Trailing Bellflower
Campanula poscharskyana
Family: Campanulaceae
What it is like
Campanula poscharskyana is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 1 m (3ft 3in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies, beetles, Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies). The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.3
Where it is found
Naturalized on walls and rocky banks in central and southern England.
Europe - N. Yugoslavia. Naturalized in Britain.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 4
Leaves - raw or cooked. A pleasant sweet flavour but the leaves are a little tough. It makes a very addition to mixed salads in the winter, though we tend not to eat it much at other times of the year when there are more leaves available. Flowers - raw. Produced in abundance, they have a pleasant sweet flavour and make a decorative addition to the salad bowl.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 3
A rampantly spreading plant, suitable for ground cover in a sunny position.
Ground cover: Ground Cover
How it is grown
Prefers a moist but well-drained rich sandy loam and a neutral or alkaline soil in full sun though it also tolerates partial shade. We have seen plants doing very well on a north-west-facing wall. Plants are very drought-tolerant and can be grown on a dry stone wall, they also succeed in poor soils. Plants are hardy to at least -15°c. A rampant spreading plant, it makes an excellent ground cover but can become a nuisance if it isn't sited with care. The species in this genus do not often hybridize and so seed can generally be relied upon to come true. The plants are self-fertile. This species does not produce seed very freely in Britain, but it is very easily propagated by division. There are several named forms selected for their ornamental value. The form 'E.K.Toogood' is less invasive. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.
Propagating it: Seed - surface sow spring in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 18°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Basal cuttings in spring. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10 - 15cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer. Division in spring or autumn. Very easy, the plant can be divided at almost any time of the year.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Ground Cover; East Wall. In. South Wall. In. West Wall. In.
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 3-7
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist