Content
Bellflower is a perennial flowering plant that is often found in the wild and cultivated in summer cottages. It is interesting to study popular varieties, as well as the main rules of care.
Description of peach leaf bell
Peach-leaved bell (lat. Campanula persicifolia) is a herbaceous perennial with straight, bare stems, mostly simple, sometimes branched, with slightly pronounced ribbing. The leaves of the plant are narrow, lanceolate or linear, dark green in color and shiny, crenate along the edges.They are very similar to peach, which explains the name. The stems and leaves contain milky juice.
Peach-leaved bell is a rather rare plant in the wild from the Red Book.
The perennial reaches a height of 40 to 160 cm, most often rising by about 120 cm in adulthood. It spreads slightly, the width of the bush usually does not exceed 50 cm.
Peach bell is considered a light-loving plant. It can also develop under the cover of trees and shrubs, but does not tolerate dense shade, especially in combination with marshy soil. According to the degree of frost resistance, it belongs to climate zone 4 and winters well at temperatures from - 29 to - 35 ° C.
The peach-leaved bell quickly reaches its maximum size, but remains compact
With good care, the perennial grows quickly. But it is not prone to aggressive spread throughout the area.
What is the root system of the peach leaf bell?
The type of root system of the peach-leaf bell is spindle-shaped and branching, strongly twisted. Numerous feeding processes extend from the main thick rod. For this reason, even a short perennial is difficult to pull out entirely from the soil; it must be carefully dug up or cut off.
What kind of inflorescences does the peach-leaved bell have?
From June to early September, the perennial is decorated with flowers, and the decorative period continues for about a month. The exact timing depends on the specific variety.
The flowers of the peach-leaved bell are attached to short pedicels and are small drooping funnels up to 4 cm in diameter, consisting of 5 petals. Inside there are glands that secrete sweet nectar.The buds are collected in small one-sided brushes of 3-7 pieces, their shade is most often blue, purple or blue, rarely white. At the end of flowering in August or September, the perennial bears fruits - small boxes with seeds.
The flowers of the peach-leaf bell are funnel-shaped
The abundance of peach bell flowering depends on the growing conditions. The perennial grows well in sunny and moderately moist areas, but it does not like dense shade and swampy conditions and always looks faded in such places.
Where does the peach leaf bell grow?
The perennial peach-leaved bellflower is widespread throughout Eurasia. You can meet it in European countries and in the Transcaucasus, in Asia Minor and in the Himalayas. In Russia, it grows in the middle zone, in the southern regions and in the Western Ciscaucasia, and is found in the foothills of the Urals, but only as far as Yekaterinburg.
The perennial plant prefers mainly light deciduous and mixed forests, edges and bushes. It can be found along river banks and in ravines.
Peach leaf bell grows mainly on light edges
It is recommended to grow the perennial in areas of its natural habitat. The culture takes root well in the European part of Russia and in the south, in the Urals and Western Siberia. But the climate of Eastern Siberia and northern zones may be too harsh.
Why is the peach-leaf bell in the Red Book?
In the Red Book of Russia, the peach-leaved bellflower is noted as a species that is declining in numbers.In addition to the fact that the perennial looks very decorative during flowering, its green parts and rhizomes have medicinal properties. The population actively collects the plant, and this negatively affects the population.
Varieties of peach-leaved bellflower
This beautiful herbaceous perennial is represented by several ornamental varieties. For your summer cottage, you can choose the most interesting plant.
Alba Plena
One of the most beautiful varieties of peach-leaved bell, Alba Plena, rises 50 cm above the ground. In June it bears large terry white buds and remains decorative throughout the month. Not only the flowers of the plant look attractive, but also the shiny dark green leaves.
Alba Plena grows to an average width of 20 cm, so it is recommended to plant the variety tightly
Snow White
A high variety of Russian selection, Snow White, stretches up to 80 cm above the ground and grows almost as widely. In mid-June it produces buds in huge quantities. The white peach-leaved bell remains attractive until the end of August, but even after all the flowers have faded it continues to delight with beautiful foliage.
Peak flowering of the Snow White variety occurs in the first 2 weeks after the buds appear.
La Belle Blue
La Belle Blue is a variety with large lilac buds of the terry type. The stem of the peach-leaf bell rises up to 60 cm. The plant enters the flowering period in July and remains at its maximum attractiveness until the end of August.
La Belle Blue prefers well-lit areas to grow
Takion Blue
Takion Blue is a beautiful compact variety up to 50 cm tall.The first flowers are born at the end of spring, the buds are blue with a purple tint, the petals in the center are lighter than at the edges. If you cut off faded flower stalks in mid-summer, then Takion Blue is likely to bloom again.
The buds of Takion Blue are directed upwards, and do not droop, as in most varieties
Moerheimii
The Moeirheim bell is considered one of the most beautiful varieties. Semi-double buds reach about 6 cm in diameter, they are white in color and pale lilac at the base of the corolla. The plant rises up to 90 cm above the ground.
Moerheimii blooms in June and July with beautiful airy buds
Openwork Beauty
The blue peach-leaved bellflower Azure Beauty bears bright double flowers from June to August. The height of the bush rises by an average of 60 cm, has a loose, spreading silhouette up to 50 cm in girth.
The Azhur Beauty variety prefers sunny or half-shaded areas
Cerulea
The peach-leaved bellflower Caerulea rises up to 70cm above the ground and bears delicate violet-blue flowers in June. The size of the inflorescences is about 5 cm.
The Cerulea variety loves loose, well-drained soil and good lighting.
Application in design
In landscape design, low peach-leaved bells are used mainly:
- in rock gardens and rockeries;
Peach-leaved bellflower tolerates rocky soils well and enlivens subdued compositions.
- in flowering flower beds;
Bluebell gets along well with most perennial plants
- in the design of garden paths.
Compact low bellflower bushes highlight the path line
Peach bells look good together with carnations, foxgloves, delphiniums, lilies, cornflower and mallow.It is not recommended to plant it only close to trees and bushes with powerful superficial roots. Tall neighbors will take away nutrients from flowers.
Reproduction methods
There are several methods to increase the population of peach-leaved bellflower in your dacha. Namely:
- seeds;
- cuttings;
- dividing the bush.
Most often, flower growers resort to cuttings. The survival rate of the crop is quite high, and the varietal characteristics are fully preserved.
Cuttings
To propagate the perennial peach-leaved bell, in mid-spring you need to take several shoots about 10 cm long from the middle part of the stem. The leaves on the cuttings are cut in half, and then the shoot is placed directly in moist soil in a permanent place.
Bluebells can be propagated by cuttings - they are planted directly in the ground
To make the plant take root faster, you can cover it with film or a cut plastic bottle. The culture takes root in an average of 3 weeks.
Dividing the bush
Adult peach-leaved bells over 3 years old are propagated by division. The procedure is carried out in May or mid-September, and it looks like this:
- the stems of the perennial are cut off and dug out of the ground;
- Using a sharp knife, divide the rhizome into 2-3 parts with renewal buds;
- powder the cuts with wood ash, and then immediately plant the cuttings in new places.
The buds at the base of the rhizome should remain above the ground level.
Only adult bells over 3 years old can be propagated by division.
Growing peach leaf bell from seeds
To propagate the crop, you can use seeds purchased in a store or collected from adult specimens in the garden at the end of summer. If you wish, you can sow the material directly into the ground; this is done at the end of May; the area is moistened and covered with film until the sprouts appear.
But the seedling method is more popular. It looks like this:
- at the end of April, a mixture of earth, humus and sand is poured into small containers, slightly moistened and the seeds are planted shallowly;
- plantings are sprayed with a spray bottle and the container is covered with glass or film;
- for 2-3 weeks the box is placed in a room at room temperature, the soil is periodically re-moistened and the seedlings are ventilated;
- After the first shoots appear, remove the film.
Peach leaf bell from seeds is first grown at home in a box.
When the seedlings produce their first 3 leaves, they will need to be planted in separate containers so that the roots do not have time to intertwine. In mid-June, the seedlings can be transferred to a prepared area in the garden.
Planting and caring for peach leaf bells
An herbaceous perennial, grown at home or purchased in a store, is easy to plant in open ground. The main thing is to choose the right place for the plant.
Recommended timing
Peach bell leaves are usually transferred to open soil at the end of May or early June. Return frosts have already passed by this time, so nothing prevents the perennial from quickly taking root.
Site selection and soil preparation
To grow peach-leaved bells, choose well-lit areas or light partial shade. The soil must be fertile and loose, with good drainage to prevent moisture accumulation.
In general, the herbaceous perennial is undemanding to soil composition. But it is still recommended to dig up the site a month before planting and add lime and humus. Mineral fertilizers - potassium and phosphorus - are placed directly into the hole.
Landing algorithm
For planting, choose the most developed of the seedlings with long, healthy roots and green leaves. A shallow hole is dug, twice the volume of the underground part of the plant.
The hole is half filled with a mixture of sand, humus and turf with the addition of lime, and then the bell is lowered, the roots are straightened and the remaining soil is added. After planting, the plant should be watered immediately and, if necessary, additionally compacting the wet soil.
The hole for the peach-leaved bell should not be deep - only twice as many roots
Watering and fertilizing schedule
The peach-leaf bell needs moderate watering; it is carried out when the soil dries out. It is important not to over-water the plant, otherwise the roots will begin to rot.
After reaching 2 years, the herbaceous perennial is fertilized twice or thrice a season. In early spring, nitrogen fertilizers are applied in combination with ash to gain green mass; during flowering, phosphorus and potassium preparations are added. In September, if necessary, the crop can be fed with potassium again, this will increase the winter hardiness of the plant.
Loosening and weeding
At least once a month and after each watering, the soil at the roots of the bell must be loosened. With poor access to oxygen, the plant develops worse and also suffers more often from fungi.
Weeds are dangerous for the peach bellflower.Simultaneously with loosening, they must be weeded out, completely removed from the ground. Self-sowing grasses in a perennial area take away nutrients from the soil and interfere with the healthy development of the crop.
The bell requires mandatory loosening of the soil from weeds and for oxygen access
Garter
Peach bell is a fairly tall plant with abundant flowering. The stems can bend strongly to the sides under the weight of the buds, which spoils the silhouette of the herbaceous perennial. Upon reaching maximum growth, it is customary to tie the crop to a support; it can be any beam or stick, section of a fence or lattice.
Preparing for winter
At the end of September, the stems of the peach-leaved bellflower are cut flush with the ground surface. Then the flowerbed is covered with peat or compost with a layer of 10 cm. Organic matter will provide insulation for the winter and also nourish the roots with useful substances.
Diseases and pests
Bells rarely suffer from illnesses and insects. But under unfavorable conditions they can be affected by:
- rust;
Rust causes yellow spots-pads to appear on the underside of the leaves.
- powdery mildew;
Powdery mildew appears as a whitish coating on the leaves and leads to wilting
- Root collar rot.
Root collar rot when neglected leads to the death of the bell
To combat fungi, the drugs Fundazol and copper sulfate are used. For prevention purposes, it is very important to monitor soil moisture; diseases develop in waterlogged soil.
As for pests, the main danger to the bell is:
- slugs;
Slugs eat succulent bellflower leaves in rainy weather and are especially active at night
- aphid;
Aphids stick to the plant in large colonies and can quickly destroy it.
- leafhoppers.
Cicadas lay eggs on the leaves, and the larvae feed on the sap of the bell
It is customary to use a soap solution against pests, as well as garlic water and insecticides, for example, Fitoverm. To prevent the problem, you should regularly loosen the soil where insects lay eggs.
Interesting facts about peach bellflower
The peach-leaved bell has been known in culture for more than 500 years; it has been grown in simple and sophisticated flower beds in Europe and Eurasia since the Middle Ages.
According to English beliefs, the plant attracts wealth and prosperity to the house. In the old days, modest wildflowers were often used to decorate homes.
Peach bellflower has numerous valuable properties. It is able to fight inflammation, accelerate wound healing and improve blood composition. That is why its population is declining so quickly; mass collection puts the natural forms of the plant on the brink of extinction.
The humble but beautiful peach-leaved bellflower has been cultivated for 500 years.
Conclusion
Bellflower is a simple but very attractive perennial plant for the garden. White, blue and purple buds can decorate flower beds from the beginning to the end of summer, and caring for the crop is quite simple.
