should sow the seeds under winter period. This species is very dry-resistant. I have it growing on a rocky hill.

It is also a resident of forests, bushes and slopes. The flowers are solitary or collected in groups of two or four in the axil of the leaves, creating racemose inflorescences. The height of the plant does not exceed one meter. Flowering occurs a little earlier than Bolognese, but the flowering period is longer.

IN favorable conditions possible re-blooming. The seeds ripen in August. The boxes are collected before drying. These bells in the garden are not picky about the soil, but love wetter and quieter places. They look very good near bodies of water.

Distributed in pine forests, on slopes among bushes. The height of the stem is from ten to fifty centimeters. The flowers are solitary or placed in groups of two or three on the tops of spacious stems.

These garden bells begin the growing season earlier than other species; the flowering period occurs in June. Flowering lasts throughout the summer. The boxes need to be collected several times, because if there are ripe fruits plants stops the flowering period.

It is better to sow the seeds of round-leaved bells in winter. Try scattering the seeds randomly and the plantings will surprise you with thick, spreading and thin stems that will form a green feather bed, equipped with small leaves and exquisite flowers.

It grows in forests, but the most favorite habitats are forest onions. It is possible to find them on poor soils of pine forests, but they do not create clumps here, but grow singly with two or three flowers on weak stems. And in the groves, next to the mighty oaks, the bells are especially luxurious.

They awaken later than other species, but their flowering period begins earlier. At the end of June, the seeds are already ripening, which can be easily poured out through the holes located in the upper part of the fruit. This species gives very good self-seeding. Flowering occurs in the second year. They differ from other species in the size of their flowers and drought resistance.

This perennial plant has a straight, simple stem with a milky sap. The leaves are bare, toothed, and the basal leaves are elongated and sessile. The flowers are large, single or collected in racemes, blue and sometimes white.

Loves forests, bushes and slopes, limestone outcrops, as well as wastelands and roadsides. This perennial with a thick branched stem up to a meter high. The entire plant is covered with rough short hairs. The basal and lower stem leaves are located on long petioles, heart-shaped-ovate, the upper lanceolate, serrated. Produces up to ten flowers on short stalks in a racemose inflorescence purple. Calyxes are hairy with curved teeth. The corolla is larger than the calyx, funnel-shaped.

In the garden, the height of this plant can reach two meters; the inflorescence can contain up to one hundred and fifty flowers. The bell plant grows at the end of March and blooms in June–July. It can be propagated by dividing the bush or by seeds. The seeds ripen in July August.

It is better to sow in winter. The plant self-sows. The seeds have a high germination rate, but require a period of rest. In the first year, a rosette with several leaves and a taproot appears. On next year from this rosette emerges a stem and creeping underground shoots that give rise to new plants. Vegetative propagation continues from year to year, and over time the bells cover a very large area.

It grows in forests, on the edges, and lives well on dry onions. Perennial with a thick, almost tree-like rhizome and a straight, simple stem, often reddish and pubescent. The upper leaves are narrow, and the lower ones are ovate-elongated. Dark purple flowers collected in an inflorescence of the head in the axil upper leaves. The height of the plant is twenty-fifty centimeters, sometimes higher. They appear in early spring, flowering occurs in June, and the seeds ripen in August.

The crowded bell loves dry places, they look very beautiful in groups. Young root leaves contain milky juice; they are used together with sauerkraut to make soups. An infusion of leaves is used in folk medicine for sore throats and in the form of lotions for skin diseases. A good honey plant.

An unpretentious perennial. This is the most decorative bells. The flowers are large, light purple, collected in inflorescences. The height of the plant is from seventy to one hundred and fifty centimeters.

Flowering occurs in the second year. It begins to grow in early April. The budding phase occurs from the beginning of June, and at the end of the same month the flowering period begins. The stems are straight. The flowers are bell-shaped, which are located in the axils of the upper leaves and collected in a densely spike-shaped cluster.

Flowering occurs until the end of July. The seeds ripen in September. Autumn crops give good shoots V spring period. Blooms densely in open sunny places. It is better to use sandy and loamy soil.

Perennial root-like plant. Very decorative, with large blue flowers, which can be found in gardeners’ flower beds and white ones, which look like glasses, with a pyramidal inflorescence. The flowers are solitary, located at the top of the flower stalks. The heart-shaped leaves are mainly basal, the stems reach a height of up to forty centimeters.

Propagated by seeds, which are scattered on the surface of the soil and lightly compacted. Entire clumps are formed on dry soils. Loves sunny areas with fertile, well-drained soil. Used in landscaping flower beds and border design. These bells look good in rock gardens and on rocky hills, in any composition. It creates a particularly amazing contrast of shape and color with poppies.

The plant is biennial. Perhaps there is not a single flower lover who would not be delighted by the beauty of these amazing beautiful flowers, collected in pyramidal-shaped inflorescences. Very ornamental plants with colorful flowers.

Does not require cultivation great effort. They are planted in mixborders, in groups in flower beds and in mixed plantings. The ridges will be decorated with their delicate flowers. Since these flowers have tall, spreading stems, they are best planted in an area protected from the wind.

General information about house bells

Houseplants already include varieties of Carpathian bellflower, such as Thorpedo with purple flowers, as well as its white-flowered variety Alba. And recently, the analogy of a bride and groom with densely double pink flowers has appeared on the flower market.

These new items are represented by a blue and white form of a hybrid bell, obtained as a result of crossing the bells of the spoon bell and the Carpathian bell, which are known for dwarf ground cover plants, intended for open ground.

One should make a reservation about the compactness of the bells. Since almost all plants that go on sale in flower shops are treated with retardants, these are substances that slow down plant growth. As a result, the plants have the appearance of a fairly thick and dense turf, while forming their shoots with shortened internodes, and flowering occurs in a cap. At the end of the drug's effect, the plant returns to natural form growth, after which it becomes more loose.

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with this. Since the bride and groom grow up, even without chemical treatment, like hanging plants. Terry bells have approximately the same appearance, which look very beautiful in hanging planters. Flowering occurs very abundantly. And individual flowers last for about five to seven days, but if you take into account the entire flowering period as a whole, it lasts quite a long time, which occurs from June to August.

It is advisable to remove wilted flowers, as well as shoots that have already completed their flowering period. This simple technique gives the plant an incentive to form new buds, and also helps to prolong the flowering period.

Carpathian bell planting and care at home

When cultivating requirements terry varieties approximately the same, with the requirements of Campanula equifolia. You need to choose a fairly bright place with enough brightness, but at the same time diffused sunlight. This variety tolerates only light shading; with a lack of lighting, the shoots of the bells are stretched, and the flowering of the plant is greatly deteriorated or stops altogether.

Plants should be watered regularly to maintain soil moisture, and there should also be good drainage. Even if the earthen clod dries out for a short time, the buds may dry out. Excessive humidity It is also not advisable, since it often causes rotting of the roots. Also, terry bells do not tolerate very dry air, which causes the leaves to dry out at the edges.

Feeding Carpathian bellflower

The plant needs regular feeding with organic and mineral fertilizers to abundant flowering, which should be carried out every couple of weeks.

An important condition for these plants, in indoor conditions, is wintering with cool conditions with sufficient high level lighting. A glazed loggia with a low, but still positive temperature is optimal.

Carpathian bell propagation by cuttings

If the bell has become elongated during the winter, then in the spring it can be cut very short. All cut stems can be used for cuttings. The plant is quite resistant to diseases and pests.

The interspecific hybrid of the bell is sterile, and for this reason cannot form seeds, so the plant is propagated only by vegetative means. The optimal time for this is spring. New plants can most easily be obtained by dividing a bush into several parts, or from stem cuttings with three to four internodes.

It should be taken into account that damaged bell tissue secretes milky juice; for this reason, the cuttings are first placed in water to release the juice, and only after that they are planted in a moist substrate consisting of sand and peat, perlite or vermiculite.

To create greenhouse conditions With high humidity, you can cover the cuttings with a plastic bag, after which they must be placed in a bright place, but without direct contact sun rays. Rooting will occur over a period of several weeks.

Name bell came from Latin word"campana" - bell. There are about 300 species of bellflower in the genus, found mainly in the northern hemisphere. Many bluebells also grow in the mountainous regions of Europe and the Mediterranean. Bells are distinguished by straight, long, slightly drooping at the top, creeping or creeping stems.

The leaves of the bells are alternate, sometimes collected in rosettes at the base of the stem.

Bluebells are blooming from June until the onset of frost; flowers are blue, blue, purple, yellow, white. Low-growing species are a must-have assortment of rock gardens.

Bluebell flowers beautifully enliven the landscape. These plants are very unpretentious (except for high-mountain species), unpretentious to the soil. They grow well among cracks in stairs, in stone walls and between tiles.

Growing bluebells

They are undemanding to soil, but grow better in well-drained, slightly alkaline or neutral soils treated with sufficient nutrition. It would be advisable that the area be drained using drainage pipes or drainage ditches, because bells cannot tolerate stagnant water during wintering, their roots rot and freeze. They cannot be planted in areas that are flooded. spring waters or rain.

For planting bluebells the soil must be prepared in advance by digging 30-40 cm and carefully removing weeds. Peat and sand must be added to clay and loamy soils. Such soils contain a large number of nutrients, so fertilizers need to be applied in small quantities.

In loose, humus-poor sandy soils needs to be added sod land, humus, peat or muddy pond soil. Manure and fresh peat cannot be added, because this can cause fungal diseases.

As for soil acidity, a large number of species grow well in slightly alkaline and neutral soils.

Bluebell care

In the spring, before the plants begin to grow, it is necessary to feed them with nitrogen fertilizer; it is also advisable to sprinkle rotted ash or manure under the bushes. In the first half of summer, constant weeding and loosening of the soil are needed. IN middle lane most of Bluebells can do without watering, but during dry periods they need to be watered sparingly.

Bluebells do not like stagnant water. If you carefully remove dried peduncles and faded flowers, you can extend the flowering period of the bell.

Flowering shoots saved for collecting seeds should be cut off when the bolls turn brown, but only before the pores open (otherwise the seeds will end up on the ground). In early October, all stems should be cut off at the root.

Bluebell transplant

Bells need to be replanted in spring or autumn. After the snow melts, in early spring you can replant a bell with a powerful root system. It is better to replant bells with an undeveloped root system in May, when the soil warms up. In the fall, it is better to replant at the end of August or at the beginning of September, so that the plant has time to take root before frost.

With a compact, shallow root system, it can be replanted during any growing season, and even during flowering. The bell needs to be replanted from big lump soil, so as not to injure the roots, and before and after planting the plant, thoroughly water the prepared hole.

Reproduction of bluebells

Reproduction by dividing the bush, seeds, root suckers, rhizome segments, green cuttings. The methods of propagation of these plants depend on the biological characteristics of the species, its life form. For example, annual species of bells reproduce only by seeds, biennials - spring cuttings and seeds.

Among the perennial bells, there are vegetatively immobile ones - these are cystic-root and taproot plants, they reproduce only by seeds. Vegetatively inactive - short rhizomatous, propagated by dividing the bush, green cuttings and seeds.

Vegetatively mobile - long-rhizome, root-sprouting and stolon-forming plants, propagated by dividing the bush, seeds, root suckers, green cuttings, segments of rhizomes.

Seed propagation of bellflower

You need to collect the fruits of the bells when they turn brown, but only until the pores open. After drying the fruit, the seeds must be poured out through the opened pores. As a rule, the seeds of bells are very small, so they can be mixed with crushed chalk or washed sand. Seeds can be sown directly into the ground or seedlings can be grown from them in advance and planted in a flower garden when the weather warms up.

Vegetative propagation of bellflower

Allows you to obtain a plant that exactly repeats all the maternal properties. Bells are divided and replanted, as a rule, in the 3-5th year of the growing season; however, some types of bells can be divided in the fall in the 1st year of flowering. The bushes should be divided in early May or late August so that the plant has time to take root before frost.

Dividing the bush: The bell is dug up, the above-ground shoots are cut off and cut into separate sections with a shovel or knife. Delenka must have root system and bud renewal. Division of rhizomes: the rhizome is divided into segments with renewal buds and planted in grooves so that the buds are at soil level.