Common Name: Serbian bellflower
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Campanulaceae
Native Range: Southeastern Europe
Zone: 3 to 8
Height: 0.50 to 1.00 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Bloom Time: May to June
Bloom Description: Lavender-blue
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy
Tolerate: Deer
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Prefers part shade in hot summer climates. Performs best with regular moisture. Does not do well in climates where nighttime temperatures consistently remain above 70°F. Spreads quickly from root crowns by prostrate stems, but is generally easily controlled since stems can be easily trimmed to control growth. May be grown from seed. Clumps may be divided in spring. Foliage is semi-evergreen to evergreen in warm winter climates.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Campanula poscharskyana, commonly called Serbian bellflower, is a prostrate, sprawling perennial which typically forms a low, mounding ground cover to 4-6" tall (less frequently to 12"). Campanulate, lilac-blue flowers with flaring, star-shaped lobes (to 1" wide) appear in loose panicles along the stems in late spring. Long-stalked, oval-rounded to cordate, medium green leaves (to 1.5"). Native to the northern Balkans, including, as the common name suggests, Serbia.
Genus name comes from the Latin campana meaning bell in reference to the bell-shaped flowers.
Specific epithet honors Gustav Adolf Poscharsky (1832-1914), head gardener in Dresden, Germany.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Snails and slugs are occasional visitors.
Uses
Rock gardens. Sprawl over walls or along banks. Edging for paths or border fronts.