Bluebell medium: growing from seed, when planted in seedlings

Bluebell medium is an ornamental plant with simple requirements for care and cultivation. You can plant it in any garden, and subject to simple rules, the biennial will delight you with abundant flowering.

General description of the middle bell

Medium bell (lat. Campanula medium) is a herbaceous biennial plant. The stem of the culture is erect, covered with stiff hairs. The basal leaves are sessile and oval-lanceolate in shape, and the stem leaves are broadly lanceolate, rich green in color. In the first year of cultivation, it gives a leaf rosette near the surface of the earth, which dies off in winter, and in spring long shoots appear at the same place, ending in inflorescences. After flowering in the second autumn, the biennial dies off.

The middle bell is a biennial that dies off after flowering in the second season.

It reaches 50-100 cm in height, up to 50 cm in diameter, the bush is quite compact and does not fall apart. It grows quickly, but the extra space in the garden does not capture and does not belong to aggressive cultures.

From June to early September it brings upside-down glass-shaped buds with petals slightly wavy at the edges, curving outward. By type, the flowers of the middle bell can be ordinary or double, reach a length of about 7 cm and form lush inflorescences of 45-50 pieces. The color scheme is mostly cold and consists of white, blue, pink, purple and blue hues. The decorative period usually lasts a month or longer, and the splendor is determined by the growing conditions, the culture gives the maximum number of flowers in sunny places with moderate moisture.

The flowers of the middle bell are usually of a characteristic goblet shape.

The middle bell prefers to grow in well-lit areas, where it shows a maximum of decorativeness. In the shade, the biennial develops worse, although it can bloom longer in time. The frost resistance of the plant allows it to withstand winter colds down to -30-35 ° C.

The middle bluebell grows ubiquitously throughout the world in temperate zones. It can be seen in the south of Europe and North America, in the Central part of Our Country, in the Urals and in Western Siberia. It occurs mainly on well-lit edges and meadows, as well as in the foothills and on rocky slopes.

Top Grades

The middle bell is represented not only by natural forms, but also by decorative varieties. They are distinguished by especially lush flowering and brightly decorate the landscape.

Bell medium Terry

Type Terry – the most popular varietal mixture for lovers of a biennial plant. It reaches a height of 80 cm, in June it brings multi-petalled flowers in voluminous pyramidal inflorescences of pink, white and purple hues. Keeps fresh for a long time in the cut, about 2 weeks.

Bell buds of medium Terry in diameter reach 8 cm

Bluebell medium Mix of colors

Another varietal mix comes in packages with seeds of different colors. As a rule, these are terry varieties up to 1 m tall, entering the decorative period from July to early autumn. The shades of the buds can be white, blue, pink and purple, with the help of a medium terry bell A mixture of colors can make a bright multi-colored flower bed.

A mixture of colors – a ready-made set of seeds of different colors

Carminrose

Medium bell Carmine Rose is a variety with a height of about 80 cm and rich pink buds. Flowering occurs from July to early September, when wilted inflorescences are removed, it becomes especially plentiful and long.

The buds of the Carminrosa variety reach 7 cm in length and width.

Rosea

Rosea rises up to 80 cm above the soil and produces pink flowers from June to September. The buds are long, up to 7 cm, stand for a long time in the cut, freshness lasts for 12 days.

Rosea prefers well-lit areas

Snezana

The average Snezhana bell belongs to high grades and rises to 70 cm. It enters the period of maximum decorativeness at the beginning of summer, brings large white buds up to 8 cm in diameter. Looks best in sunny beds.

Snezhana can bloom profusely until autumn when dried shoots are removed

Funny gramophones

Varietal mix Cheerful gramophones from the manufacturer Aelita is a package of medium bell seeds with different colors. Biennials grow up to 70-80 cm, in June and July they bring buds of white, blue and purple flowers.

The buds of Merry Gramophones look like inverted cups with widely divergent petals.

Cup and saucer

Varietal group Cup with a saucer from the domestic manufacturer SeDek is a mixture of white, blue and pink medium bells. Plant height is about 80 cm.

Medium bluebells Cup and saucer bloom from early summer until July

Dream

Dream is another variety from SeDek. A tall biennial reaches 80 cm above ground level, in June and July it brings large, goblet-shaped pink buds.

Flowers near the middle bell Dream are collected in pyramidal inflorescences up to 35 cm long

Raspberry Jingle

A mixture of seeds Raspberry ringing from the manufacturer Garden – these are terry bells of white, pink and blue shades. In height, biennials grow up to 75 cm, bloom profusely from July to September.

Raspberry ringing is distinguished by decorative glass-type buds with curved edges of the petals.

Crimson Rose

Biennial medium bell Crimson rose is a tall ornamental plant up to 80 cm. It blooms in June and July. The flowers of the variety are goblet-shaped, pale pink, with bright yellow stamens in the core.

If you remove the old buds from the Crimson Rose variety in time, flowering will last until the end of summer.

Application in design

When arranging a garden, a biennial is used both independently and in combination with other plants. The photo of the middle bell Mixture of colors shows that it and other varieties are used:

• as part of flower beds, mixborders and alpine slides;
  
  

  Medium bell goes well with low perennials in flower beds

• for the design of walking paths;
  
  

  The middle bell planted along the path focuses attention on it

• for the formation of artistic borders;
  
  

  When planted tightly, the blooming medium bluebell looks very attractive.

• for growing in flowerpots.
  
  

  The medium bluebell can be grown in a pot on the terrace

You can combine a biennial with marigolds and phloxes, roses and carnations, clematis and astilbes. The culture feels comfortable next to any perennials that prefer light and moderate moisture.

The biennial is not recommended to be planted in close proximity to trees and tall shrubs. The flower will not be able to show the maximum decorativeness and, moreover, will be forced to compete for water and nutrients.

Methods of reproduction

A two-year-old middle bell is propagated by two methods:

• seeds;
• cuttings.

Despite the fact that the shoots of the second year are suitable for cuttings, the seed method is practiced much more often. The seed material of the middle bell sprouts easily and quickly.

Growing a medium bellflower from seeds

Usually, a biennial plant is germinated first at home, and already formed seedlings are transferred to open ground. Seedling care is not particularly difficult, but it is important to know the algorithm:

1. The cultivation of an average terry bell from seeds is started in the fall, at the end of October. Wooden or plastic containers are filled with a suitable soil mixture consisting of turf, sand and rotted leaves, taken in a ratio of 6: 1: 3, and then watered abundantly.
   
   

   The soil mixture for seedlings of the middle bell should be nutritious and loose.

2. Seeds are distributed over the surface of the soil, slightly pressed into it and sprinkled with a thin layer of sand. The box is covered with polyethylene or glass to create greenhouse conditions, and placed in a dry, dark place at a temperature of about 20 ° C.
   
   

   At first, seedlings are kept in greenhouse conditions under a film

3. From time to time, the shelter is removed from the container to ventilate and moisten the soil from the spray gun. After about 14 days, the first sprouts appear, after which the box can be rearranged into the light.
   
   

   After the appearance of real sprouts, the film is removed and the amount of light is increased.

When the seedlings release true leaves and stretch about 3 cm, they will need to be dived – transplanted with a distance of about 15 cm between individual shoots. After that, the seedlings of the middle bell are again cleaned for 10 days in a shaded place, not forgetting to moisten the soil from time to time.

Biennials can be moved to the site at the end of May, when the return frosts are finally left behind. Since the plant will develop rapidly, when planting in the ground, 30 cm of free space is left between individual flowers.

Planting a medium bell in the ground

In open soil, the middle bell is planted both by seeds and cuttings. In both cases, the procedure is carried out at the end of May after the final heat is established.

A place for a biennial is selected sunny, open, light partial shade is also allowed. The soil the plant requires is not heavy, but fertile, with neutral acidity and good drainage. Before planting a biennial, it is recommended to mix it with sand and humus:

1. If we are talking about growing a mixture of colors or another variety from the seeds of an average bell, then the planting material is slightly deepened in the selected area into the ground and sprinkled with dry sand. Then the bed is shaded and the covering material is stretched over it. Shoots appear after 2 weeks, and after another 7 days they can be planted with a distance of 15 cm.
   
   

   In the ground in the garden, the middle bell is usually planted with seeds too.

2. If the biennial is rooted with a cutting, then the shoot is lowered into a shallow hole, covered with the remnants of the soil and properly tamped, and then watered abundantly and covered with a film or jar for a week. It is not necessary to keep the middle bell in water beforehand; you can bury it in the ground immediately after cutting.
   
   

   You can root the middle bell with cuttings taken in the second year.

Aftercare

Further care for the middle bell comes down to a few mandatory measures:

1. Watering. Although the biennial does not like swampiness, it also grows poorly on overdried soil. It is necessary to moisten the plant as the soil dries out, special attention must be paid to it in the summer heat.
2. Feeding. In the second year of life, a two-year-old middle bell can be fertilized with nitrogenous minerals in the spring, and during flowering, phosphorus and potassium can be added to the soil.
3. Loosening and mulching. So that the soil at the roots of the plant does not turn sour, once every 2 weeks it must be carefully loosened a few centimeters deep. At the same time, this will help get rid of weeds that often appear next to the middle bell. To preserve moisture and maintain cleanliness, the site can be mulched with a layer of 5 cm; straw, rotted manure or fallen leaves are used as the material.

The soil in the flowerbed with bells must be loosened so that the soil passes air

In the second year of development of the middle bell, its flower-bearing shoots must be tied to supporting pegs. Under the weight of the inflorescences, the stems can bend, and even break with strong gusts of wind.

Preparation for winter

At the end of September, the middle bell begins to prepare for the winter. First of all, it is necessary to cut the biennial shoots flush with the ground, and mulch the flower bed with peat, which will serve as top dressing and a warming layer at the same time. The thickness of the cover must be at least 10 cm.

Diseases and pests

The average bluebell rarely suffers from diseases and insects. But in a cloudy rainy summer, with a lack of sun, it can be damaged:

• powdery mildew;
  
  

  With powdery mildew, the leaves are covered with a white bloom, and the middle bell develops worse

• rust;
  
  

  With rust, bright red spots appear on the leaves of the middle bell

• gray rot.
  
  

  With gray rot, both the stems and the upper parts of the shoot rot in the middle bell

For the treatment of ailments, copper sulfate or the drug Fundazol is usually used. The plant is sprayed when symptoms appear and twice more subsequently with an interval of 2-3 weeks.

Of the pests for the biennial are dangerous:

• slippery;
  
  

  Slugs in wet weather eat leaves and can kill a bush of an average bluebell

• aphid.
  
  

  Aphids feed on juices and can densely stick around the leaves and stems of an average bell.

To cope with insects, you can use pepper infusion or insecticides Aktara and Aktellik. As a prophylaxis for slugs, superphosphate is scattered around the biennial.

Conclusion

Bluebell medium – a plant with a short life cycle, but very beautiful flowering. Planting a crop in a summer cottage is not difficult, and care comes down to periodic watering and loosening the soil.

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