enchanted by CANTERBURY BELLS

Delicate beauty and old-world charm

As the name suggests, Canterbury Bells are characterized by a flared, bell-like shape with a narrow opening at the top, resembling a miniature bell.

Colorado's sunny days and cool nights create an ideal growing environment for Canterbury bells, allowing them to flourish.

These blooms come in a variety of colors on the cool end of the spectrum, including lilac, lavender, blue/purple, white, and pink, adding a touch of whimsy and elegance to any arrangement.

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Canterbury bells are biennial plants

This means that they follow a two-year life cycle. In the first year, Canterbury bells produce a rosette of foliage and establish their root system. In the second year, they send up tall flower stalks adorned with clusters of bell-shaped blooms. This means growers have to have a solid plan in place to produce blooms year after year.

We typically see Canterbury bells blooming throughout June.

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In addition to their ornamental value, Canterbury bells also have a rich cultural history. The name is believed to have originated from their association with the city of Canterbury in England. These charming flowers have been cultivated in gardens for centuries and are often featured in traditional cottage garden designs.

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V A S E   L I F E

Canterbury bells are known for being hearty stems!

Vase life is typically 7-10 days.

We ran a test in 2024 to see how they fared in the bright Colorado sun, in AgraWool, out of water, and in water.

We'd had some super hot days, and the day of this test, it was around 90 degrees outside.

AgraWool  —  Out of Water  —  In Water

Here are the flowers at the beginning of the experiment (left image) and then after 2 hours.

The flowers in water stayed strong,

but those in AgraWool only did OK, and without water they wilted in the heat, as you might expect.

Intrigued by their fortitude, we pushed the stems in water a little further.

(Left) After 1 More Hour (3 total)

(Right) After 3 More Hours (5 total)

We also kept some lucky stems indoors, but out of water. This is how they looked after 2 hours - still very happy!

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CONCLUSIONS

The stems in water held up well outside in the sun for multiple hours, and the stems inside out of water stayed perky too!

One of the AgraWool stems looked better than the other, and we suspect it was due to the actual placement of the stems within the material. Gotta make sure the stems are suspended within the block rather than pushed all the way through. AgraWool may be a good option for shorter durations or out of direct sun.

Canterbury bells would be great for use in ceremony aisle meadows and other situations outside where they have a water source. In more reasonable temperatures, the stems hold up out of water nicely.

We recut the sad stems from our test and put them back in water to see if they would rejuvenate.

Surprisingly, they came back as if nothing ever happened!

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Comment or share any experiences you've had with Canterbury Bells, and always share your designs by tagging @coloradoflowercollective on Instagram - we love to see them!