How to Grow and Care for Gentian

These bottle-shaped flowers have enough ornamental appeal to make harvestbells a popular garden plant. The flowers also attract bees, hummingbirds, and other bird species.

Stemless gentian is an evergreen perennial with short, trumpet-shaped blue flowers. It is native to several mountain ranges of Europe, but can be grown in rock gardens, borders, and used as ground cover. Stemless gentian grows best in areas with cooler summers.

Gentiana cruciata is a small-sized plant that is widespread across Europe and Western Asia. It produces violet-blue flowers with four petals. The star gentian is extremely important for the endangered Phengaris rebel butterfly since it feeds upon this plant.

Japanese gentian is a perennial that blooms purple and blue flowers in late summer and early fall. It is commonly found in thickets, grassy areas, and wet meadows in both mountains and low elevations in Japan (hence the common name).

Gentiana asclepiadea is a well-known mountain wildflower of Europe and Asia, but it's highly prized as an ornamental garden plant as well. This elegant perennial can grow up to 1 m tall, so it's perfect for garden beds and borders. Willow gentian tolerates a various range of growing conditions, but it prefers soil with a lot of organic matter.