Symphyandra pendula

Symphyandra pendula is a curious plant very like bellflowers which is little known to gardeners, even though it is hardy, floriferous and easy to grow in ordinary soil. It is a short-lived perennial which sometimes dies from flowering too much, which is why it is often grown as a biennial. Its leafy stems are initially prostrate, then straighten up and produce countless small pendulous flowers, in the form of white-cream bells, throughout the summer. Robust and undemanding, it self-seeds abundantly almost everywhere, in sun and shade, in the open ground and in pots.

Symphyandra pendula, or Campanula ossetica, belongs to the bellflower family. It is a botanical species native to the Caucasus and northern Russia. This herbaceous perennial forms a clump of leafy stems 40 to 60 cm (16 to 24in) tall, with a minimum spread of 40 cm (16in). Its green, solid stems run along the ground for about 10 cm (4in), then straighten up towards the sky. They bear triangular, 13 to 15 cm (5 to 6in) long, wide, elongated heart-shaped, light green, velvety leaves with toothed edges. The flowering period extends from July to October, resulting in numerous seeds that exhaust the plant. The pendulous flowers resemble white-cream bellflowers, 2 to 3 cm (1in) long, sheathed in a green calyx, and arranged in dense, pendulous clusters at the tips of the stems and continuously renew themselves.

Symphyandra pendula may not be as colourful as some varieties of large-flowered bellflowers, but it is a very easy-going and floriferous plant. It will find a place in a natural garden, self-seeding randomly in perennial beds, in the shade of trees and in sunny borders. It can be associated with Caucasian forget-me-nots, Amur river pinks, or perennial geraniums 'Blue Cloud' or 'Nimbus'. Heucheras (Heuchera 'XXL', Heuchera 'Coral Cloud'), and saxifrages (Saxifraga umbrosa) will also be good companions in moist soil. It is a good plant for a moist, semi-shaded rockery. It can be admired up close in a large pot or overflowing hanging basket.