A plant with an unpronounceable name but with very useful characteristics is the Campanula portenschlagiana. Its common name is Dalmatian bluebell. It is a plant native to southern Europe that is used for decoration in gardens. Its color is very beautiful and it has characteristics that make it become a very peculiar plant.
In this article we are going to explain everything you need to know about Campanula portenschlagiana and the care you need.
Key features
It is a plant of a not very large size. It is capable of reaching 25 cm in height and a meter in width if its growing conditions are adequate. Its reproduction is carried out by self-pollination. Although it can pollinate itself, since it has flowers with hermaphroditic units, it also uses anthophiles, dipterans, coleopterans and lepidopterans for this.
The leaves are evergreen and very bright green. It is kept upholstering the site all year round. This gives us a great advantage to never stop having a green carpet. It is usually used to upholster some walls, rockery gardens or low walls. One of the common names that make allusion to what is used is the bell of the walls.
The fact that it is a perennial and upholstery type plant does not mean that it is not kept in the garden for its high ornamental value. The flowering is quite beautiful and is very long-lasting. It begins in spring already approaching the summer season with more temperatures. It is able to stay in bloom throughout the summer as it is able to re-bloom several times during this time. Lilac and purple flowers abound and when they are in their maximum splendor they usually cover almost the entire vegetative part.
Flowering is so abundant from what we mentioned before that it is capable of self-pollination. If you also use external insects to pollinate, their reproduction occurs in large numbers.
Requirements of the Campanula portenschlagiana
Temperature and sunlight
This plant whose name is very difficult to pronounce needs certain requirements to act as a good floor covering plant. The truth is that it is quite resistant. However, it needs certain environmental conditions and some care so that it can show itself in all its splendor. Its evergreen leaves are thanks to the fact that they must withstand the cold winters. However, This will help us to have a tapestry of different colors depending on the time of year. We will have a green tapestry in winter and autumn and a lilac-purple tapestry on summer dates.
It is strong enough to withstand some frosts down to -10 degrees. This temperature can withstand it for a short time, but it will not be damaged at all. Thus, we should not worry too much if in our climate we are not used to having too strong frosts.
This ability to withstand frosts of those temperatures makes it ideal to be a plant in mountain areas. If you want to plant it in your field at a high altitude, I don’t think it will have many problems. Regarding sun exposure, needs semi-shade conditions. Yes it is true that it can also be in full sun, but as long as it is a somewhat cooler climate. If the climate in which we are sowing it dry and hot, for nothing in the world do you have it in full sun. It is able to last a certain time without watering itself, so we should not worry too much.
Soil type and irrigation
It is not very demanding in terms of the type of soil where we are planting it. The pH of the same does not usually cause problems in the care or in its development. It tolerates slightly acidic as well as neutral and somewhat basic soils. What is important to consider in the soil is the drainage. In order not to accumulate irrigation water, it is essential that the drainage is good with good aeration. However, the soil must be stable enough to maintain a certain degree of moisture. If we leave it completely dry, the plant will suffer a lot.
The dalmatian bell it does not tolerate puddles at all since root suffocation occurs. Therefore, we must guarantee the balance between good drainage and constant but moderate humidity. A good indicator for knowing when to water is to see that the soil begins to dry out.
If we want the plant to have a model look and grow fairly quickly, we will have to nurture the soil on our own. The dose of compost necessary for this is more than enough once or twice a year. In this way we are guaranteeing that the soil where it grows has good fertility.
Propagation and maintenance
The Campanula portenschlagiana can be propagated both by seeds and by division of the plant. Both ways of reproducing are efficient. However, if you want faster growth because you want to have everything ready before, I recommend dividing the plant. In this way, you will guarantee growth with a higher success rate and in less time. To use this propagation technique, you must wait until spring, when temperatures are higher. Practically around the time of flowering is when you can divide the bush.
As we have mentioned before, it is a plant quite resistant to pests and diseases. This helps to keep it from being too harsh to maintain. As it does not need pruning or fertilizers (except once or twice a year and if we want optimal growth), its maintenance is easy. Just we have to take into account the frequency of irrigation and the drainage of the soil.
Being a fairly resistant plant it is not usually attacked by pests or diseases. If we allow the environment to have too much humidity, we will be causing it to be attacked by some slugs and snails. In addition, other typical garden fungi such as mildew they can also do their own thing.
As you can see, the Campanula portenschlagiana It is a good choice for decoration as a wallcovering plant.
