Campanula persicifolia Alba

Campanula persicifolia 'Alba' is none other than the white version of the pretty peach-leaved bellflower that populates so many old gardens. This simple plant,  which shows only a modest rosette of leaves in winter, takes off in summer when it blossoms for several weeks with charming bell-shaped, pure white flowers. It is a truly accommodating perennial, low-maintenance and very hardy, happy in all regions. It is also an excellent cut flower, perfect in romantic and pure compositions. 

Campanula persicifolia belongs to the family of bellflowers. It is native to southern and eastern Europe and temperate Asia, where its natural habitat is often wooded and hilly. It is a popular perennial, forming tall and sturdy stems 60 to 80 centimetres (24 to 32 inches) high when in flower and a clump of leaves 30 centimetres (12 inches) wide. The large bell-shaped flowers are magnificent, simple and bright white, and bloom from June to August if faded flowers are regularly removed. Blooming for 3 months makes it a precious transitional perennial. In dry regions, flowering stops in summer while the plant goes dormant, elsewhere it will continue uninterrupted. Its semi-evergreen foliage is dark green, with lanceolate leaves resembling peach leaves, hence its name. This plant spreads through underground rhizomes without becoming invasive. Self-seeding is not uncommon.

The 'Alba' peach-leaved bellflower will always be welcome in a white garden or a wildflower bed. It goes well with columbines, snapdragons, foxgloves, and annual or perennial poppies. To use it as ground cover, plant 6 plants per m². It can also be used in flower beds or rock gardens. Combine it with julienne des dames, yarrow 'Salmon Beauty', add a touch of grey: ludoviciana artemisia or Stachys byzantina and enjoy the show. It is also a plant that produces wonderful flowers for bouquets, combined with roses and peonies, for example.

About bellflowers:

In bellflowers, the rootstock produces white stolons spreading underground in all directions ensuring the long-term survival of the plant. The numerous erect stems that arise from this rootstock or stolons can be fertile or sterile. Thus, when one sees a large population of bellflowers, it is often only the clones of a single individual. On the other hand, different species of bellflowers hybridize very easily with each other and are often accompanied by a whole range of intermediate forms, which makes them interesting for horticulturists.