Ostrowskia

A fabulous plant known as the Giant Bellflower, found only in a small area in the Hissar, Ugamskiye, Pamir Mountains and N.Afghanistan at between 1,500 and 2,000m. Our plants are raised in cultivation, from Arnis Seisums’ introduction from the Karateg valley in the Hissars of Tajikistan.

According to the latest revision (Takhtajan, 1997) within Campanulacea, 97 genera including such familiars as Campanula, Codonopsis and Cyananthus are all included in one subfamily. Set apart and totally isolated are two other subfamilies and within each of these is just one genus Canarina and Ostrowskia. Each of those two genera contains just one species (monotypic). As you might expect, these are very distinctive plants.

Ostrowskia magnifica makes slender glabrous stems clothed in tooth-edged, whorls of glaucous leaves and covered in massive flowers of light powder blue or bone-white with fine pale blue veins. After flowering is complete or when temperatures get too high, the plant enters dormancy and stays this way until Sep/Oct. This is the only time that it can be moved. It is best kept dry from the first leaf yellowing to the first shoot emerging.

Available for ordering from our Autumn list only.