IPM Checklist
Creeping Bellflower Identification and Control (Rhizomes and Deep Roots)
The short answer
Creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides) is an invasive perennial 1 to 3 feet tall with smooth stems, heart-shaped basal leaves that give way to narrow lance-shaped upper leaves, and nodding blue-purple bell-shaped flowers arranged along one side of an unbranched spike. It looks ornamental, which is how it got into gardens, but it spreads aggressively by both seed and a deep root system.
It is hard to kill because it stores energy underground in creeping rhizomes plus numerous thick, vertical fleshy roots, and it regenerates from root fragments. Repeated pulling or mowing across a season weakens the plant and stops it flowering, but it will not eradicate it.
The reliable removal is digging: lift the plant with a fork at least 6 inches deep and several inches out from the crown to capture the whole root system, and expect to repeat as fragments resprout. Bag or burn what you remove rather than composting loosely, because it also spreads by seed.
How to identify it
Look at the flowers and the leaves together. The flowers are blue-purple, bell-shaped with five lobes, and nod downward along one side of a tall unbranched spike, blooming from the bottom upward through summer and into fall. The basal leaves are heart-shaped with long stalks, while the leaves higher up the stem are narrow and lance-shaped with little or no stalk; leaf undersides carry downward-pointing hairs and the stem exudes a milky sap when broken.
Do not confuse it with the smaller native harebell (Campanula rotundifolia), which is only 4 to 20 inches tall with flowers on thin stems, and its basal leaves resemble those of violets. Because the young rosette is easy to mistake for a harmless plant, it is often worth waiting until it flowers before deciding to remove it.
Why it resists removal
Creeping bellflower plays two games at once. Below ground it spreads by rhizomes and anchors on numerous thick vertical roots, and it can regenerate from fragments left behind, so a snapped-off stem or a missed root piece simply grows back. Above ground each flower can set 50 to 150 seeds, seeding new plants some distance away.
That combination is why single tactics disappoint. Mowing stops flowering but leaves the roots intact; hand-pulling snaps the top off and leaves the deep roots to resprout. You have to attack the root system directly and keep after the regrowth.
What actually works
For small infestations, dig rather than pull. Use a fork to lift the plant along with its roots at least 6 inches deep and several inches out from the crown, following and removing the horizontal rhizomes as you go. Sift the soil for broken root pieces, because each one can start a new plant, and plan to return over the season and the next year to remove regrowth.
Dispose of it carefully: burn the plants or bag them rather than adding them loosely to compost, since it spreads by both seed and rhizome. Extension notes that where digging is impractical, glyphosate (as a foliar spray or wiped on with a wick to spare surrounding grass) or a dicamba-based product are the herbicide options named for it; follow the product label and your county Extension guidance, as no rates are given here.
Sources
Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.
- Wisconsin DNR - Creeping Bellflower — Creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides) is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial 1-3 ft tall with smooth-to-slightly-hairy stems containing milky liquid; basal leaves are heart-shaped with long petioles while upper leaves are narrow and lance-shaped with downward-pointing hairs on the undersides; blue-purple bell-shaped 5-lobed nodding flowers form a one-sided raceme (50-150 seeds per flower) blooming June-October; it spreads by seed and rhizomes with numerous thick vertical roots; control requires digging at least 6 inches deep and several inches out to remove all roots because repeated pulling or mowing only weakens but does not kill it; Extension names glyphosate (foliar or wicking) and dicamba-based herbicides for chemical control.