Canterbury Bells

Campanula medium (kam-pan-YOO-luh MEED-ee-um)

Family: Campanulaceae Unknown Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

Canterbury bells is an upright-growing, tall biennial with showy bell-shaped flowers of blue, pink, and white, blooming in summer with a sweet fragrance. This plant is native to southeastern France and north and central Italy and is typically found on rocky slopes. It is a member of the bellflower family (Campanulaceae). The genus name, Campanula, is derived from the Latin word campana, meaning bell, and refers to its bell-shaped flowers. The specific epithet, medium , is a Latin word, meaning "middle," "intermediate," or "mid-sized." This plant thrives in full sun to partial shade and moist, well-draining soil and reasonably cool temperatures. They tend to do best in cooler climates and are intolerant of temperatures over 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Afternoon shade or filtered sunlight is necessary for warmer regions. Planting a group together will help plants support each other without staking, although in windy locations, stakes may be needed. To have continuous blooms every year, allow some of the flower seed pods to mature and reseed the flower bed. Deadheading spent flowers will promote new growth. Canterbury bells may be propagated by seeds in late spring or early summer. They may also be propagated by division in the spring. As a biennial, a low-growing clump or basal rosette of green leaves will appear in the first year. The lower leaves are lanceolate, measuring 5 to 6 inches, and are pointed with serrated margins. During its first winter, it should be well mulched. In the second year, the stem and the smaller upper leaves appear bearing racemes of bell-shaped flowers that may have single or double blooms. The fruit is a capsule with small slits that easily release the seeds. These plants are best grown in the cooler climates of the northern United States. They are intolerant of the hot summer climate of the South. In cooler climates, the flowers are strikingly beautiful in a cottage garden, pollinator garden, as a mass planting, or as a border. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Monitor for snails and slugs. Susceptible to rust and powdery mildew.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 60 attributes.