Seek and destroy: Beware the creeping bellflower, the attractive and invasive garden guest you can't get rid of
The creeping bellflower plant can take over yards and suck the life out of more desirable plants in a short period of time because it is extremely invasive. It’s now blooming and about to seed. Horticulturalist John Ostrowdun says now is a good time to get the word out to all Calgarians – gardeners and non-gardeners alike.
Ostrowdun says the plant's pretty appearance may trick some into believe it is harmless, “People give it to their friends, because it's a beautiful perennial, which is why it spreads as fast as it does. And once you get it, it's quite hard to get rid of.”
According to Ostrowdun once you have creeping bellflower in your garden, getting rid of it may not be easy, “It's a lot of manual labor, a lot of chemical treatment, and then just keeping up on it," he said. "I know in my own yard, when I first bought my house it took me a good five years of hard work to get it, where it's now manageable. It still pops up once in a while, I still periodically find it in my yard and I just remove it right away when I see it.”
Creeping Bellflower or campanula rapunculoides is a low-growing clumped foliage in spring and grows to one metre tall flowering spike in early summer. The plant's leaves are heart-shaped in early stage and become more lance-shaped, tooth-edged and coarse textured as they mature.
Creeping bellflower, July 21, 2021
The flowers are purple-blue, two-to-three centimetres long nodding bells and blooms begin on the plants lower stem.
According to the city of Calgary pest management website,” Once established, creeping bellflower is very difficult to remove as even the smallest tiny root fragments can grow entirely new plants. It also spreads very easily as each stem produces up to 15,000 seeds. Creeping bellflower is also resistant to some herbicides.
Creeping bellflower is also known as garden bluebell, rover bellflower, purple bell, garden harebell, creeping campanula, creeping bluebell.”
Ostrowdun said if you enjoy the look of this plant but not the way it's been taking over your yard, you do have some alternatives to consider, “(There are) some campanula that aren't as aggressive but look like this, things like delphiniums work really well, penstemons work really well, if you like that same look.” So there are quite a few options you can use in the garden to replace that plant that you may enjoy.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.