Description
What an elegant flower! Canterbury bells, also called bellflower, is one of the first imported flowers to grace colonial gardens. This dramatic, tall plant is an excellent backdrop for your shorter annuals and perennials, blooms into early summer, attracts pollinators, and is a wonderful, long-lasting cut flower!
Botanical Name: Campanula medium
Family: Campanulaceae
Native: Italy and France
Hardiness: Biennial in USDA zones 5–8
Plant Dimensions: 18″–36″ tall
Variety Information: 1″–2″ long, bell-shaped flowers in purple, violet, blue, lavender, pink, and white blossoms cover tall flower spikes.
Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Afternoon shade is beneficial in hot summer areas.
Bloom Period: Spring to summer
Attributes: Attracts Pollinators, Cut Flower
When to Sow Outside: 2 to 4 weeks after your average last frost date, and/or 2 months before your average first frost date. Ideal soil temperature for germination is 60°-70°F.
When to Start Inside: 8 to 10 weeks before your average last frost date. May bloom first year if started indoors.
Days to Emerge: 15–20 days
Seed Depth: Press into surface
Seed Spacing: A group of 8 seeds every 6″–18″
Thinning: When 1″ to 2″ tall, thin to 1 every 6″–18″
Harvesting: For longest vase life, harvest in the morning, choosing stems where the top-most flowers have not opened, but show their final color.
800 seeds.