Campanula trachelium Seeds | Nettle-leaved Bellflower
LATIN NAME: Campanula trachelium
COMMON NAME: Nettle-Leaved Bellflower
Plant Profile
Nettle-leaved bellflower is a tall woodland perennial of Europe and western Asia, growing sixty to a hundred and twenty centimetres with rough, nettle-like leaves and large, nodding violet-blue bells spaced along stiff, upright stems in midsummer.
The leaves are heart-shaped and toothed, and they really do resemble nettle leaves, though the plant has no sting. It grows in hedgebanks, woodland edges and scrub, and it is one of the finest native bellflowers for a shaded border, where its tall spikes give height without staking.
In the wild it flowers in the shade of hedges and woodland rides, and it seeds freely where the ground is disturbed.
Science & Biotechnology
The species is a standard example in botanical teaching of convergent leaf shape: it belongs to the bellflower family, yet its leaves mimic those of the unrelated stinging nettle, a resemblance thought to deter grazing animals that have learned to avoid nettles.
Research has also looked at its pollination, since the nodding bells hold nectar deep in the flower and are worked mainly by bumblebees. Woodland surveys use it as an indicator of ancient hedgebanks and long-established woodland edges, and its seed is collected for local provenance planting schemes.
Its seed is short-lived and is best sown within a year of collection.
It is one of the few bellflowers that flowers well in deep shade.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden it is a good choice for dry shade under trees, where its tall spikes of blue flowers give vertical interest in midsummer. It is also a useful cut flower, since the stems are stiff and the bells last well in water.
The plant has a folk record as a gargle for sore throats, which the name trachelium, from the Greek for throat, records. It is not used in modern medicine, but the association has kept it in herbals for centuries. In the wild it is a valuable nectar source for bumblebees in the shade of hedges.
The flowers open in succession up the stem, so a single spike stays in bloom for several weeks.
Growing from Seed
Sow on the surface of a moist mix, press in, and keep at 18-20C; light helps germination. Prick out into small pots and grow on in partial shade.
Plant out in autumn or spring in humus-rich, moist but drained soil in shade or part shade. The plant resents hot, dry sun and heavy wet clay, and it benefits from a mulch of leaf mould. It self-seeds gently in suitable spots without becoming a nuisance, and old stems should be left standing until spring for the seed heads.
Slugs are the main pest on young growth, so protect the first shoots.
Divide clumps in spring every few years to keep them young.
Our Take
Nettle-leaved bellflower brings height and blue to dry shade, which is a rare combination. Plant it where its nodding bells can be seen from below, and leave it alone.
Related Reading
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