Serbian bellflower

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; give afternoon shade in hot summers.

Water

Water regularly while establishing, then during prolonged dry spells. Established plants tolerate some drought, but flower better with moderate moisture.

Soil

Well-drained soil, including chalky or stony ground; tolerates a broad pH range. Avoid soil that stays wet in winter.

Height

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m)

Spread

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m), eventually wider where stems can root

Flowers

Lavender-blue, open, star-shaped flowers from late spring through summer, sometimes continuing into early autumn.

Foliage

Small, toothed, heart-shaped green leaves form a spreading mat; upper stem leaves are smaller and narrower. Evergreen or semi-evergreen in mild climates, often dying back in cold winters.

Growth

Fast in suitable conditions

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.2 ft (0.06 m)

2. After 1 year

   0.5 ft (0.16 m)

3. After 2 years

   0.7 ft (0.22 m)

   full size

About 2 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Fast

• Water newly planted clumps when the surface soil starts to dry, until roots are established.
• Water established plants during extended dry weather, especially in wall pockets and containers.
• Apply a light layer of compost in spring on poor soil; avoid heavy feeding that encourages floppy growth.
• Keep thick mulch away from the crown and improve drainage where winter water collects.
• Lift or trim rooted runners each spring to keep the mat within its allotted space.

Pruning. Shear back spent flowering stems after the main flush to tidy the mat and encourage further flowers. Remove winter-damaged foliage in early spring and cut back stems that stray into paths or neighbouring plants.

Early spring

Remove dead or winter-damaged growth and pull out unwanted rooted runners.

Spring

Plant or divide clumps, water them in well and add a little compost if the soil is poor.

Late spring

Check young growth for slug and snail damage, particularly in damp, shaded spots.

Summer

Water during prolonged drought and shear spent flower stems after the main display.

Early autumn

Divide congested clumps in mild climates while the soil is still warm and moist.

Late autumn

Clear wet fallen leaves from the mat and check that water drains freely around the crown.

• Let it trail over a low retaining wall to soften hard edges with flowers.
• Plant beside steps or paving where its low mat can spread without obstructing the route.
• Use in a rock garden with pinks and stonecrops, keeping it away from small plants it could smother.
• Run it along the front of a cottage border beneath taller perennials.
• Grow at the edge of a container for flowering stems that spill over the rim.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, English country, Dry gravel garden, Alpine rock garden, Pollinator garden and Blues and silvers.

Plant it with: Hardy geraniums, Catmint, Pinks, Stonecrops, Lady's mantle and Coral bells.

Wildlife: The flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees and other visiting insects.

• Slugs and snails can chew young growth; remove hiding places, hand-pick after dark or use an approved iron-phosphate bait according to its label.
• Crown and root rot can develop in waterlogged soil; improve drainage and replace badly rotted plants in a better-drained position.
• Hot, dry conditions can cause sparse flowering and scorched foliage; water deeply during drought and provide afternoon shade in hot climates.
• Vigorous mats can overrun small neighbours; cut back the edges and lift rooted stems before they become established.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses; no plant part is generally recognised as poisonous. It is an ornamental rather than a food plant, and eating substantial amounts may cause digestive upset.

Where it spreads. Can spread aggressively in mild, moist gardens, including parts of the United Kingdom and the coastal Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada. Trailing stems root into soil and crevices, and plants may self-seed; keep it away from delicate rock-garden plants and neighbouring natural vegetation.

• Dalmatian bellflower (Campanula portenschlagiana)

  Usually forms a denser cushion with shorter stems and more distinctly bell- or funnel-shaped purple flowers; Serbian bellflower has longer trailing stems and more widely opened, star-shaped flowers.

• Adriatic bellflower (Campanula garganica)

  Also has star-shaped blue flowers, but usually makes a smaller, tighter mound rather than the long, spreading trails typical of Serbian bellflower.

• Creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides)

  Produces tall, upright stems carrying a one-sided row of hanging bells and spreads by persistent underground roots; Serbian bellflower stays low and bears outward-facing, open stars.

Campanula means 'little bell', while poscharskyana honours the German horticulturist Gustav Adolf Poscharsky.

Propagation. Divide rooted clumps in spring or early autumn, or detach rooted trailing stems and replant them. Seed can be sown in spring, but seedlings from named cultivars may not match the parent.

Accepted botanical name

Campanula poscharskyana

In the US and Canada

Introduced in the lower 48 states.

Native range

Yugoslavia.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.