Bellflowers, botanically known as Campanula ssp., are long-blooming herbaceous perennials with a relaxed and old-fashioned character. The masses of flowers in shades of blue and white are held above long stems in a lazy, nodding manner that complements most garden designs. Use low-growing bellflowers to edge the front of a garden border or add color to a mixed seasonal container. Taller types are lovely in cottage gardens and perennial borders. The long bloom time makes them useful for attracting pollinators to food crops in a kitchen garden.
Bellflowers tolerate a wide range of growing conditions, but prefer average garden soil with a neutral pH and average moisture levels. Plant them in full sun for the best flower display. Most bellflowers are moderate self-seeders, but seedlings are easy to edit in the early spring.
Photo by Mark Wordy, unmodified, Flickr, copyright CC BY 2.0
Shrubs To Plant With Bellflower
Bellflowers make a lush and colorful understory for deciduous and evergreen shrubs. For a long color display, plant a backdrop of dwarf juniper and spruce in gold and blue hues to highlight the blue flowers of bellflower. Spring and early summer bloomers like lilacs, hydrangeas, shrub roses, and red twig dogwood thrive in the same conditions as bellflower and often have overlapping bloom times.
Perennials To Plant With Bellflower
Bellflowers grow well in full sun to part shade alongside a wide range of perennials. For partially shaded gardens, consider foxglove, hellebore, ferns, hostas, wild ginger, and astilbe. For full sun locations, plant bellflower with shasta daisy, lamb’s ear, dianthus, coreopsis, and daylilies. The naturally compact and mounded shape of bellflowers fills in empty spots after early spring bulbs die back for the season; the added color lasts well into the fall.
Photo by Mark Wordy, unmodified, Flickr, copyright CC BY 2.0
Annuals To Plant With Bellflowers
Hardy annuals like pansies, violas, nIgella, English marigolds, and California poppies bloom as bellflower emerges in the spring. Summer-blooming annuals like zinnias, cosmos, wax begonias, gerbera daisy, and zonal geraniums have strong foliage shapes and colorful flowers that contrast with the cool blues of bellflower. Like bellflower, these annuals grow in average soils with moderate moisture levels.
Although bellflowers do not need much fertilizer, they tolerate the regular feeding schedule of annual bedding plants. Diluted, liquid feeds are easy to apply strategically to certain plants and avoid over-fertilizing the whole bed.
Best Companion Plants For Bellflowers in Containers
Bellflower makes both a great thriller and filler plant in containers, window boxes, and even large hanging baskets. Use a monotone color palette of white or blue flowers for a relaxing, sophisticated statement. Tall bellflower looks stunning surrounded by blue lobelia and Japanese painted ferns. Use silver Dichondra vine to harmonize the tones and spill over the sides. Other great filler and spiller plants like ivy-leaf and zonal geraniums, creeping zinnias, and calibrachoa look amazing with the refreshing white of bellflowers to tie together an eclectic mix of plants.
Mixed containers will require regular watering, especially during the hottest days of summer. Only allow the top 1-2 inches of potting mix to dry between waterings.
Plants Not To Grow With Bellflower
Although bellflowers happily grow alongside most shrubs and perennials, plants that thrive in hot and dry climates or submerged soils make poor companions. Avoid pairing bellflower with succulents, cacti, aloes, and agave, which thrive in lean and dry soils. Water lovers like cattails, papyrus reed, juncus rush, and marsh marigolds also grow poorly with bellflower, as they prefer boggy conditions.
Best Plants To Grow With Bellflowers
Bellflowers are a must-grow perennial for any gardener seeking a relaxed, flower-filled garden. Traditional cottage garden plants like delphiniums, roses, hydrangeas, and dianthus are natural companions and sure to please the eye. Make sure to include spring-blooming bulbs, which happily grow side by side with bellflowers in partial or full sun.