Rapido Blue Carpathian Bellflower - 72-Cell Plug Tray

Rapido Blue is one of the earliest Carpathian bellflowers to bloom, covering itself in wide, cup-shaped violet-blue flowers starting in late spring. It is vigorous and uniform, forming a neat little clump just 5 to 7 inches tall.

With regular deadheading it keeps flowering through much of summer. Use it for edging, in rock gardens, along walls or in small containers where its open blue cups can be enjoyed close up.

What it looks like

A small, compact clump about 5 to 7 inches tall and 5 to 8 inches wide. Leaves are small, heart-shaped to oval, under an inch long, dark green with finely toothed edges. Wide, upward-facing, cup-shaped flowers 1.5 to 2 inches across in violet-blue with a lighter blue center and fine darker veins stand on short, thin stems just above the foliage. At peak bloom the flowers nearly cover the leaves, forming a dome of open blue cups.

Growing it with lavender

It handles sun and drainage like lavender and makes a low blue edging at the front of a lavender bed, though it will want a drink during long dry spells.

Care

Give it full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil; a little afternoon shade helps in hot spells. Hardy in zones 3-8. Snip off spent flowers to keep new buds coming, and divide in spring every few years if the center thins.

At a glance

• Botanical name: Campanula carpatica
• Flower color: Violet blue with a lighter center
• Foliage: Dark green
• Growth habit: Small, compact clump
• Mature size: 5–7 in tall × 5–8 in wide
• USDA hardiness zones: 3–8
• Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
• Bloom start: Early-June
• Peak bloom: Late-June
• Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
• Deer resistance: Resistant
• Pollinator value: Good

Sizes and shipping

One full 72-cell plug tray: 72 young starter plugs of this variety (cells about 1⅓ in. wide × 2½ in. deep), rooted and ready to pot up into quarts or gallons. Best for growers and nurseries. Potted plants and plug trays ship during our live-plant seasons, March 1–May 31 and October 1–November 30; June through September is local pickup only. Plugs, potted plants and trays do not ship to AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, UT or WA.