Harebell vs Purple Pitcher Plant - TreeTime.ca

Harebell vs Purple Pitcher Plant

Campanula rotundifolia

Sarracenia purpurea

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

CUSTOM GROW

Harebell
Purple Pitcher Plant

Harebell is a native perennial wildflower known for its bell-shaped, blue-violet flowers. The noddling blooms occur in clusters at the top of slender stems. Blooming in bursts from summer to fall, the flowers attract pollinators such as butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.

Regular deadheading encourages additional blooms, extending its floral display through the season. Harebell prefers areas with cooler summer climates and does poorly in those that get too hot and humid. It is well suited for native wildflower gardens, pollinator gardens, and naturalization projects.

As a perennial, it dies back to the crown each winter, it will regrow from the base in the spring. Avoid disturbing the crown during late winter to ensure healthy growth the following season.

Purple Pitcher Plant is a native carnivorous plant, easily recognized by its purple-tinged, tubular pitchers that capture and digest insects. The nectar along the rim attracts insects to the pitcher, where slippery surfaces and downward-pointing hairs cause them to fall into the fluid below. Once inside, they are broken down, providing nutrients that allow the plant to thrive in nutrient-poor soils.
The plant produces nodding, purple-red flowers held high above the leaves. Interestingly, these blooms are pollinated by the Pitcher Plant Fly (Fletcherimyia fletcheri), whose larvae live in the fluid of the pitchers and feed on some of the trapped insects. It can be found in bogs, fens, and other wetlands. It is well-suited for wetland gardens, restoration, and naturalisation projects.
The Purple Pitcher Plant can be challenging to grow because of its specific requirements. It thrives in consistently moist (but not waterlogged), acidic soil, with a peat-and-sand mix typically recommended. The plant is sensitive to fertilizers, dissolved salts, and chlorinated water. When given the right conditions, full sun will bring out its brightest colors.
The Purple Pitcher Plant is the provincial flower of Newfoundland & Labrador.

Harebell Quick Facts

Purple Pitcher Plant Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2b
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: very fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: decumbent to upright, colony-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium
Suckering: none


Foliage: red to purple, tubular pitchers with hooded tops
Flowers: bluish-purple; bell-like
Flowers: large nodding red flowers
Bloom time: summer to early fall
Bloom time: summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: bluebell, bluebell bellflower, bluebell of scotland, common harebell, cuckoos shoe, ladys thimble, scotch bluebell, scottish bluebell, witches thimble
Other Names: huntsmans cup, northern pitcher plant