Bells flowers. Description, types and cultivation of bells

Campanula (Campanula) is a large genus of herbaceous flowering plants from the bellflower family (Campanulaceae), which includes more than 500 species and several subspecies.

The greatest species diversity is found in the Mediterranean, where about 200 species of these plants can be found.

Bluebells are one of the most desirable and widespread plants in cultivation, which have long been part of horticultural history. For example, the Canterbury bell from southern Europe was introduced by British gardeners as early as 1597.

Thanks to their variety of species, these beautiful romantic flowers fit perfectly into any style and composition.

They are ideal for decorating flower beds and ridges, naturalistic landscaping, country gardens, and low-growing species are an integral element of alpine slides and rockeries.

"Deep Blue"

Another huge advantage of the flower is its unpretentiousness - caring for and planting a bell is not difficult, and the ease of propagation allows you to grow new plants for your garden.

Perennial bells: planting and care, types and varieties with photos

Perennial bells, the planting and care of which are described in detail in our article, are not demanding in terms of growing conditions.
But in order to achieve long-term flowering, it is necessary to correctly select and prepare the planting site, and provide the plants with everything they need. Perennial garden bells (lat. Campanula) have a simple flower shape, not overloaded with complex combinations of petals and stamens. They are popular among gardeners due to their bright and long-lasting blooms. Bells resemble church bells, which is where they got their name; they are also popularly called flowers of faith and hope.

Lobelia

From June to September, lobelia pleases us with its flowering. Planting and care are not difficult. Photos taken in summer cottage gardens show that this delicate flower will look appropriate wherever you plant it. Lobelia flower fireworks have a different range of shades: white, red, burgundy, purple, blue, light blue. It is used to design flower beds, garden paths, borders, mixborders, flower “streams” or rugs.

Lobelia belongs to the bellflower family and is a creeping plant. The bushes are distinguished by abundant flowering, since small fan-shaped flowers bloom almost simultaneously, their number is huge.

The most common varieties of lobelia begin to bloom approximately 70-80 days after sowing the seeds. If you want to time the appearance of flowers just in time for the beginning of summer, then you need to start sowing seedlings in March. In general, these dates are not critical; they can be slightly shifted either towards February or closer to April. If sowing will be done at the end of February, then you will not be able to do without the help of lighting (fluorescent, halogen, LED lamps). Germination of lobelia sprouts can be observed already on the tenth or twelfth day after sowing.

Bluebells amaze with their large number of varieties with which you can decorate your garden. And at the same time, it requires absolutely no complicated care.

Types of bells and their names

There are approximately 300 species of bells in the world. Let's look at the most popular varieties among gardeners.

Broadleaf bell (lat. Campanula latifolia)

One of the tallest types of bells, the stems of which reach one and a half meters in height. Large serrate leaves are unevenly distributed along the stems; in their axils there are clusters of blue, white or purple bells up to 6 cm long.

Broadleaf bellflower variety Alba

Prefers moist soils and partial shade and is found in the wild. Transplantation of an adult plant does not tolerate well. In gardens you can find double forms of the flower. The most common varieties in Russia are Alba and Bruntwood.

Campanula lactiflora (lat. Campanula lactiflora)

A tall plant (up to 150 cm), found in the mountains of the Caucasus and Asia. The stem is powerful, highly branched in its upper part. The flowers are white or purple, 3-4 cm in diameter, collected in large inflorescences.

Campanula lactiflora Loddon Anne

Prefers sunny places and reproduces by sowing seeds. The most popular varieties are Coerulea and Loddon Anne.

Nettle-leaved bell (lat. Campanula trachelium)

The stem is reddish in color, up to one meter high, and covered with hairs. Single flowers of white, blue or purple are located in the axils of the upper leaves on short stalks.

Perennial nettle-leaved bell, photo

The plant prefers shady, damp soils of forests and ravines. The variety is undemanding to soil composition, winter-hardy, and moisture-loving. Does not tolerate transplantation, but easily propagates by self-sowing.

Carpathian bellflower (lat. Campanula carpatica)

It got its name from the mountains, at the foot of which it is often found in nature. Plant height 30-35 cm; branching, herbaceous stems and large, up to 5cm flowers distinguish this species.

Carpathian bellflower perennial variety White Star, photo

The easiest way to propagate the Carpathian bell is by growing from seeds, but you can also use cuttings and dividing the bush. The most popular variety is White Star.

Pointed bell (lat. Campanula punctata)

(6. Bell dotted Elizabeth)

In our country it occurs naturally on the banks of forest rivers in the Far East. Compact, branching plant up to 50 cm tall with large (5-6 cm) white, blue, lilac flowers. The corolla of the flower is pubescent, covered with burgundy dots.

Bluebell dotted, photo of variety Elizabeth

The dotted bell, planting and caring for which does not require much effort, is perfect for alpine slides and flower beds in a natural style.

Bell flower - description with photo

Representatives of the genus are herbaceous one, two or perennial plants, which are characterized by relatively rapid growth after planting.

Leaves often vary in shape on the same plant - larger and wider at the base of the stem and smaller and narrower ones higher up the stem. The edge of the leaf can be either whole or jagged. The leaves, flowers and stems of some species are covered with villi.

Garden bells vary in size: from low-growing, miniature types to tall varieties over one and a half meters in height.

TOP – 19 unpretentious long-flowering perennials

The root system is also different - it can be taproot, fibrous or creeping. For propagation by division, a vegetatively mobile creeping root system, which is characteristic of low-growing mountain bells, is suitable.

The decorative part of this plant is the flowers, which have a characteristic bell-shaped shape, but in some species they can be more elongated, goblet-shaped or star-shaped.

The flowers are solitary or collected in inflorescences, located either at the ends of the peduncles or along the length of the stem.

What colors are bluebells? The color of the flowers can be blue, violet, blue, pink or white, and there are two-color varieties.

The fruit is a capsule capsule containing numerous small seeds.

Choosing a location and planting bells

Perennial bells can become a real decoration for a garden in a landscape style; the varieties, photos and descriptions of which are presented in our material are the most suitable for growing in Russia - unpretentious and do not require special care. We will consider in detail their planting in open ground using seed and seedling methods.

Mixborder with bells in garden design

Choosing a planting site and soil

Numerous bellflower species are similar in their soil preferences: loose, well-drained areas with light partial shade. In open sun, flowering will be short-lived. Plants do not tolerate stagnant moisture well, so wetlands are not suitable for them.

Low-growing species of bells on an alpine hill

Propagation of bells by seeds

Bluebells reproduce well by seeds, but wild species should be limited due to active self-seeding. Bell seeds are planted in October in soil dug to a depth of 30-40 cm and cleared of weeds.

In heavy loamy soils, it is advisable to add sand, peat and compost. The distance between the seedlings is maintained at 2 cm, without deepening them, but only lightly sprinkling them with earth. With this method, the seeds germinate three weeks after the snow melts. After 2-3 months, the plants are transplanted to a permanent place.

You can propagate bells by seedlings by sowing them in boxes in March. They are covered with glass or polyethylene on top, periodically ventilating and spraying the shoots with a spray bottle. After a couple of weeks, the shelter can be removed and the seedlings can be planted. At the beginning of June, you can plant seedlings in flower beds.

Seedlings of perennial bells

Reproduction of bells by root division

Propagation of bells by dividing the root is usually carried out in August, after the above-ground part of the plant is cut off after flowering. The bush is dug up, the rhizome is cut into pieces with a shovel and the plots are planted in a permanent place, at a distance of at least 50 cm from each other.

Diseases and pests

1. When the root system of a flower remains in wet soil for a long time, the rhizome may begin to rot. In addition, rot may form on the shoots and leaves due to non-compliance with the watering regime.
2. Scale insects or spider mites often settle on campanula. To see these pests, you need to inspect the flower more often. Scale insects can be detected by enlarged areas on the shoots.
3. And because of the mites, the leaves will be covered with a thin web and become slightly sticky. First, you can try to get rid of it with soapy water. If washing with water does not help, then resort to spraying with insecticides.
4. When a flower pot is placed in the wrong place, the leaves may turn yellow. It is also necessary to protect the plant from the rays of the sun. Choose the right place and such problems will not arise.
5. The already thin shoots begin to stretch out with a clear lack of lighting. You need to move the flower to a more illuminated place. If watering is excessive, the leaves will become lethargic and lose turgor. After stabilization, the foliage returns to normal.

Caring for perennial bells

Watering bells should be done as the soil dries; in rainy weather it is not carried out at all to avoid moisture stagnation.

Feeding perennial bells

Bluebells do not require complex fertilization schedules; It is enough to feed them with nitrogen fertilizers in April, and before flowering (in mid-July) add complex mineral fertilizers. Nitrophoska works well at the rate of 70 grams per 1 sq. m ridges. After flowering, you can replenish the soil composition with superphosphate.

Garter and trimming

Tall types of bells need a garter or supports, since abundant flowering and green mass contribute to lodging of the plant. During flowering, it is advisable to remove old peduncles if there is no need to collect seeds.

Support for tall bells

Cleaning the inflorescences will save the plant’s strength and extend the overall flowering period. After the bells have faded, the bush loses its decorative appearance and is completely pruned. During the cold season, in regions with particularly harsh winters, the bells are covered with spruce branches; in its absence, the pruned bush is sprinkled with compost.

Beneficial properties of perennial bells

After a certain period of time, villagers began to plant bells in their front gardens, but they used these flowers not only as decoration, but also to treat certain ailments. It was believed that these modest flowers helped cope with ulcers, sore throats, erysipelas, mastitis and epilepsy.

In addition, there are many types of bells, and among them there are edible and honey-bearing plants, the roots and leaves of which can be used in cooking for pickling, stewing, preparing soups, salads.

How to grow bluebells in the garden. General rules for planting and care.

You need to choose a place for planting that is sunny or lightly shaded. Any soil that is well drained will do.

You cannot plant garden bells:

• to areas where water stagnates;
• in lowlands with loamy or clayey soil;
• places that are flooded with water.

In any other places you can grow bells and they will feel great. If the groundwater is located close to the surface, you can make a tall, raised flower bed and provide good drainage.

Care and growing conditions

The bell is light-loving, prefers moist, loose, rich soil with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction. The site for its planting is chosen without drafts.

Loves moisture during the growing season and flowering. Watering is done daily, but without stagnant water. You can mulch the soil around the flower with straw or peat, weed from weeds and loosen after watering. Feeding should be regular throughout the season. Tall species should be tied up. The plant is unpretentious and undemanding.

Among the people you can find the names of the flower: bell, keys, bells, balabolka and birdwort.

How to plant perennial garden bellflower.

The soil for planting should be loose, with sufficient nutrients. To do this, you need to add peat, humus, and turf soil to heavy soils (loam or clay soil).

Bluebells reproduce best by bushes. You can also grow your own bellflower seedlings from seeds.

The time when to plant garden bells is very convenient. This can be done twice per season in autumn and spring. Namely:

• perennial bells for rock gardens (these include Carpathian bell, spoon-leaved, wall, Pozharsky, Gargan) are propagated by dividing bushes and nests in the spring;
• these same low-growing bells for the rock garden are planted by cuttings for propagation in an unheated greenhouse at the beginning of summer;
• Flowerbed bells, which are grown as biennials, are planted with seeds in May - June, and seedlings are planted in a permanent place in the fall. Growing bells from seeds is a very simple task, even a novice gardener can do it.

Flowers are planted in holes, which are watered abundantly before planting. Lay the bush, straighten the roots and sprinkle with earth. Planting flowers in the fall must be done so that they take root before the onset of frost.

The story of the bell - description and interesting facts about the plant

The field bell belongs to the family of herbaceous plants of the same name, which have flowers with the characteristic shape of a reduced bell. The structure of the stem can vary significantly. It is because of their appearance that these plants began to be called bells. The inflorescences consist of five serrated petals diverging upward, fused at the base.

Flowers can be natural and paniculate with large-sized multiple peduncles. The stem of bells, depending on the specific species, can be branched or simple, creeping or creeping in length. The plant may look like a shrub or a classic flower with a separate stem.

The flowering of bells begins in early spring and continues until the first days of August . There are also late species that bloom in September - October. Some varieties are distinguished by long flowering, the period of which can reach up to three months.

This is a common plant whose range extends from Scandinavia and the northern regions of Russia to the Pyrenees and the Apennine Peninsula.

Color classification

Currently, more than 300 types of bells are known, which differ in the duration of their life cycle and appearance. Plants are usually divided into annual and perennial.

In recent years, many interspecific and varietal hybrids have appeared, which are widely used in landscape design.

Depending on their habitat, bells are usually divided into three main categories:

In Russia, in clearings, forests and floodplains, as well as in the steppe zone, you can find about a dozen different types of bells that appear in late spring and bloom all summer.

The mountain alpine varieties, which are distinguished by their large inflorescence sizes and rich colors, look especially impressive. Today, these plants are widely used to decorate the local area. They are easy to care for, forming interesting, original and bright flower beds.

It is also customary to distinguish between annual and perennial varieties of bells. Under optimal conditions, this plant can develop quickly, covering small forest clearings with a thick carpet. Reproduction under natural conditions is carried out both through division and growth of the rhizome, and by small seeds. The latter is more typical for annual bellflower varieties.

Common varieties

Due to their decorative nature and ease of care, bells are often used to decorate local areas; flower beds and unusual rock gardens are created on their basis. In ancient times, this flower was considered magical, and the first description of the bell was made 3 thousand years ago. Songs and legends were written about him, and numerous mysterious stories are associated with him.

Today, biologists conduct research and describe new plant species in their communications and reports. Its most common varieties are:

1. Spreading bellflower prefers meadows and light woodlands. It usually blooms in early July, the stem is 50-60 centimeters high. It is a biennial plant with oblong leaves and large turquoise and blue flowers.
2. Peachleaf forest is one of the most beautiful varieties of bluebells with a flower of a cool, heavenly shade. The plant is found in fields, near paths and in copses. Initially, the peach-leaf bell grew only in Asia, but was later successfully cultivated in European countries.
3. The nettle-leaved meadow flower prefers damp ravines and is distinguished by its tall size - its stems can reach a height of 140 cm. The leaves are similar in appearance to nettles, which gives the plant its name. Inflorescences with corollas and white-blue petals are grouped in brushes of three.
4. The crowded one has a stem height of no more than 60 cm and small dark blue or purple flowers, collected in bunches. Flowering begins in June and continues until mid-August. This ornamental plant is often used by landscape designers to create small flower beds.
5. The Carpathian broadleaf bell is a dwarf variety, has excellent decorative properties and can bloom for about 70 days. The plant looks like a small shrub with a diameter of up to 30 centimeters with abundantly strewn flowers of white, lilac and blue shades. The upper part is large in size, abundantly strewn with inflorescences. It seems that the flowers can ring in the wind.

Breeders annually receive new bellflower hybrids that have an unusual appearance, are distinguished by characteristics, decorativeness and ease of care.

The main significance of the species is their use in landscape design. This is an excellent plant for novice flower growers and owners of private houses who want to decorate their home area without burdening themselves with complex gardening work. Some species are extremely rare in the environment, so biologists were forced to list them in the Red Book.

Healing properties

Owners of private houses and summer residents use the bell to decorate the local area. Few people know that this plant contains various beneficial microelements, which is why it is often used in folk medicine. The stems and seeds of the bell, its leaves, roots and flowers are used for medicinal purposes. Powders, decoctions and tinctures are made from them.

Collecting raw materials will not be difficult. It is best to do this during the flowering period, when the plant contains the greatest amount of beneficial microelements. Information about bellflower, which can be found in plant reference books, will be useful to anyone. You can easily find out where the bell grows, as well as what healing properties it has.

Decoctions obtained from the bell have antimicrobial properties, so they can be used to treat fever, headaches, sore throat, cough and other diseases. Poultices made from a paste of dried leaves and ground flowers help speed up the healing of wounds. Tinctures and tea from the bluebell restore lost strength, helping with anemia and weakness.

It is also recommended to add a decoction of this plant to the bath while bathing a child, which helps prevent the baby from developing infectious diseases. Recipes for tinctures and decoctions based on bellflower:

1. To treat stomatitis and throat diseases, a decoction is used, which is prepared from one teaspoon of dry herbs and 200 ml of boiling water.
2. To protect against infectious and viral diseases, decoctions are made from 500 ml of water and 3 tablespoons of dry mixture. The resulting product is boiled for 5 minutes, left for an hour and consumed after meals 3 times a day, half a tablespoon.
3. An excellent remedy for pain in the kidneys and stomach is a decoction of bluebells, which is prepared by pouring 200 g of dry grass with 500 ml of boiling water. Leave for 2 hours, filter and drink one tablespoon after meals three times a day.

The benefits of medicinal infusions should not be misleading; in some cases, one can even talk about certain harm to the body from such infusions.

Contraindications to the use of bellflower-based products are leukocytosis and individual intolerance to this plant. In rare cases, signs of allergies are observed, which are expressed in redness of the skin and dizziness.

If you have such symptoms, you should stop treatment, and if they do not go away within a few days, then you should consult a doctor.

An interesting fact about the bell is that in ancient times people believed in the love spell of the flower. Even today, no one knows whether this is true or fiction.

Propagation of perennial garden bells

1. Growing from seeds. Most species of these flowers can be propagated by seeds; they repeat the properties of the parent plants. Only some varieties, for example terry ones, may differ from their parents. In this case, they are propagated vegetatively.

The bell seeds are very small, so they are laid out on the soil and sprinkled with a thin layer of sand.

When to plant bluebells with seeds? In the 2nd half of October or May, the seeds are sown in the ground. Through seedlings at home, flower seeds are planted for seedlings, starting in March.

The first shoots appear approximately 2 weeks after planting. When 3 true leaves appear, the seedlings dive after 10 cm. The flowers are transplanted into flower beds and flower beds in early June. Garden bells bloom within a year.

2. Propagation by cuttings. Young shoots are cut into cuttings and planted in an unheated greenhouse.

Hyacinthoides

Hyacinthoides are bulbous perennials that belong to the early flowering plants. There are other names: “Spanish scilla”, “Spanish endymion”, “Spanish scilla” and “wild hyacinth”.

This is an unpretentious crop that can often be found in flower beds and garden plots. The plant has basal leaves 20-30 cm long and a single peduncle reaching a height of up to 30 cm.

Hyacinth may have lilac, white, pink, blue or blue bell-shaped flowers 1.5-2 cm in diameter. The crop blooms at the end of May or beginning of June, and this period lasts up to 20 days.

Perennial bell flowers - popular varieties and species.

Bell flowers have long been cultivated, but some gardeners prefer to decorate their gardens with wild species, as they see zest and grace in them.

In most cases, cultivated varieties specially bred by breeders are planted in private gardens.

Now there are more than four hundred different varieties of such plants, and the flowers on many of them have long ceased to have the traditional blue or bluish color. So, in gardens you can find bells of violet, light lilac, soft pink, ocher-yellow, fawn and white corolla colors. Naturally, all varieties differ from each other not only in color, but also in the timing of flowering, as well as in the size of the leaves.

Tall bluebells

• Broad-leaved bellflower (C. latifolia) more than 1 m high, the inflorescence is loose, racemose, apical. The flowers are large, purple or white. In culture since the end of the 16th century.
• Peach bell (C. persicifolia) 0.5–1 m high, paniculate inflorescences, few flowers. The flowers are large, blue or white. Terry forms are available. In culture since the middle of the 16th century.
• The crowded bell (C. glomerata) is 30–60 cm high, the inflorescences are dense, capitate, apical and axillary. The flowers are small, purple or white. In culture since the middle of the 16th century.
• Campanula (C. lactiflora) reaches 0.5–1.5 m in height, the inflorescences are multi-flowered, highly branched, lush. The flowers are small, milky white, sometimes slightly lilac. A good honey plant. In culture since the beginning of the 19th century.

Bluebell Carpathian

The most popular type. The Carpathian bell is actively used to create alpine slides and rockeries. In nature, it grows in the mountains, so it looks great among the stones, very quickly forming a large fluffy ball of flowers from small seedlings.

Bell-shaped or star-shaped flowers are white or blue. Plant height 25 cm. Flowering lasts from June to September. Refers to perennial flowers that bloom all summer. It is worth noting that this is an unpretentious plant. In spring it is necessary to protect the plant from slugs. During drought, water regularly.

Photo and description of what the bell looks like

Perennial bluebells are herbaceous flowering plants in the bellflower family. There are also annual and biennial plants in cultivation. Among them there are both tall (up to 2 m in height) and short (5-7 cm). The height of the plant does not characterize the species. It may vary depending on growing conditions.

Look at the photo to see what different types of bells look like:

The stems are erect, branched, both smooth and pubescent, there are climbing varieties. In perennial bells, flowering occurs in the second year after sowing the seeds. They are valuable for their abundance and duration of flowering, which lasts from June until frost.

They grow well in the sun and shade. Any well-drained, non-acidic, moderately moist soil is suitable for them. Planted and replanted both in spring and autumn.

Bellflower flowers are honey-bearing. They contain a large amount of pollen and nectar, have the aroma of a fragrant meadow, a shady forest clearing.

The fruit is a capsule. Its structure is special : in its lower part it has holes covered with valves. In dry weather, the valves open, the seeds spill out and are carried by the wind, and in damp weather they are closed. The color of the seeds ranges from milky white to dark red depending on the species.

Almost everyone knows what bells look like, but few people know that these plants have the ability to change the shape of the leaves and the color of the corolla depending on air humidity. When saturated with moisture, the flowers become lighter.

Bell dotted

It gets its name from the crimson speckles on the white petal visible from inside the flower. The peculiarity of the flower’s shape is that it resembles a blown barrel and tapers to petal blades. Incredibly beautiful. It will be a wonderful decoration for your suburban area.

• pink
• blue
• burgundy
• white
• deep blue

1. For example, the Otello variety is rich in color pigments. That's why even its sheets are painted. They are characterized by a brown color. 'Kent Bell' has very large bright blue flowers and a stem that grows over 70cm.
2. Recently, the “Cherry Bells” variety with milky petal tips, a pink base and many speckles of red throughout the flower has been in great demand. He is short, only about half a meter. Breeders promise to soon release terry variations of this variety.
3. Many gardeners like the double dotted bell, the so-called double bell. In this form, additional petals are formed from the stamens.

Bellflower peach leaf.

Belongs to border perennials. Planting and care of peach-leaf bellflower is possible in garden beds and flower beds. Plant height 75 cm. Flower color - white or blue. The flowers are cup-shaped, large. A very popular plant among gardeners.

Planting peach bell on sandy, clay or loamy soils is possible with drainage and a large amount of humus. The flower is not afraid of shade; it loves soil with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction.

You should not add a lot of fertilizers, as this will negatively affect the durability of plants in winter and lead to their rapid aging.

The peach-leaf bell is propagated by seeds. They are sown in small greenhouses starting in mid-spring. You should not collect peach bell seeds yourself - they do not inherit parental characteristics. In July, the seedlings are harvested, and in August they are planted in a permanent place. For the winter, the plant is covered with peat or a 15-20 cm layer of dry leaves. With proper care, the bell may bloom next year. If you delay planting or picking, the buds will appear only in the third year.

Peach-leaved species are not long-lived plants, although they are perennial bluebells. Planting and care during propagation by division make it possible to inherit parental characteristics. The transplant is done at the beginning or end of summer, and the roots should be covered with clods of earth. Cuttings are also often used and are done in sand. For effective flowering, you need to periodically feed the bell. Growing will be effective if fertilizers are applied correctly. In spring, nitrogen is used, and before flowering, various complex mineral fertilizers are used. In addition, faded shoots are pruned so that the blooming bells will delight the eye longer.

Flowering is long, from June to August. Removing spent flowers prolongs flowering.

You can use bells of different colors and types not only in group plantings, but also in single plantings, and such compositions will not seem boring at all.

How to care for Campanula

By following the basic rules, you can achieve lush flowering of campanula.

Lighting

The optimal location for the plant would be in a room with windows facing west or east. It must be remembered that the lighting needs to be bright, but diffused, without direct rays of the sun. If there is not enough lighting, then additional lamps are turned on. At least 12 hours of daylight is needed.

If possible, then with the arrival of warm days you can take the flower out into the fresh air. Both on the loggia and in the garden or veranda. The main thing is to provide protection from the scorching rays of the sun. But with the arrival of autumn, the plant needs to be returned back indoors. Once the difference between night and day temperatures becomes significant, then it's time to return.

Temperature

The flower needs a spring-summer temperature within 22-25 degrees. For the autumn months it is reduced by 2-3 degrees. In winter it is necessary to lower the temperature to 15 degrees. With the beginning of the heating season, you need to move the flower pot away from the radiators.

Humidity

Campanula is not picky about the air humidity in the room. There will be no problems with the plant even in dry air.

It is recommended to spray the flower a couple of times a week. This is necessary to clean the leaves from accumulated dust. And also for periodically creating a humid microclimate.

Watering

An amazing and “profitable” quality is its undemanding nature when it comes to watering. Campanula does well without frequent watering. It will even stand quietly in dry soil for a couple of weeks. An advantageous plant for travelers or business travelers. But, this quality applies only to the period of autumn-spring and winter.

Recommendations for watering:

• In summer you need to water regularly and abundantly. If the soil dries out completely in the summer, the flower may not only crumble, but also die. Water the plant only with warm, about 20-25 degrees, water. It must also be left standing for at least 10 hours.
• If a filter is installed, then such water can be used, as long as it is warm. If there is no filter, then only use settled water.

The soil

When growing, you need to choose the right soil. The soil for campanula should be fertile, loose and neutral in acidity. The most optimal would be a combination of peat and leaf soil. Some gardeners add vermiculite or perlite for looseness.

Choosing soil and pot

The peculiarity of the flower is that it can grow in any container. It can be a clay pot or a plastic one. Campanula looks beautiful and original in hanging and wide bowl-shaped pots.

Since the root system of the plant is very powerful and develops quickly and widely, this should be taken into account when choosing a container for planting. It is for this reason that it is advised to choose wide pots.

Top dressing

The plant has no special nutritional requirements. During activation, fertilizing with fertilizers is necessary. They use mineral complexes that are selected specifically for plants that bloom when grown indoors. Fertilizers are applied only once every 30 days.

With the arrival of September and until the beginning of spring, fertilizers are not applied. At this time, the campanula is resting and feeding will only bring harm to it.

Features of the plant

In nature, these plants are distributed almost everywhere: the only place that has not been conquered by them is Central Africa. In all other parts of the globe, these plants thrive and are not threatened. The main diversity of species occurs in Europe, both Western and Eastern.

These plants can be either annuals, biennials or perennials. Most often, they are grown in gardens and flower beds as perennials. This choice is far from accidental. The fact is that all perennials have one unpleasant feature: from the point of view of brightness and attractiveness, their flowers, as a rule, are less bright and catchy than those of annuals.

On the other hand, the flowering time of perennials also does not always satisfy many gardeners. Therefore, in some cases, perennials are abandoned, each year updating the assortment of plants in the flower beds, annually sowing different temporary inhabitants in the same areas.

Bells do not have such shortcomings. Their flowering is always bright and memorable. It lasts, as a rule, at least 1.5 months, and bell flowers in their decorative properties are practically not inferior (if not superior) to many annual crops.

Sowing bluebells

The seeds of this plant have fantastic germination capacity and retain it for several years . They do not require any preparation before sowing. They should not be treated with potassium permanganate or fungicides. The bell does not need any of this; its immunity copes well with these problems without human help.

If you are not in a hurry, you can simply plant the seeds directly in open ground in October or next year in May . But, if the goal is to get flowering this year, you can use the seedling method of growing.

Seeds for seedlings are planted in late February - early March. Bell seeds are very small, so they must be evenly distributed over the surface of the substrate, lightly pressed into the soil and watered with a spray bottle. After which the resulting structure is covered with film.

Peony (left) and bluebell (right) seeds compared to a pinhead

Now let's take a closer look at this design: for bell seedlings, you need a box about 4-5 cm deep, into which you need to fill any substrate for flower seedlings.

If such soil is not at hand, it can be easily made using the following recipe:

• humus or compost - 3 parts
• turf soil - 6 parts
• coarse river sand – 1 part

Campanula transplant

There is no point in replanting a flower every year. The only exception is if the pot becomes small, because the overgrown roots are cramped in it. The transplant is planned for spring or autumn. In a new, larger container, a drainage layer of small pebbles or expanded clay is placed on the bottom.

Plants are replanted using the transshipment method. Carefully transfer it to a new container, trying not to disintegrate the soil lump. After installing the flower in a new pot, add soil and water it. If necessary, add soil when it settles in the container.

Preparing for landing

The plant retains its decorative properties for no more than three years, so it is rarely replanted. When flowering becomes less lush, the shoots begin to become bare. Therefore, it is much easier to root cuttings. Or grow new plants from seeds.

If you bought a flower in a store, it is recommended to replant it immediately. A wide and not very deep pot is best. Over time, you can choose an even wider container.

The soil should be loose and nutritious so that water and air can pass well. But you can also use universal soil, which is suitable for indoor flowers.

The transplant instructions are quite simple:

1. Place drainage on 1/4 of the pot. For a large plant - 1/3 of the volume.
2. Fill half the pot with fresh soil.
3. While the plant is in the old container, it is first watered well. And then, so as not to damage the roots and the former earthen lump, carefully remove it.
4. Using a sharp knife, cut off 5 mm of roots that have become matted. And then several small (3-5 mm) cuts are made along the booms.
5. The new plant is placed in a new pot and more soil is added on top, compacting it slightly. Then water it, but not too much.

After transplantation, the flower is removed to a cool and dark place. Temperatures are from 18 to 20 degrees above zero. As soon as the plant begins to grow, it is returned back to where it was taken from.

Seedling care

After covering with film, the box with seedlings is placed in a warm and sunny place with a temperature of at least +18°C. The first shoots will appear within 15-20 days. As soon as 75% of the crop has sprouted, the film must be removed. Bells are distinguished by a kind of “discipline”: usually this happens on the second day after the first shoots appear.

It is necessary to keep a box with germinating seedlings on the south window of the house, providing the young plants with diffused sunlight. If diffusers are not available, partial shading can be used with curtains, tulle or other plants. It should be remembered that both adult bells and their seedlings do not like direct sunlight.

Watering must be carried out as the top layer of the substrate dries. In order not to wash the plants out of the soil, you need to use a watering can with a very thin spout, almost like an oil can, or water the plants using the same spray bottle. However, it is advisable to do this procedure either in the evening or on a cloudy day.

Under no circumstances should young seedlings be exposed to drafts. Adult bells or seedlings outdoors are not afraid of winds, however, the contrast in indoor temperatures can destroy young seedlings.

Approximately 20 days after germination, the plants have a sufficient number of leaves and can be picked. Picking is done in any container. You can use an individual one, but many people prefer to use larger boxes. Typically, picking is done with a step of about 10 cm between seedlings.

Picking seedlings into individual pots

White bells again

BELL-LEAFED BELLS

Botanical illustration by Jacob Sturm from the book Deutschlands Flora in Abbildungen, 1796 Campanula latifólia is the type species of the genus Campanula of the Campanula family.
Campanula latifolia is a perennial herbaceous plant 60–120 cm in height with a powerful rhizome and spindle-shaped thickened lateral roots. The stem is bare, cylindrical.

The leaves are pointed, thin, with sparse soft fluff on both sides; the lower ones are narrowed into a winged petiole, slightly heart-shaped, the upper ones are sessile, lanceolate. Inflorescences are racemose. The flowers are large, purple or white. The plant is found in Europe, Asia Minor, Transcaucasia, Altai and the Himalayas.

The bell is a flower that got its name for a reason. There is an old legend that the plant brings a lot of good luck to the home, and in some countries the flower is considered sacred. In England, it is believed that if these flowers are grown in homes, the owners will live long and prosperous lives. These flowers are very similar to the bells that many wandering monks wore on their chests. Since then the name has stuck.

Its shape really resembles a bell. The plant belongs to the herbaceous genus, bellflower family. The flower is quite spreading; several branches extend from its thickened stem, which are strewn with inflorescences.

Bell on a USSR postage stamp, 1988 Illustration by Lady Edward

The famous Sablin white bells were sung by the poet and philosopher Vladimir Sergeevich Solovyov, who lived for a long time in the Pustynka estate. He loved to take morning walks around the estate. On the bank of the Tosna River there was a large stone, which V. Solovyov loved to visit. It is possible that this large rapakivi granite boulder is located 600 m from the estate upstream of the river, at the rapids on the left bank of the river. Tosny. There is no other such large boulder in the area. In addition, on the terrace above the floodplain where this stone lies, white bells still bloom wildly. V. Solovyov wrote two famous poems about white bells near this stone.

White bells

How many of them bloomed recently, Like a white sea in the forest! The warm wind swayed them so smoothly and took care of the young beauty. It is fading, fading. The snow-white wreath has darkened, And as if the whole world is fading... Among the coffins I stand alone... “We live, your white thoughts, Along the cherished paths of the soul, You wander along the gloomy road, We shine motionless in silence. It was not the whimsical wind that protected us, We would have saved you from the blizzards, Come to us quickly, through the rainy west. For you we are the cloudless south. If the fog closes our eyes, Or if ominous thunder is heard, “Our heart blooms and sighs... Come and you will find out what it’s about.” August 15, 1899

Soloviev called this boulder a “holy stone” and often said: “here is my grave.” Vladimir Solovyov spent the last month of his life in the Pustynka estate. A few weeks before his death, he wrote his last poem, “White Bells Again.”

White bells again

On menacing, sultry Summer days - White, slender They are the same. Let the ghosts of spring be burned. Here you are not from here, True dreams, The evil experienced is drowning in blood, The washed Sun of love rises, Bold plans In a sick heart, White angels stand around. Slender and airy They are the same - On difficult, stuffy, menacing days. July 3, 1900

Andrei Bely sketches the dying image of Solovyov: “Huge enchanted gray eyes, his stooped back, powerless long arms; his beautiful head with fluffed gray hair, a large, as if torn, mouth with a protruding lip, wrinkles - there was so much infidelity and duality in Solovyov’s appearance... A giant and powerless arms, long legs, a small body, spiritual eyes and a sensual mouth, prophetic verbs... A powerless child, overgrown with lion hair, a crafty devil, confusing the conversation with his murderous laugh: “he-he” and - dawn, dawn!..”

V.S. Solovyov. Portrait by I.N. Kramskoy. 1885

In the summer of 1900, Solovyov came to Moscow on business, but felt ill and left in a cab to the Uzkoye estate near Moscow, which belonged to the Trubetskoys. Doctors discovered he had atherosclerosis, kidney cirrhosis and uremia, complicated by exhaustion. On July 31, Vladimir Solovyov died.

Sofia Khitrovo came to the funeral of Vladimir Solovyov. She hoped to bury him on her estate, in Pustynka, as he bequeathed. But the sisters objected and buried him in Moscow. Apparently, they wanted to complete this strange romance.

Solovyov met Sofia Andreevna Tolstaya, the widow of Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, in 1877 at the Pustynka estate near St. Petersburg. The meeting was arranged by his friend Prince Dmitry Nikolaevich Tsertelev, who was the cousin of the mistress of the house. Soloviev was fascinated by the atmosphere of the house and the presence of two Sofias - the hostess and her niece Sofia Khitrovo. Sofya Petrovna Khitrovo (1848-1910) – adopted daughter of A.K. Tolstoy, saw Polonsky, the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers, Turgenev, Dickens, Liszt, who were guests of the great poet and playwright. She was taken to the best art galleries in Germany, France and Italy. At the age of 17, she wrote: “Faust, Schopenhauer, India became familiar and close to us through private conversations.” At the age of twenty, Sophia was married to Mikhail Alexandrovich Khitrovo (1837-1896), a diplomat, poet and translator. In marriage she gave birth to four children. For a long time, husband and wife lived separately: Mikhail Alexandrovich on long journeys, and Sofya Petrovna on her aunt’s estate near St. Petersburg.

Vladimir Solovyov was 24 years old, Sophia was 29 years old. She was married and had three children. Despite this, Vladimir Sergeevich Solovyov repeatedly proposed to her. At the same time, he allegedly treated his husband well. Six years later, in the spring of 1883, he declared Sofya Petrovna his bride. She did not agree with this status. It all ended with an illness - either typhus, or nervous fever - from which Solovyov barely recovered. Not everyone understood his enthusiastic attitude towards his chosen one. In a letter to a close friend, A.F. Aksakova, he wrote: “I am sorry that you seem to have some kind of prejudice against the poor lady of my heart. She is a very wonderful and very unhappy woman." The result of the “mystical” novel was summed up on January 1, 1887 with the poem “Joyless love has a fatal denouement”:

Joyless love has a fatal ending! Not quiet sadness, but the hour of mortal torment... Let life be just an evil deception, but the heart, dying, languishes and hurts, and on the threshold of heaven Still burns with a fire that has gone out in eternity.

After this, Solovyov stopped visiting Pustynka, where he stayed for a long time for ten years. About love, which looks so romantic in Solovyov’s poems, he wrote to Aksakova in 1887: “Here there was no moral connection on either side, no even purely human love, no even selfish attachment, nothing except calculation and external accidents." And one more thing: “Here not only can there be no talk of any ideals, but there is simply not a single, not the slightest element for a real marriage.” However, in the midst of a passionate affair with Sofia Martynova in January 1892, Vladimir Solovyov wrote a poem dedicated to Khitrovo, “Rush Me, Memory”:

Fly me, memory , with an ageless wing To the country dear to the heart. I see her alone on a smoldering fire in the winter darkness. The soul is torn with bitter melancholy, Two lives are burned there, Something new begins in the distance Instead of the lost spring. Next, memory! With a quiet wing, brought another image to me... I see her in a green meadow in the bright summer time. The sun is playing over the wild Tosna, The steep bank is high... I see familiar old pine trees, White flowing sand... Memory, enough! All the sorrow experienced Has again taken possession of the soul, As if those former tears shed are flowing in a resurrected wave.

That same year, her adoptive mother died, and Sofya Khitrovo became the owner of Pustynka. However, having gained independence, she did not express a desire to marry Solovyov. After the death of Sofia Petrovna’s husband, Solovyov made another proposal in 1897. Sophia did not want to become a grandmother-bride. The refusal did not upset Solovyov. He wrote to Aksakova: “I completely agree with Ivan Sergeevich that my marriage to a divorcee would be harmful and undignified, and I am very glad that this did not work out. But this is not because the first marriage is absolutely indestructible (nothing like this is recognized by the church, which allows a second marriage for widows, even for one of the divorced parties), but simply for the sake of innocent children who would be placed in a tragic situation by such a marriage. position between father and mother. This is the only moral obstacle in this matter.” You might think that the children have just appeared. After a ten-year break, Solovyov began to visit Pustynka again. But now he did not live in the main house, but rented a dacha from Sofia Khitrovo’s son. Solovyov’s poems dedicated to Sofia Khitrovo: “Heat without radiance, clouds without water”, “You are leaving, and your heart is in the hour of separation”, “Poor friend, the path has exhausted you”, “I only managed to whisper one name”

And, of course, everyone knows the poem “My Bells,” which was written by the owner of Pustynka, Count Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy

My bells, steppe flowers! Why are you looking at me, Dark blue ones? And what are you ringing about On a cheerful day in May, Shaking your head among the unmown grass? The horse carries me like an arrow into the open field; He tramples you under him, hits you with his hoof. My bells, steppe flowers! Don't curse me, Dark Blues! I would be glad not to trample you, Glad to rush past, But the reins cannot hold back the indomitable run! I fly, I fly like an arrow, I only kick up dust; The horse carries me dashingly, - And where? Don't know! He is a learned rider, He was not brought up in the wilderness, He is familiar with snowstorms, He grew up in an open field; And your patterned saddle cloth does not shine like fire, My horse, my horse, the Slavic horse, Wild, rebellious! There is room for us, horse, with you! Having forgotten the small world, We fly at full speed Towards an unknown goal. How will our run end? Is it joy? sad? Man cannot know - God alone knows! Will I fall on the salt marsh and die from the heat? Or will the evil Kyrgyz-Kaisak with a shaved head silently draw his bow Lying under the grass And suddenly catch up with me with a copper arrow. Or we will fly into a wide city With the throne Kremlin. You can hear the streets buzzing with the hum of bells, and in the square there are people in noisy anticipation. It can be seen that a message of light is coming from the north. In kuntushas and checkmen, with forelocks and mustaches, the guests ride on horses, waving their clubs. And the Master came out majestically onto the porch. His bright face Shines with new glory. He was filled with the sight of both love and fear. The Monomakh cap is burning on his forehead. - Bread and salt! Yes, in good time, - Says the Sovereign, - For a long time, children, I have been waiting for you To the Orthodox city. And they answered him: “Our blood is one!” And we have been in you for a long time, Master's tea. More loudly than the ringing of bells, the harp sounds. The guests sat around the tables. Honey and mash are flowing. This noise flies south To the Turk and to the Hungarian And the sound of Slavic ladles is not to the heart of the German. Goy, my little flowers, little flowers of the steppe! Why are you looking at me, Dark Blues? And what are you sad about On a cheerful day in May, Shaking your head among the unmown grass?

“My bells...” - written in the 1840s. The cycle “Six Poems” opened; first published in the Sovremennik magazine in 1854. Subsequently, excerpts of the poem became a textbook work in the school curriculum and a famous romance (the best known is the music of Pyotr Bulakhov). In a letter to his wife in October 1856, the author called this work one of his “most successful things.”

Tolstoy wrote “My Bells...” for a long time. The early version has a different, four-line stanza, and a different, sad tonality; the bells there are guardians of the memory of antiquity. Subsequently, the motive of longing for the past of the native country was relegated to the background, and in the center was the thought of Russia, called upon to unite all Slavic peoples. The poem opens with a wonderful picture of Little Russian nature, among which the author grew up. But by nature the poet easily moves on to history and even politics.

Images and connections in literature:

Since the “bell” is associated with traveling on horseback mainly in Russia, only in Russian poetry could bell flowers receive the corresponding associations. A. Fet has similar allusions

Bell

The night is silent, like a disembodied spirit, The warm air is numb; But it was as if the fleeting bell had rung. Is this the one that disturbs the forest sleep in the distance And, swinging, runs into the silence of the night? Or this one, barely noticeable in my flower garden during the day, narrow-bottomed, multi-colored, on a stamen under the window? 1859

and A. Bashlachev ( “The Time of Bells” is a poem and song by Alexander Bashlachev, which became one of the symbols, a kind of calling card of Russian rock poetry of the 1980s and Bashlachev himself).

Added to this is the pan-European motif of the “innocent look” of blue flowers, and the development of the ringing of a bell into the roar of large bells on the bell towers. One can trace back to this poem the tradition of using the image of a bell in the civil discourse of Russian poetry.

This work is also associated with an unusual case of parody, or, more precisely, auto-parody: in No. 4 of Sovremennik for 1854, the ballad “Putnik” was published - a parody of “My Bells” - signed by Kozma Prutkov. As you know, one of the creators of this literary mask was the author of “Bells...” A.K. Tolstoy.

PUTNIK Ballad

The traveler rides uphill; The traveler hurries across the field. He looks around the snowy steppe with a dull gaze. “Who are you rushing to meet, proud and dumb traveler?” “I won’t answer anyone; The secret is a sick soul! I’ve been burying this secret in my chest for a long time, And I won’t reveal this secret to the insensitive world: Not for nobility, not for gold, Not for piles of silver, Not under the waves of damask steel, Not among the flames of a fire!” He said and Slope rushes into the distance, covered in snow. The frightened horse shakes, stumbling as it runs. The traveler angrily drives the Karabakh horse. The tired horse falls, drops the rider with it, and buries the Master and himself under the snow. Buried under a snowdrift, the Traveler hid the secret with himself. He will remain behind the grave, the same proud and dumb.

In the translation of “Alice in Wonderland” by B. Zakhoder, the poem is parodied in the form “My crocodiles...” (in the original Twinkle, twinkle, little bat... - a parody of the no less textbook for English-speaking culture Twinkle, twinkle, little star...).