Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Cultivation => Cultivation Problems => Topic started by: ValerieM on August 07, 2010, 07:00:25 PM
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Does anyone have experience or info on the cultivation of Campanula cretica? I believe it is aka Symphyandra cretica. I started some from AGS seed in February - fortunately we had a few days that month that hit zero and did the trick for germination. The seedlings have many leaves now and I have planted the first one in a crevice on the edge of my rockery (south side of building, sloping north) where it gets morning to midday sun, then some shade from a big power pole during the heat of the day.
Again a question of should it have a glass or hat for the winter?
Any advice or pictures would be appreciated.
Best regards to the forum.
ValerieM
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I grew them in SW Washington state. They germinate easily at 60-70F. I did not give them any protection over the winter, and they had 100% survival. In the second summer, they made bushy plants two feet tall, with hundreds of blue bells for several weeks. But the plants died after blooming. I believe they are biennial. Another very strange thing: they did not set any seed. There are plenty of pollinating insects in my area, so this surprised me.
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I have grown it for three years in my garden, in a well drained sunny place. Last summer it has had a lot of flowers but this spring it has disappeared. I collected its seeds and I have sown them at the begining of March ; they have pushed up in 10 days indoors
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Great! I have some young plants from AGS seed 2010. Those I planted out have come through the winter OK after 'disappearing' for a while. Those in pots waiting to be planted out also OK - it must be VERY hardy after the last winter. Looking forward to that display of flowers.
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Several arching stems near 25 cm long with many cute light blue flowers Tony ;) I'm glad having been able to grow its "children", l love it ;D
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Thank you, everyone, for the further intel on Campanula / Symphyandra cretica. My plant has come back this spring too. It didn't flower last year, having just been started from seed - and having been pruned repeatedly by deer. I propped a cloche over it with a couple of inches between cloche and ground for air circulation, for the winter and have now replaced with a wire cage - again to keep the island deer off. It is growing well.
The picture you posted, Gene (thank you for doing that), shows a plant very like Symphyandra zanzegura, which bloomed its head off for me all last summer. That plant shows no signs of life so far this spring, so I am glad I collected and started seed, as maybe it has reached the end of its life. Do you find that the bud of S. cretica inflates like a little balloon before it opens and the petals curl back? That is how S. zanzegura behaves. I will look on my old computer and see if I have a photo that I can post for comparison sake.
Best wishes to your all and happy rock gardening !!
Valerie Melanson
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Hello all,
Well I found three photos on my old computer of Symphyandra zanzegura. I have adjusted them to be minimal kg, so hope they show enough detail and that all three are attached okay.
Valerie
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Nope, only the one photo showed up, so am trying again.