,” says Bob, “which is March through October. beautiful but not very productive or reliable. High-quality campanula, reckons Will at So I stopped growing that a few years ago Farmers West, should have at least nine bells fresh focus and I’ve since grown only Champion.” Cham - per stem, three apiece on each of three By Bill McKinley AIFD and Bruce Wright pion is an annual that in the first year branches. “Our series throws four to five from and produces rather large and very branches, with an average of four bells per beautiful cups. Bob his campanula branch,” he notes. Stems with fewer bells crop in December, it in March and may appear later in the season, the product starts harvesting in June. At Farmers West, in of a second harvest. The hardy bells of campanula make a beautiful Southern California, campanula is available While C. medium dominates the market, from March through July. From all sources, other and varieties are available from addition to summer’s bounty. campanula can be found on the market from specialty growers and Dutch suppliers. With ‘Muse Rose’ (above) was launched in Holland in 2004, third in the Muse series that also includes white, Campanula comes in whites, pinks, blues, violet, lavender and dark blue . The lavenders, and purples, with a stem cup-shaped flowers are typical of classic silhouette that varies from bushy branches C. medium or Canterbury bells. Photo to a single spike—but all varieties bear the above courtesy of the Council of Hol - same distinctive, bell-shaped flowers. land, www.flowercouncil.org/us. Two other Photos at left courtesy of Farmers West, types of campanula may be found on the www.farmerswest.com. market with some frequency: C. glomerata

O

L (shown at left) , with flowers clustered at the A S

and ships well, campanula is also being I

L top of the stem, and C. pyramidalis , a E

grown in South America—in Ecuador, for ex - N N A

slender spike. Both feature flowers that are :

ample, by Esmeralda Farms. O T

O more trumpet- than cup-shaped. H P

A floral champion clusters of star-shaped flowers at the top of All three of these growers are currently grow - the stem, C. glomerata comes in lavender ing the Champion series: ‘Champion White’, (‘Caroline’) and purple-blue. C. pyramidalis, ‘Champion Blue’, and ‘Champion Pink’, all tips with blossoms that hug a tall, compact, cultivars of Campanula car e spikey stem, comes in white (‘Alba’) and for campanula Campanula medium. (A ‘Champion lavender. Ask your local growers about other Campanula spp Lavender’ also exists, but • Purchase stems that have one-quarter to one-third of the flowers open. old favorites that are now being rediscovered, CUSTOMERS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR cloud of nodding bells. production is limited.) C. and becoming “must-haves” for brides-to-be. Avoid stems that have broken tips or discolored . SOMETHING new. At the same time, there’s “Novelty crops overall are Vase life medium is the classic cam - nothing quite as appealing as an old-fash - making a comeback,” says Will 7 days or more panula, also known as Can - • Remove bundle ties or rubber bands and remove lower leaves. Re-cut ioned garden flower. What’s a florist to do? Stewart at Farmers West, where Number per terbury bells. It is a staple of 1 inch from stem end. Treat with an ethylene inhibitor and then condition Care and appreciation Campanula to the rescue! Although it’s a campanula is a fairly new crop. bunch traditional English gardens Although the new varieties are generally in a tepid floral food solution for one to two hours or overnight. To prevent traditional flower that’s very familiar to lovers “What we’ve realized is that 10 stems and grown also by beekeep - hardy, campanula remains a soft-stemmed damage to the individual bell-shaped flowers, do not crowd flowers into of the English garden style, campanula (pro - high-quality campanula is very Availability ers, who use it to make a flower, which means it is vulnerable to the nounced with the accent on the second syl - hardy, with a good vase life.” March through powerfully sweet honey. buckets. growth of bacteria that can block the stem. It lable) nonetheless retains a refreshing Vase life is variously estimated, October is also sensitive to ethylene. Normal care and About 300 species of • Some studies show that underwater cutting is beneficial for campanula, novelty as a cut flower. It’s a great recom - but Will is seeing 11 to 15 days Colors campanula flourish in the handling procedures—recutting stems, keep - but be sure that the water is free from bacteria or other microbes. mendation for summer brides. It comes in with good postharvest care, in - white, blue, wild, some annuals, some ing buckets and knives and vases scrupu - lavender, purple, colors that are popular for weddings: white, cluding changes of fresh water perennials, some biennials. • Store in a 38-40 degree F cooler with good air circulation to prevent lously clean, and using a flower food with an and pink antibacterial agent—are sufficient to insure a blue, lavender, purple, and pink. Plus, the in - and flower-food solution in the They all share the common botrytis mold from forming on the leaves and flowers. dividual blossoms can be used in corsages, home. name bellflower, a clear ref - long vase life. • Campanula are heavy drinkers, so keep them in a solution of water and lateral branches in bouquets, and entire 18- At Farmers West, campanula is grown erence to the bell-shaped flower heads (in In the language of flowers, campanula is to 30-inch stems in large designs for the under hoop houses; at Wollam Gardens in Latin, campanula means “little bell”). flower food until just prior to use in designs. said to mean “gratitude.” Florists can be church or reception. When the whole stem is Virginia, Bob Wollam grows it in the field. “If The Muse series is another C. medium , grateful for such an elegant, evocative, and visible, campanula brings line value to de - you can grow good campanula, you can al - with a wider color range that includes white, graceful addition to the floral vocabulary. b signs; the slim, straight line of each stem, ways sell it,” says Bob. “One, it’s beautiful; pink, violet, lavender and dark blue cultivars. however, is softened with a graceful, airy two, it’s very long-lasting.” Since it handles “I used to grow a perennial campanula, Flo we rs& Flo we rs&