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BELLFLOWER
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Bellflowers constitute a widely divergent genus, Campanula, of flowering herbaceous PLANTS belonging to the Campanulaceae family. They produce bell- or wheel-shaped, usually blue flowers. The blue varieties are called bluebells. Bellflowers vary greatly in size. Campanula caespitosa is a tiny plant that is commonly used in rock gardens. C. pyramidalis is a garden perennial that grows to heights of 1.5 m (5 ft) or more.
A few bellflowers bloom in May, but most bloom in June and July, and some last into August. Many bellflowers are perennials, although some are annuals or biennials. The wide diversity of types in the genus makes some species of this flower adaptable to almost every flower garden.
Some desirable species are C. carpatica, Carpathian harebell, which grows to 45.7 cm (18 in) in height and has upright blue-lilac bells; C. garganica, a trailing plant that spreads into broad tufts, and whose flowers are wide blue bells with five petal-like points; C. glomerata, which produces closely clustered, blue, funnel-shaped flowers; C. persicifolia, peach-leaved harebell, which grows to a height of 60 to 90 cm (2 to 3 ft) and produces violet-blue, bell-like flowers in June and July; and C. rotundifolia, bluebells of Scotland, a compact plant that sends up thin stems bearing blue, bell-shaped flowers.
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