Jan 9, 2:13 AM

Silent Bells Beckon (Bell Shaped Blooms)

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By Jacqueline Cross (libellule)
July 28, 2008 Mail this article
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Views: 2,053

From the delicate Muscari and Spanish Hyacinth to the grand Carolina Silver Bell tree, spring welcomes you to the garden with bells on. From spring, right into winter, there is always a bell silently ringing in the garden. There are many blooms, from tiny bulbs to huge trees, that resemble bells. Some bloom in clusters, some bloom up the stem, while others are single bells standing out for all to see. We will look at a few of them, here.

Gardening picture

Flowers are not the first thing that comes to mind when most people think of bells. This, however, is not so with a gardener. They will typically equate anything said in everyday conversation with what is blooming in their gardens.
This is due to the fact that most gardeners live and breath every aspect of what goes on in their beautiful gardens. New and different blooms will add interest to your garden space.

A group of friends conversing about the unique architecture of historical cathedrals in Scotland will, more than likely, bring images of Cathedral Bells (Cobaea scandens) to the mind of a gardener. Not the bells in a stone tower but rather the blue blooms of the vine in their garden.

Talk of the hectic Christmas season will, no doubt, lead the gardener to dream of spring and early summer when the Christmas Bells (Sandersonia aurantiaca) will be blooming. Reading a book containing a story of heartbreak or listening to polical reports on the news about liberals, may lead one to think of the Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis). Thinking of having a chocolate bar or slice of raison bread? Thoughts of the Chocolate Vine/Raisin Vine (Akebia quinata) come to mind.

Bell shaped flowers are some of my favorites. They appear to me as if they will chime at any moment. While searching out bell shaped, (Campanulate), blooms for my own flower bed, I discovered there to be far more than I could grow. All sorts of plants can have bell shaped flowers. They can be found on huge trees, vines, bushes, perennials, annuals, wild flowers and tiny bulbs.

Below, I have compiled a list of bell shaped blooms. They are worth checking out. Adding silent bells will only enhance your garden. For those of you creating fairy and gnome gardens, bell shaped blooms are a must have. The list is meant to be more of a ‘jumping off' place than a complete list of all bell shaped blooms. I hope you find it useful in your own search for the perfect bellflower.

Canterbury Bells (Campanula medium)
Biennial for zones 4-10 Height 2-3 ft.
Blooms late spring to early summer in pink, blue, purple, and white. Well worth the wait.
Photo by 'ladygardener1'

European Lily Of The Valley (Convallaria majalis)
Perennial for zones 4-8 Height 6-12 in.
Mid spring to early summer blooms in pink and white.
Photo by 'wallaby1'

English Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)
Bulbs for zones 4-9 Height:6-12 in.
Blooms pink, medium blue, white/near white in mid to late spring.
*Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested.
Photo by 'KMAC'

CanterburyBellspink (Campanula medium) Pink CanterburyBells (Campanula medium)
Biennial for zones 4-10 Height 2-3 ft.
Blooms late spring to early summer in pink, blue, purple, and white. Well worth the wait.
Photo by 'Weezingreens'

Southern Catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides)
Tree for zones 5-9 Height: 30-40 ft.
White blooms appear from mid spring to early summer.
*Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested. Pollen may cause allergic reaction. Handling plant may cause skin irritation.
Photo by 'Wingnut'

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis)
Perennial for zones 2-9 Height 2-3 ft.
Red, pink and white blooms in late spring and early summer.
Blue-green foliage.
*All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested
Photo by 'bsimpson1972'

Chilean Lantern Tree (Crinodendron patagua)
Evergreen tree for zones 9-10 (Try in a sheltered area in zone 8) Height: 20-30 ft. in Chili, where it is native.
White blooms appear in late spring and early summer.(fragrant)
Photo by 'bootandall'

Carolina Silver Bell (Halesia tetraptera)
Tree for zones 5-9 Height:30-40 ft.
White Blooms in Late Spring and Early Summer
Photo by 'growin'

Chinese Lantern Lily (Sandersonia aurantiaca)
Vine for zones 9-10 Height 2-3 ft.
Orange blooms in late spring to mid summer
*All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested
Photo by 'spur'

Orange Bells (Tecoma 'X Smithii')
Evergreen shrub for zones 9-10 Height 8-10 ft.
Bright yellow/orange blooms from late spring through winter.
*Drought tolerant once established.
Photo by 'rollingourd'

Smith's Fairy Bells (Disporum smithii)
Perennial for zones 4-8 Height 2-3 ft.
White/near white blooms in mid spring to mid summer.
Likes sun-full shade.
Photo by 'GardenGuyKin'

Japanese Snowbell (Styrax japonicus)
Tree for zones 5-9 Height:20-30 ft.
White Blooms in Late Spring and Early Summer
'Photo by 'tillady'

Spotted Bellflower (Campanula punctata)
Perennial for zones 4-9 Height 1 - 1 1/2 ft.
Blooms are rose/mauve or white/near white in late spring to mid summer.
*May be a noxious weed or invasive
Photo by 'echoes'

Mission Bells (Fritillaria lanceolata)
Perennial (bulb) for zones 5-10 Height 6-12in.
Purple-brown blooms in late winter-early spring.
Photo by 'Chuck'

Yellow Mandarin (Disporum lanuginosum)
Perennial for zones 5-8 Height 1 1/2-2 ft.
Chartreuse blooms in mid spring.
Likes a bit of shade.
Photo by 'DiOhio'

Ladybells (Adenophora confusa)
Perennial for zones 3-8 Height 2-3 ft.
Purple blooms in late spring to early summer.
*Can be invasive if seeds are allowed to drop.
Photo by 'poppysue'

Japanese Pieris (Pieris japonica)
Evergreen shrub for zones 4-8. Height 4-6 ft.
White blooms in late winter and early spring.
*Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested.
Photo by 'CaptMicha'

Yellow Fairy Wings (Epimedium x versicolor)
Perennial for zones 5-9 Height 12-18 in.
Bright yellow blooms in mid spring
Photo by 'Toxicodendron'

Trailing Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe uniflora)
Evergreen succulent for zones 9-11
Red blooms throughout the year.
Good container plant.
Photo by 'dale_a_gardener'

Yellow Wax Bells (Kirengeshoma palmata)
Perennial for shade in zones 5-8 Height 2-3 ft.
Pale yellow blooms in late summer/early fall.
*Does not like to dry out.
Photo by 'growin'

Scotch Heather (Calluna vulgaris)
Evergreen shrub for zones 4-9 Height: 2-3 ft.
White/Near White blooms mid summer to early winter
Photo by 'Equilibrium'

Yellow Mountain Avens (Dryas drummondii )
Evergreen groundcover for zones 2-7 Height 6 in.
Bright yellow blooms in late spring to early summer.
*Drought tolerant once established
Photo by 'kennedyh'

Autumn Snowflake (Acis autumnalis)
Bulbs for zones 7-9 Height: under 6 in.
White/Near White blooms in late summer-early fall
Look best planted in drifts.
*Parts of plant may be poisonous if ingested.
Photo by 'Howard_C'

Hardy Fuchsia (Fuchsia magellanica)
Shrub for zones 6-9 Height 4-6 ft.
Fuchsia blooms mid summer through mid fall. Blooms are very colorful including deep purple and red purple shades
Photo by 'stevenova'

Mountain Andromeda (Pieris floribunda)
Evergreen shrub for zones 4-8 Height:4-6 ft.
White blooms in mid spring
*Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested
Photo by 'hczone6'

Bleeding Heart Vine (Clerodendrum thomsoniae)
Evergreen vine for zones 10-11 Height 10-12 ft.
Red and white blooms in late spring and early summer
Photo by 'Rozilynn'

If you are interested in a more in-depth explanation of flower structure, LariAnn Garner's articles, Botany for Gardeners - The Basics of Blooms and Botany for Gardeners - More Blooms: Simple to Complex, are perfect 'first reads'. Speaking of blooms, she says in her article, More Blooms: Simple to Complex, "As gardeners, we all know that flowers are not all the same. In fact, the diversity in bloom structures is mind-boggling at best." She goes on to explain why this is, in terms easily understood by the average backyard gardener.

Finally, for one of the most well known bell flower plants,
the Brugmansia, also known as Angel Bells and Angel Trumpets


Brugmansia x candida pink	Brugmansia x candida single white	Brugmansia Claudelle

Photos by 'Vee8ch'

For more on Brugmansia plants, consider a visit to the Brug
forum on Dave's Garden. You will find it here.

Happy Gardening~

All photos are from Dave's Garden members including thumbnail photo, Crown Imperial Fritillaria (Fritillaria imperialis) by member Galanthophile .
To find more information on the plants depicted here, go to Plant Files.

About Jacqueline Cross

I'm a native Floridian...feet planted in the shifting sands of northwest FL. but my heart strings are tightly knotted to the hills of Tennessee. I live my poodle, Minnie Pearl, Zsa Zsa the cat who runs the whole show and a new addition, Kitty Belle. I'm a writer, gardener, quilter, cross stitcher, soapmaker and nature lover. Mother to 3 wonderful daughters & Nana to 6 perfect grandchildren. I also write for Suite101 and was promoted to Feature Writer in the vegetable gardens section in 2008.

Subject: Great article...but let us not forget...

Posted by robcorreia (from San Diego, CA) on July 28, 2008 at 5:11 PM:
Abutilon! (my favorite bells...) : )
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 28, 2008 at 5:13 PM:
Thanks robcorreia :-)
Beautiful bells!
...
Posted by pajaritomt (from Los Alamos, NM) on July 28, 2008 at 6:38 PM:
What a clever idea for an article. I love bell shaped flowers.
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 28, 2008 at 9:59 PM:
Thank you, pajaritomt.

...

Subject: Great article

Posted by Pyewacketcat54 (from Fort Worth, TX) on July 28, 2008 at 7:49 AM:
I have another for you, Rogoochi clematis,the sweetest purplish blue bells..
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 28, 2008 at 8:20 AM:
Pyewacketcat54
Thanks. Anything that blooms purple automatically goes on my favorites list! Thanks for that one.
I found so many more than I listed here, I had no idea there were so many bell shaped blooms.
Jackie

...
Posted by DonnaMack (from Grayslake, IL) on July 28, 2008 at 10:22 AM:
What an absolutely charming article. I'm a "bell" person myself. I very much appreciated the way you marked the ones that are invasive.

Donna
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 28, 2008 at 11:23 AM:
Thanks Donna.
I do try to mark them if I know or can find the info about the plant being invasive/poison or whatever. It's always a good idea to double-check that sort of thing, though.
Jackie
...
Posted by DonnaMack (from Grayslake, IL) on July 28, 2008 at 12:13 PM:
Jackie,

I am testing a new one, at least for me: Campanula trachelium Bernice. The bells are not as large as they appear in the picture, but it made it nicely through winter, bloomed beautifully, and I deadheaded it about a week ago and it is reblooming.

[HYPERLINK@www.bluestoneperennials.com]

Can one have too many camps? No!

Donna
...
Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on July 28, 2008 at 4:00 PM:
Oh, that is a pretty one. I see it grows in zone 8 so it may work here.
Jackie
...

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