THEY come in all sizes, from the delicate harebell to the massive chimney bellflower that tops 7ft (2.1 metres), so there is a place for the campanula in every garden.

Combining well with other cottage garden favourites, such as white lilies and red peonies, they also make good companions for shrub roses with pink or cream flowers.

Border campanulas, in hues of blue, white or pink, thrive in sun or partial shade and some will flower for weeks on end, such as C lactiflora Prichard’s Variety.

In fact, Gardening Which? trials found C lactiflora and many of its varieties have large trusses of flowers lasting two to three months over the summer.

Many of the taller varieties need staking but if you don’t want to stake plants, focus on smaller ones such as C glomerata ‘Dahurica‘, with its clusters of deep purple flowers from June to July.

I personally love the dwarf variety C lactiflora ‘Pouffe‘, a mound-forming variety growing to just 12in (30cm) and producing pale blue flowers from June to October. Campanulas are easy to grow, but protect young plants from slugs and snails.