Bell

Description. The bell received its name for the bell-shaped corolla. The genus includes about 300 species, of which more than 100 are introduced into the culture. Among them, one-, two- and perennials.

Perennial bells are the most decorative and most often used for gardening, they differ in the variety of sizes and shapes, the elegance of flowers, the brightness of the color of the corolla. Bells are very decorative, and without them seldom does any garden.

Different kinds of bells differ in appearance, flower shape and bush structure, but they all have a number of common features. The bells form bushes with straight sturdy peduncles, the flowers are located in the upper part of the peduncle, forming a racemose inflorescence. The flowering is prolonged and continues until the last bud in the inflorescence dissolves.

Bells are used in any mixed planting, with their gentle romantic appearance they soften any combination, bring the spirit of the field bouquet into the floral combinations, are irreplaceable for decorative country-style plantations. Tall varieties can be planted as a composite base in the center of the flower bed or flower brooch. Small bells are used for group landings for curbs( bell bored, bell of Carpathian), for rockeries( bell of Carpathian, low forms of bell bored).Bells are a wonderful material for cutting, they remain fresh in water up to 10-12 days.

Cultivation and care. The bells are undemanding for soils, but they blossom better and develop on well-treated, drained, loose with sufficient nutrition and watering soils. Forest species( nettle-grass, persicolinate and broad-leaved) develop well both on open and in shaded areas. In general, all bells are preferable to plant in light shade, since in the sun with a lack of moisture, the duration of their flowering dramatically decreases. Tall species, with high inflorescences after flowering, significantly lose their decorative effect. Therefore, after flowering, inflorescences are cut completely or shortened.

Species

Bellflower hawthorn is a bushy plant up to 1 m high. Numerous straight stems are covered with short hard hairs. Leaves are rough, dentate, lower - long-petioled. Flowers are blue-violet, 1-3 in the axils of the leaves, collected in a brush up to 45 cm long. Blooms from late June to mid-July.

The bell-shaped bell forms a compact bush of elegant form. From the rosette of the basal lanceolate hibernating leaves, in the middle of summer, slender, erect erect unbranched stems with a height of 60-100 cm rise with smaller linear-lanceolate dark green leaves than rosette leaves. The corolla of the flower is broadly campanulate 3-3.5 cm in width. There are unusually beautiful garden forms with double flowers, as well as with flowers of crown form. The bell has been blooming since June, almost all summer. This species belongs to the number of juveniles, that is, the bush lives 2-3 years, so it is necessary to sow the seeds and update the planting.

Bellflower broadleaf is a tall plant, stems erect in height 70-120 cm, covered with medium-sized bright green leaves. Radical leaves are large, up to 12 cm long and 6 cm wide, along the edge serrate, long-petiolate. Flowers large with pedicels, located in the sinuses of the upper leaves one by one, form a narrow, almost spicate-shaped brush. The flower is funnel-shaped, up to 6 cm in length, violet, blue, blue or white. There are garden forms with double flowers. Blooms in July.

Bell bored - one of the most common bells with a thick, often rustic rhizome and numerous leafy upright stems. The height of the plant is from 15 to 80 cm. The leaves are dense, the basal and lower stem leaves are long-petiolate, ovate-oblong, the upper ones are sessile, smaller and narrower. Inflorescences located at the ends, consist of apical and axillary flower heads. Corolla dark purple, blue or white. Blooms from June to mid-August. Especially decorative varieties Alba with white flowers and Captive with double flowers.

The bells of the Carpathian are distinguished by thin, low, dense, often curved, leafy stalks up to 30 cm high. The plant forms a compact bush of a spherical shape. Basal leaves long-petiolate, cordate-round, larger than cauline leaves. Flowers are single, funnel-shaped, campanulate, blue or white. The root system is fibrous. In the wild it grows in the mountains. The plant is very tender.

In arid weather, watering is required. Roses with a massive inflorescence are tied to pegs.

All bells are mostly propagated by seeds. Seeds can be sown in autumn or spring in the soil or in boxes in the greenhouse. Seedlings grow very slowly, they have to be dived twice and nurtured on a ridge. Seedlings are bush, therefore they are planted at a distance of 35-40 cm from each other. They bloom for the second year. Vegetative reproduction is carried out by dividing the bush. Large bushes are divided in early May or in August and planted, depending on the species at a distance of 45-50 cm. Bells are divided and transplanted for the 5th year. The exception is a perennial bell, which must be divided no later than the 3rd year.

Almost all types and varieties of bells can be plentiful sowing, forest species even weed.

To prolong the period of flowering and preserve decorativeness, do not allow the formation of seeds, removing the faded flowers. The bell is very wintery, does not require shelter for the winter. Diseases were noted: viral and nematode, root rot and of the root collar( caused by fungi), rust and powdery mildew on the leaves. They are harmed by aphids, slobbering pen-nitsa and slugs.