Blue and blue bells

HomeBell-shaped FlowersBlue and blue bells

The blue color of the inflorescences of bluebells can be considered one of the characteristic features of the genus, many natural varieties have it, and a number of ornamental crops, naturally painted in white, blue or purple tones, have blue cultivars.

Such common cultures in floriculture as the Carpathian and peach-leaved bells, having garden forms with flowers of a wide variety of tones and shades, in nature are typical blue bells. They also include a number of less common, but no less interesting and attractive natural species used as garden and indoor plants. Descriptions and photos of bluebells that can be cultivated in the gardens of our country are given below:

Blue bell: photo and description of varieties

Bearded bell (C. barbata) , undersized, 4-30 cm tall, plant, inhabitant of the subalpine belt of the mountainous regions of the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Goblet-bell-shaped drooping flowers up to 3 cm long are painted in pale blue and collected in a wide paniculate or racemose inflorescence, appear in June-July.

Bellflower (C. cochleariifolia) , another compact, up to 10 cm high, European species, perennial with creeping stems, small rounded leaves and pale blue drooping flowers.

Bell perforated (C. fenestrellata) , found in the Balkans and the Mediterranean, grows up to 30 cm. A perennial plant with long-petiolate heart-shaped leaves and large, about 3 cm in diameter, star-shaped flowers, the corolla petals of which are strongly dissected. This bluebell blooms profusely and for a long time, from June to September.

Bell brittle (C. fragilis) , whose homeland is Italy, is a low-growing perennial with creeping shoots up to 30 cm long and small, ovoid at the ends, or larger, heart-shaped leaves at the base.

Bell-shaped flowers with fused petals, blue with a light center, up to 3.5 cm in diameter, bloom at the ends of the stems singly or in pairs. As you can see in the photo, the blue bell of this species is very decorative , used in indoor floriculture as an ampel culture.

Pyramidal bell (C. pyramidalis) , tall, up to 1.5 m, perennial plant, in which a smooth, hairless stem carries green, jagged leaves along the edge and pyramidal inflorescences of pale blue flowers that bloom in June-July.

Parry’s bell (C. parryi) is a North American species that grows in the western United States in subalpine and alpine meadows. An easy-to-cultivate plant that grows by means of thin creeping rhizomes. Forms dense sods of leaves and stems about 15 cm high, on which blue star-shaped funnel-shaped flowers bloom.

Bluebell flowers and their popular varieties

Bluebells are also widespread; they are found not only among species plants, but also among numerous varieties of ornamental varieties that naturally have flowers of other shades. Below are descriptions of the natural types of bluebell used in floriculture, photos of some common crops.

Gargan bell (C. garganica) is a shade-tolerant perennial with creeping or rising shoots that form a compact, up to 15 cm tall, bush. It blooms profusely, bright blue star-shaped flowers with outstretched petals, up to 4 cm in diameter, appear in mid-summer.

Sarmatian bell (C. sarmatica) is a little-known, but very decorative Caucasian species. Perennial, growing up to 40 cm, with drooping pubescent stems and a rosette of gray-green densely felt leaves.

The flowers are blue bells, collected in loose racemes, with a pleasant honey aroma. The culture is perfectly adapted to the conditions of the middle lane, can grow both in the sun and in partial shade, hibernates without shelter. Blooms profusely all summer.

Bell ciliate (C. ciliate var. tipica) , another endemic of the Caucasus. Perennial with low (7-15 cm) single-flowered shoots and dense sessile rosettes of linear-lanceolate leaves, blooms in June-July. Drought-resistant highly decorative look.

Alpine bellflower (C. alpestris) , undersized compact (5-10 cm) alpine perennial, forming rosettes of rough leaves and disproportionately large, up to 4.5 cm long, blue cylindrical flowers that bloom during the summer. In the middle climatic zone, it winters well, although it suffers from dampness. Requires well-drained sites.

Uemura’s bell (C. uyemurae) grows on Sakhalin. It is a perennial up to 15 cm tall with simple or slightly branching stems, elliptical leaves and dark blue flowers up to 3 cm in diameter, blooming at the ends of the shoots singly or in several pieces, collected in a corymbose inflorescence.

It blooms in mid-summer, requires a sunny location, well-drained soil and regular moisture.

Hill bell (C. collina) is a perennial species found in alpine and near-alpine meadows of the Caucasus and mountainous regions of Western Asia. It grows up to 30 cm, has straight thin leafy stems, rosettes of basal petiolate oval serrated leaves and blue flowers up to 2 cm in diameter collected in a brush. It blooms in June-July, it is winter hardy.

Shaggy bellflower (C. lasiocarpa) , a representative of the arctic alpine flora that lives in Alaska, Canada, the north of the Far East, Japan, Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands. Compact perennial growing up to 10-15 cm, forming loose curtains of straight stems and lanceolate serrated leaves. The flowers are large, funnel-shaped, up to 4 cm long, bloom at the ends of the shoots one at a time in June-July. Unpretentious culture for alpine slides and rocky gardens.

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