Help!Campanula,need advise still,what should I do?
Question:I have a ground cover campanula that has become very long stemmed and sloppy. How can i get it back to the regular 3-6" that it is supposed to be? If we use clippers on it to make it shorter is that a good or bad idea. My husband is going to tear it out if there is no way to tidy it up, it was so beautiful last year. Thanks so much!
Answers:
Yes, you can cut it back to produce a more compact plant. Typically you would do this in late May.
Also, are you fertilizing. Some perennials get leggy when fertilized. Cut back or eliminate your fertilizer applications if using Campanula carpatica (Blue Clips, White Clips, etc.) as this plant prefers sandy, low fertile soils. Most other Campanula prefer a more fertile soil and can benefit from a reasonable, yearly application of a balanced (10-10-10), slow release fertilizer. Use of high nitrogen fertilizers can produce leggy perennials.
Another reason for a plant to get leggy is lack of sun. Campanula carpatica prefers full sun (6 hours) with protection from the late, hot afternoon sun. Is it getting enough sun?
I usually hate to give such generic answers, but there are over 300 varieties of campanula. You might want to find out the specific variety to verify that it was supposed to remain 3-6". I have planted 4 different varieties and the first year they are beautiful and compact and the next year they may be long and leggy. I do trim the spend blooms back. If hubby is going to get rid of it anyway, then cut it back and see what happens. I am betting that it will put on new growth and bloom again. Good Luck!
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