This year has been my best ever for Canterbury bells–a plant I’ve grown on and off for more than thirty years. They’re biennials–like foxgloves, forget-me-nots, and dame’s rocket. Folilage grows the first year and, in the second year, they bloom, set seed, and die.

Outside of catalogs, I’d never seen Canterbury bells. I ordered several that arrived just in time for spring planting. Rather than potted plants, thely sent bare roots with several leaves atop a long taproot.

Growing them can be a little tricky. Heaving out of the soil over the winter is common. An inch of two of root is visible between the foliage and the ground. Piling dirt around the bare root doesn’t help. Either way, the plants limp along for a bit but die without blooming.

I picked up a packet of seed nearly ten years ago. I sprinkle the seed over a six-pack, put them in a dome under ligths, and wait for them to come up–usually within a week. The seedlings are tiny. I let them grow a bit before thinning them down to one plant per cell.

There are two varieties of Canterbury bells (Campanula medium): single (like mine this year) and double (aka Cup’N Saucer). They bloom in purple, white and pink, but I’ve yet to see pink. I wonder if maybe they sprout late and get thinned out.

Before this year, I’d be lucky to see a few, 18-24 inch stalks. To be honest, I’d about given up, but still had seed so I used the last of it to try one more time.

Had I known they would do so well, I’d have used grow-through supports or something. The weight of a recent rain laid most stalks on the ground. Each plant has a huge main stalk with numerous side shoots. Several stalks are close to four-foot tall.

This bunch got morning sun–the only spot I had before got hot afternoon sun. The soil quality is better in the new spot too. I fertilized with 10-10-10 last fall and again this spring.

More Canterbury bells tops my wish list for next year. This time, I’ll make sure to get the Cup’N saucer variety. Who knows, maybe I’ll even see pink. I’ll keep you posted. As always, thanks for stopping by.