campanulas

	Heather asked about starting campanulas from seed. For a number
of years, my husband and I grew about 1500 plants (mainly rock garden
perennials), including a number of campanula species, from seed each
winter in our cool basement here in zone 5b.
	We used a sterile soil mix called Pro-Mix, two parts of this
with one part of sharp builder's sand.  We would always wet the six
packs of soil (before sowing) with HOT tap water.  We'd sow the seeds on
top of the soil if they were very small (campanula seeds are tiny) and
then sprinkle some turkey grit on top of that.  For the FIRST watering
(and ONLY the first time), we would also use HOT tap water to get the
soil warmed well, watering from the bottom by soaking.
	From then on, the seeded six packs were just about six inches or
so under fluourescent lights (on a 14 hour timer) in a cool 50-60
degrees F basement.  We had the six packs inside plastic sweater boxes
with clear lids, so we'd leave the lids on, or partially on if it seemed
like it was getting too moist, under the sprouts showed. 	Usually,
for most open garden campanulas, we had germination within two weeks.
Then we'd water with room temperature water (and later a little tiny bit
of dilute Peters fertilizer), using a fine mister, and we would raise
the level of the lights as the seedlings got taller.
	As a last stage, we'd also harden them off by opening the window
in the basement on nights above freezing in late March, so we could
plant them out safely by the middle of April. Many would bloom the first
year even.
	Keep in mind that all of this information needs to be adapted to
your own zone, timing, sowing situation, etc.  But I believe that unless
you are trying some of the really difficult high alpine campanulas (like
the tridentata group maybe), that they really are pretty easy to raise
from seed indoors.
	I have never tried them with direct sowing in the garden, but
maybe that would work too (???)

Hope this helps,

Susan Campanini
in east central Illinois
zone 5b, min temp -15F×
e-mail:  campanin@uiuc.edu
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