In Scotland, they call these bluebells. My mom's family is Scots-Irish, so I like to think that I grew up calling these flowers bluebells because of the oral tradition. That's actually kind of likely.
Campanula rotundifolia is a circumboreal species. In the US, they are more commonly called Harebells. I grew up seeing them scattered through the Eastern Washington landscape in open woodlands. As an adult, I encountered them in cultivation in a botanical garden where I used to work. In cultivation, they can grow into floriforous beauties that you'd never see in the wild.
The color of typical plants is a darker blue than this plant. I found and collected this pale blue specimen from my dad's property, from the side of a hill where lightning repeatedly destroyed trees when I was growing up.
I'm not sure what to call this clone. Should I go with "Sky Diamonds" or "Blue Lightning"?
At any rate, I'm quite captivated by its unusual hue. It took me a few times to get it started in cultivation (I took small starts each time), but this year I have a trough full of it. The season is early, but it looks like it is preparing for a spectacular show.
