Campanula Flowers (Italian Bellflower): Trailing Blooms for Hanging Baskets

Botanical Name: Campanula isophylla

Plant Campanula in a hanging basket or tall pot and let its long stems, studded with bell-shaped blooms, spill gracefully over the sides. This trailing form is also known as Italian Bellflower, Star of Bethlehem, and Falling Stars.

This campanula is easy to grow indoors—it only demands cool air, moist soil, and indirect sunlight. Treat it right and you'll enjoy masses of violet-blue flowers from mid-to-late summer through fall.

Green Thumb Tip

Keep your Campanula away from doorways and air vents. Hot or cold drafts will scorch its leaves.

Get More Blooms Pinch off spent flowers as soon as you notice them to encourage more blooms.

Keep Your Plant It's a perennial and will flower year after year. Cut stems back close to the base in late fall or early winter after flowering. It doesn't need a cold winter period. Maintain the same temperature and light. Keep soil on the dry side until new growth appears in spring, then resume normal watering.

To Repot...or Not Repot when roots are visible at the soil surface. Wait until winter or early spring—never while blooming.

Caring for Campanula Flowers Quick Reference

Origin: Northern Italy

Height: Stems trail up to 1 ft (30 cm)

Light: Bright indirect light. Some direct winter sun is fine.

Water: Keep soil moist but not soggy during growth and flowering. Soggy soil causes root rot. After flowering, allow soil to become almost dry between waterings.

Humidity: Average room humidity

Temperature: Cool to average, 45–65°F (7–18°C)

Soil: Any good moisture-retentive potting mix. African violet mix works well.

Fertilizer: Feed every 2 weeks spring through fall with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted by half.

Propagation: Take stem tip cuttings in spring or early summer and root in water or moist potting mix.