The Giant Bellflower is a visually striking, shade-happy native perennial found across Northern and Central Scotland, though absent or rare along the west coast and far north-west. It grows to a height of up to 1.5 metres and produces a drooping trumpet-shaped flower in the mid and late summer. It is loved by bees, butterflies and other pollinators and sustains a healthy population due to its resistance to grazing deer and rabbits.
In Greek mythology, the Bellflower was considered to be made from fragments of Aphrodite’s (the Goddess of love and beauty) broken mirror. The mirror is a core symbol of the Goddess, representing vanity, pride, and seeing one’s truth.
