Don't use campanulas much in mixed perennial beds.

Habit? But it's hard to forget a few highly invasive garden campanulas, notably Campanula punctata and C. takesimana.

For me cultivars of C. lactifolia, C. latifolia and related hybrids are the most useful.

Below: C.latifolia 'Brantwood' (June 22, 2013).
It's not as flashy as C. 'Kent Belle', but it's easier to manage. A good all-rounder.

Sunnyborders that's lovely, I must look for that one.

Annette

Annette, your C. primulifolia is realy beautiful. I traded for seeds of it a few years back, but the plants didn't survive their first winter (it was a bad one).

I hope you have success with it again. It is lovely.

kms

I'll, uh, third that - amazing, SB! I'm going to have to get that one for sure. I have a few campanulas I'm starting from seeds. I HAD (bold, italic, underline, underline, underline) two campanulas I got from a plant exchange two years ago... one was "lady bells" the other "cluster bells". Well the clusterbells fell victim to a windy day that knocked their little pot over, snapped it in half and it never quite recovered or came back after proper planting. The lady bells... rude puppy grabbed the little container it was in and took off with it. So I'm hoping mine will go better this year and I'll report back on them, happily (hopefully)

I grow 'Sarastro' and think it is gorgeous. For me, the plant does not spread by long stolons but the clump increases around the perimeter at an incredibly fast rate. I have very loose, sandy loam and I am not sure if that contributes to the fast multiplication! Regardless, it is a delightful and beautiful plant that is very easy to remove and/or transplant as needed.

This post was edited by ispahan on Mon, Apr 21, 14 at 11:20

I'm becoming more and more disenchanted with my C. percisifolia (Peach-Leaved Bellflower). It reseeds with wonton abandon. Sometimes I'm just not available to deadhead them right when they should be trimmed. I'm reaping the consequences of that now though...they are literally everywhere- even popping up in the middle of other plants.

The double 'La Belle' can be trusted not to become a nuisance (although it needs to be divided frequently for life-longevity)
{{gwi:210731}}

So far I also like lactiflora...
CMK

I don't have as many campanulas as I used to, some have died out and I'm having a hard time replacing them unless I grow from seed. I keep looking for cochleariifolia in the garden centers but no luck so far. I still have a non-descript glomerata for some reason it's quite well behaved, 'Sarastro' and then there's bits of poscharskyana running through some rock work, this one gets clipped back after flowering. I have one more but don't know which one it is, at least I think I still have it, after this weird winter I don't know.

Christin I think I'm in love, do you ever collect seed from 'La Belle', hint, hint, that is a real beauty.

Annette

-Annette, 'La Belle' is sterile. I'm not sure what the restrictions are to ship live plants to Canada?? I'd send you a chunk (almost mistyped that to "hunk", LOL!!) otherwise ;-)
CMK

Double darn, oh well, I'll have to keep my eyes open for 'La Belle' up my way. Now about that 'hunk' LOL.

Annette

I've got Glomerta Superba and although its pretty now and beautiful when it flowers in June it is terribly invasive--I'm afraid it's gonna strangle everything else in my bed. I don/t know how to control it short of tearing up the whole bed. Oh well--I should listen when people say a plant is invasive, but at least it's nice to look at.

I love the many campanulas; unfortunately, they are not fond our hot summers and die out after a year or three. C. poscharskyana is about the only one that toughs it out for many years, but it does not spread as quickly here as it does in other areas. I still give them garden space if I can grab some for reasonable prices for temp plants.