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Phacelia campanularia Blue Wonder Seeds

Phacelia campanularia Blue Wonder
Desert Bells, California Bluebell

4,0/5
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1 reviews

This young plant is very beautiful, you need to keep an eye on the sowing and water it afterwards; it self-seeded one year, it requires good garden soil.

Annie, 26/10/2022

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This plant carries a 6 months recovery warranty

More information

This phacelia is a small, bushy annual with very bright blue flowers. It is very drought resistant and can be sown in any well-drained soil in the sun, even in poor soils. It is the perfect plant for natural or low-water gardens and performs remarkably well in borders, rockeries and window-boxes in full sun.
Flower size
2 cm
Height at maturity
22 cm
Exposure
Sun
Annual / Perennial
Annual
Germination time (days)
14 days
Sowing method
Direct sowing
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Sowing period March to May
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F
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A
M
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S
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Flowering time April to July
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F
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M
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Description

Phacelia campanularia Blue Wonder is a pretty descendant of an American phacelia which is well accustomed to arid situations. This small annual plant is little known to French gardeners, but is widely planted in the flowering meadows of Southern California. It has a long flowering period displaying clusters of a dazzling blue which are made up of bouquets of campanulate flowers that bloom, depending on the climate and the date of sowing, from the beginning of spring until summer. 'Blue Wonder’ is made for natural gardens and can be inserted into perennial beds, flowering meadows, borders and sunny rock gardens. It can also be grown in pots.

 

Phacelia campanularia or desert bluebell is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Hydrophyllaceae or Boraginaceae family, depending on the classification. A very small area in Southern California (Mojave and Sonora deserts) is the birthplace of this plant, which is both charming and useful for agriculture and beekeeping. It is a desert species that grows on sandy or stony, dry, well-drained soil.

'Blue Wonder' is a more compact form of this wild plant. From spring onwards, it develops a small clump of stems covered with glandular hairs that make the plant a little sticky. It has a highly developed root system. Its growth is rapid. It is a mature adult in 3 to 4 months and does not exceed 25 cm in height and 30 cm in width. Its foliage consists of alternating, oval or rounded, dark greyish green, slightly lobed leaves with toothed margins and are often outlined with red or purple. Stems and petioles are reddish in colour, contrasting with the foliage and flowers. Plants sown in autumn (in mild climates) will flower from the end of February. Those germinating in spring, flower from June to August. The flowering is melliferous and nectar-rich. This plant produces somewhat loose clusters of several small flowers in the shape of widely open, campanulate bells that measure 1.5 to 4 cm long. Their colour is an eye-catching, gentian blue set off by purple veins and white stamens. The seeds self-seed easily in light soil. The young plants are sensitive to frost. 

Phacelia are interesting plants in more ways than one. Not only are they beautiful, they grow and flower everywhere, especially in areas where many others refuse to grow. It is a remarkable green manure in dry soils. In recent gardens or on barren slopes, they can quickly form beautiful, superbly coloured beds with other fast-growing plants such as sainfoin, indian pea, California poppies, flax or Missouri evening primrose (Oenothera missouriensis). It can also be used to border an alley, in the company of creeping thymes (Thymus hirsutus, T.ciliatus, T serpyllium...). This small plant with its incredible blue blooms is also remarkable in a nice pot on the terrace or balcony.

 

Flowering

Flower colour blue
Flowering time April to July
Inflorescence Cyme
Flower size 2 cm
Bee-friendly Attracts pollinators

Foliage

Foliage persistence Annual
Foliage colour dark green

Plant habit

Height at maturity 22 cm
Spread at maturity 30 cm
Growth rate very fast

Botanical data

Genus

Phacelia

Species

campanularia

Cultivar

Blue Wonder

Family

Hydrophyllaceae

Other common names

Desert Bells, California Bluebell

Origin

North America

Product reference859121

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Planting and care

Sow phacelia from March to June, once winter has passed, but only when the soil has been cleared of all vegetation for at least 2 months. Roughly turn over the soil, remove weeds, add compost, gravel and coarse sand to clay soil. Bury the seeds to a depth of 0.5 cm and tamp down with a rake. Water regularly. The seed must be in the dark to germinate. Germination is very easy at 10 °C but is much more random from 20 to 30 °C. Phacelia seeds are dormant for at least two months minimum after harvest. They have a shelf life of three to six years. This plant should be planted in a sunny position. It is adapts to poor, stony, sandy soils even those that are calcareous.

It can also be grown in pots on condition that is planted in good compost mixed with sand and watered more regularly.

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Sowing period

Sowing period March to May
Sowing method Direct sowing
Germination time (days) 14 days

Intended location

Suitable for Meadow, Rockery
Type of use Border, Edge of border, Container, Slope
Ease of cultivation Amateur
Exposure Sun
Soil pH Any
Soil moisture Dry soil, drainant
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