Canterbury Bells Seeds — Campanula medium
Canterbury Bells Seeds — Campanula medium
A Cottage Garden Classic That Never Goes Out of Style
Canterbury Bells (Campanula medium), also known as Cup and Saucer, is one of the most beloved biennials in the cottage garden, and for very good reason. Tall, stately spires of large, bell-shaped flowers — each bloom sitting in a distinctive flat, saucer-like calyx that gives the plant its charming alternative name — rise to around 80 cm in a beautiful range of soft purples, pinks, blues, and whites. A true cottage garden staple with an old-fashioned elegance that looks equally at home in a border or a vase. Sow this season and look forward to a spectacular display next summer.
Why Gardeners Love It
- 🔔 Distinctive cup-and-saucer blooms — large, bell-shaped flowers nestled in a flat calyx, unlike anything else in the garden
- 🌸 Beautiful colour range — soft purples, pinks, blues, and whites for a classic cottage garden palette
- 📏 Grows to 80 cm tall — a striking mid-to-back-of-border plant with real presence
- ✂️ Excellent cut flower — long stems and a beautiful vase life, stunning in mixed cottage arrangements
- 🐝 Loved by pollinators — bees are strongly attracted to the open bell flowers
- 🌱 Easy to grow from seed — reliable and rewarding with a little patience
Growing Tips for New Zealand
Campanula medium is a biennial, meaning it grows leafy rosettes in its first year and flowers magnificently in its second. Sow seeds in late spring or summer into seed-raising mix — seeds are tiny so sow on the surface and do not cover. Keep moist in a bright, sheltered position. Transplant seedlings to 30–40 cm apart in a sunny to partly shaded position with fertile, well-drained soil. Plants will overwinter as rosettes and burst into flower the following summer. Performs beautifully throughout New Zealand. Once established, Canterbury Bells will often self-seed gently to continue the display year after year.
What's in the Packet
Each packet contains 20 seeds of Canterbury Bells / Cup and Saucer (Campanula medium), a mix of colours.