CREEPING BELLFLOWER

WHAT'S THAT WEED? SERIES

WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?   

• Leaves have different shapes – some heart-shaped with toothed edges and others much longer.
• Multiple pretty purple flowers grow on a long upright stem, dangling from it like bells.

IS THIS PERENNIAL A PROBLEM?

• YES. The leaves, flowers and tubers are edible.
• The flowers are pretty. BUT they will TAKE OVER garden beds and lawns. 

HOW DO THEY GROW?

• Have thin roots, but below the roots is a system of thick underground STORAGE TUBERS; new plants can grow from tubers or pieces of roots/tubers.
• Send out roots sideways to create more plants – spread into dense mats that crowd out other plants. 
• A single plant can produce THOUSANDS of seeds!
• Can grow in WET or DRY soil and in SUN or SHADE.

HOW TO CONTROL CREEPING BELLFLOWER? 

• New Plants can be successfully removed – make sure to get ALL the roots!
• Established plants can be managed or killed: 
• To manage, remove NEW LEAVES and FLOWERS as soon as they appear.
• Plant dense groundcovers to compete with the bellflower; cover seeds with mulch. 
• To kill, dig out entire bed (get all the roots). Replace with fresh soil and wash the roots of plants you return to the garden. Remove regrowth from pieces of  stray roots.
  OR cover with cardboard and thick mulch (it can take several years to kill it this way).

FACTS…

• Considered an invasive weed in Alberta
• Native species of campanula can be found in the wild areas surrounding Kamloops – look for purple bell-shaped flowers.
• If you like how it looks, plant other, non-aggressive species of campanula such as campanula persicifolia (peach-leaved bellflower) or campanula carpatica. 

Sources:
Alberta Invasive Species Council. Creeping Bellflower. abinvasives.ca

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Ontario Weeds: Creeping Bellflower.

Royer, F. and Dickinson, R. Weeds of Canada and the Northern United States. 1999.

Image:  Robertson, Gordon E. Wiki Commons.