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Campanulaceae FAMILY

Campanula rotundifolia

Campanula rotundifolia

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Campanula rotundifolia is a very cold-hardy plant, tolerating winter temperatures falling to at least -20°c[1]. A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in most fertile well-drained soils[2, 3], though it prefers a moist but well-drained rich sandy loam and a neutral or alkaline soil in sun or partial shade[4, 1]. Succeeds in poor soils[5]. This species can be naturalized in finer turfs, on grassy banks and in chalk downland and heath associations[1]. A very variable species in the wild[3]. When established, plants can spread fairly freely and also self-sow, though they are quite easily contained by hoeing[3]. The species in this genus do not often hybridize and so seed can generally be relied upon to come true[6]. The plants are self-fertile[6]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[2]. A very ornamental plant, there are some named varieties[1].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in spring in a cold frame. Three or four weeks pre-chilling of the seed improves the germination rate[7]. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 18°c[7]. 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. The seed can also be sown outdoors in situ during the spring. Basal cuttings in spring[4]. 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[8]. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer or following spring. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Campanula+rotundifolia>

Pollinators

Bees, Flies, Beetles, Lepidoptera, Self

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]Perennial Garden Plants — Thomas. G. S. · J. M. Dent & Sons, London. · 1990 · ISBN 0 460 86048 8 ↩︎A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
  3. [3]Campanulas - A Gardener's Guide. — Lewis. P. & Lynch. M. · B. T. Batsford. London. · 1998 · ISBN 0-7134-8266-4 ↩︎Very readable account of almost 150 members of the genus, together with their hybrids and cultivars, that are more commonly grown in gardens. Excellent photographs of many of the species.
  4. [4]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  5. [5]Flora of the British Isles. — Clapham, Tutin and Warburg. · Cambridge University Press · 1962 · ISBN - ↩︎A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
  6. [6]Campanulas - their cultivation and classification. — Crook. H. Clifford. · Country Life · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎The most comprehensive treatment of the genus yet written (2002).
  7. [7]Growing from Seed. Volume 3. — Bird. R. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1989 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
  8. [8]Popular Hardy Perennials. — Sanders. T. W. · Collingridge · 1926 · ISBN - ↩︎A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.
  9. [9]Flora of the USSR. — Komarov. V. L. · Israel Program for Scientific Translation · 1968 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org · ISBN - ↩︎An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  10. [10]Native American Ethnobotany — Moerman. D. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 1998 · ISBN 0-88192-453-9 ↩︎Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
  11. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎