Think of them as the Blues Brothers. Although they can't jump and jive like Jake and Elwood, the Campanula family offers gardeners star performers galore.

Blooming in blue, with the occasional white or pink, Campanulas display the variety found in any family. Some are tall and thin; others are short and fat. Some may be a little snooty about their surroundings, whereas others will cheerfully plop themselves down anywhere. If one or two promise more than they can deliver or downright betray you, remember that every family has the occasional black sheep. In general, Campanulas are good perennials for the midwestern garden.

The tall, thin Campanulas include C. persicifolia, C. latifolia, and C. glomerata. For short and fat, you can choose from C. carpatica, C. portenschlagiana, and C. poscharskyana. Medium-tall species are C. lactiflora, and the biennial Canterbury Bells (C. medium). Blossoms are shaped like a bell so the common name is, naturally, Bellflower.

Of the tall Campanulas, C. persicifolia is probably the easiest to find at local garden centers. Also called the Peach-Leaf Bellflower because of its long narrow leaves, it will bloom for several weeks in midsummer if the spent flowers are regularly pinched off. One cultivar worth having is the blue-flowered 'Telham Beauty'. Another is 'Chettle Charm', whose white flowers are tinged with blue. English gardeners have embraced its unique coloration, and there's every expectation that gardeners here will do the same.

The low-growing Campanulas are a rugged bunch that form low mounds of spreading foliage topped with masses of blue (sometimes white) flowers. Although all Campanulas are said to prefer sun and rich, well-drained soil, C. poscharskyana has been known to perform admirably in a Chicago garden where there is both clay and dappled shade. In England, some Campanulas have been seen growing right out of stonewalls.

A recently introduced cultivar of C. poscharskyana is 'Blue Waterfall', which has a cascading habit that makes it ideal for rock gardens, window boxes, hanging baskets or any kind of sloping terrain. Capable of spreading rapidly, it should be divided every two or three years, either in spring or fall. It is reasonably drought tolerant, although it prefers a moist, well-drained soil. Any yellow-flowering plant that's not too tall should make a congenial companion, but Coreopsis (Tickseed) and Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan) will provide sure-fire success. Try Rudbeckia ‘Viette’s Little Suzy’ a showy dwarf variety that grows to about 15 inches tall. Or try out Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola', the yellow-striped Ornamental Grass that also cascades beautifully. It grows well in a container but needs some shade to retain its color.

The Campanula genus is a large one with hundreds of species. A big family to be sure, but well worth getting to know. Rest assured: they won't have you singing the blues.

Pictures of individual plants available