Campanula glomerata – A stunning sight in summer

On your journey past the weir to the house you’ll encounter a striking and very attractive purple flowering perennial. Over the past three weeks the number one gardening question received by our visitor reception team has been ‘what is this plant and do we sell them?’.

The plant in question is Campanula glomerata. The genus Latin name (“campanula”), meaning small bell, refers to the bell-shape of the flower, while the specific name (“glomerata”) refers to the tight grouping of the flowers at the top of the stem.

Campanula glomerata is a stunning and compact perennial herbaceous plant.

Commonly known as clustered bellflower or Dane’s blood, the species is native across Europe and Japan. In Europe it is present almost everywhere. Generally it prefers calcareous well drained soil but will tolerate most garden soils and reliably flowers from early to  late summer. It readily enjoys and thrives in full sun.

These plants will quickly form a large clump, so allow plenty of space when planting. They are also easily divided in spring or autumn. Plants may benefit from a hard clipping back immediately after blooming, to maintain a low, compact shape.

We rarely have this plant for sale unfortunately but they are very easily propagated by division so a kind word in a green-fingered friends ear may prove fruitful.

In Russian folk medicine this plant has been used to treat headaches, rheumatic pain, coughs and epilepsy.