autumn and also prevents self-seeding.
Old flowering stems and foliage often
decline after blooming; if this occurs,
cut down to the new basal foliage that
has developed. Most cultivars flop.
Cutting off 4–5 in. before flowering in
early May creates fuller plants. Cutting
plants back in late June or early July in
an attempt to delay flowering and
control sprawling habit proved
ineffective—it did produce compact,
1-ft.-tall upright plants, compared to
the flopping 2 1/2-ft.-tall unpruned
plants, but they never flowered.
Campanula lactiflora ‘Pouffe’ is a dwarf,
10- to 18-in.-tall, self-supporting form.
Campanula latifolia, great bellflower,
requires deadheading before seeds
mature to prevent numerous seed-
lings. If you don’t want to do the
tedious task of deadheading each
individual flower, wait until the
deadheads outnumber the new
flowers and cut the entire stem down
to the basal foliage. For height control
cut back as for C. lactiflora. Great
bellflower can spread aggressively.Campanula rotundifolia
‘Olympica’
Olympic Scotch bluebell
c ampanulaceaeTiny, blue, bell-shaped flowers; round
leaves often disappear by the time
flowering occurs
6–12 in. high; 12 in. wide
Full sun–part shade
Blooms June–September
Zones 2–7
pruning Olympic Scotch bluebell is
long blooming even withoutdeadheading, but deadheading
prolongs bloom from spring to late
summer on neater plants, and unless
you’re really quick to get them, seeding
is usually ensured anyway, which in
my area is essential to keeping plants
in the garden. It can seed to nuisance
levels under ideal growing conditions,
but I never have enough of this
perennial to make me happy. Seed-
lings are easily removed if it becomes a
problem. Deadheading can be an
extremely tedious job due to the
delicate nature of the flowering stems
and the large number of them. It is
easiest to use small sharp pruning
scissors. In late summer plants should
be cut down to the tiny basal foliage to
remove tatty old growth and seed-
heads. Hedge shears can be used at
this stage. Basal foliage remains
evergreen over the winter.
other maintenance Very
short-lived, usually only a couple of
years. Good drainage is absolutely
essential to survival. Alpine condi-
tions are ideal. If you can keep plants
for 3 or 4 years, division may be
necessary to keep them under control.Campanula ‘Sarastro’
‘Sarastro’ bellflower
c ampanulaceaeDeep blue-violet bell-shaped flowers;
heart-shaped green leaves
18–20 in. high; 18–24 in. wide
Full sun to part shade
Blooms June–August
Zones 3–8
pruning This handsome hybrid is
the result of a cross between Campan-
ula punctata and C. trachelium and isCampanula rotundifolia
‘Olympica’