Bell cup and saucer planting and care in the open field

Many growers mistakenly believe that the bell is a wild plant. Today there are varieties that are successfully used for landscaping lawns and flower beds, growing in flower pots on loggias and balconies.

Most often, flower lovers choose the middle bell. The history of this plant began in Asia and in the south of Western Europe in the 16th century. Earlier, the bell "cup and saucer" could be found only in natural conditions. But for many years this magnificent plant has been decorating garden and summer cottages, it can be seen in squares and parks.

Description of the variety

It is a biennial plant and is often grown as a perennial. This is due to natural renewal. Bellflower flowers have a rather high (about one meter), straight and hard stem, abundantly covered with villi. This plant is prized for its very beautiful flowers, shaped like inverted glasses with gracefully curved edges. They are terry or smooth and reach seven centimeters in length. There are up to fifty flowers in one inflorescence.

The bell can be painted in different colors: unusually delicate in all shades of white: from snow-white to milky, elegant blue or blue. The bell (medium "cup and saucer") pink looks especially impressive. It blooms abundantly, lasts from June to the end of September.

Seedlings will allow you to admire the blooming bell "cup and saucer" in the same year. Growing from seeds - only for the next. In the first year, a root system and a leaf rosette are formed, and the next year a peduncle will grow. Cut flowers, by the way, are stored in a vase for up to ten days.

Seeds

Seeds appear in early September, sometimes in late August. They are very small and light: there are up to four and a half thousand pieces per gram. Many gardeners practice self-seeding quite successfully: falling seeds take root in the ground and the next generation develops from them. In this case, you do not have to update the flower bed every year.

And the middle bell blooms, if favorable conditions develop, throughout the summer, until September.

Features of the variety: choosing a place for planting

The description of the bell, which is given by experienced flower growers, suggests that this plant loves light and moisture. It tolerates temporary drops in temperature well.

Prefers well fertilized and light soil. Does not tolerate acidic soils and moisture stagnation. In damp areas, the plant simply blows out. For one square meter of clay soils, fifteen kilograms of humus or compost must be added for digging. For loamy soils, this amount increases to nineteen kilograms.

Use and possible difficulties of growing

It should be noted that the flowering of this species is very active - the plant is completely covered with large flowers, which looks just unusually beautiful.Bells are planted in groups against the background of the lawn, on the bed, singly, in prefabricated flower beds, used for cutting. Bouquets of these flowers (especially multi-colored ones) look very impressive and fresh.

But for active flowering, these plants not only need good soil, they make high demands on growing conditions. The fact is that seeds germinate only in the dark. They may not rise in the light. And one more important condition that must be fulfilled is a winter shelter. Rosettes of leaves, formed by the fall of the first year, are covered with dry peat or dry fallen leaves; you can also use a covering material.

Bell "cup and saucer": growing from seeds

Seeds are the most common and popular propagation method of the described flowers among gardeners. You can use one of two ways:

• sow seeds in open ground;
• grow seedlings.

We have already said why it is still preferable to seedlings to grow a bell "cup and saucer". Growing from seeds will only allow you to get gorgeous flowers next year, which is why gardeners prefer the second method.

Before boarding, you need to prepare:

• landing containers;
• priming;
• seeds.

Use small plastic containers or wooden boxes. They must have drainage holes. The soil mixture should consist of six parts of sod land, three parts of rotted leaves and one part of coarse river sand. Mix all components thoroughly, and pour the resulting soil into containers and pour.

Bell "cup and saucer": planting and leaving

So, you have completed all the preparatory work, and now you can start planting. Let's immediately answer a common question: when to sow cup and saucer bells? When growing seedlings, this must be done in October-November, then the plant will have time to form until summer and give abundant flowering.

Seeds are sown on the surface of the soil, slightly pressed down and "powdered" on top with sifted fine sand. After that, the planting containers are covered with foil or glass. Seeds should germinate in a warm, well-ventilated and always dark room. The comfortable air temperature for the plant is + 20 ° C. To darken the glass or film, cover it on top with dark paper or cloth. There is no need to water the seeds, they are only periodically moistened with a spray bottle.

The description of the bell, which can be found in floriculture publications, guarantees the appearance of the first shoots in fifteen days. After that, the dark fabric can be removed or the drawers can be moved to a lighter place. When the very first leaves appear on your seedlings, and it grows to about three centimeters, it must be dived. Transplant into larger containers, about fifteen centimeters apart.

After this procedure, the seedlings are again removed to a dark place for ten days - this way it will take root faster. All this time, the plants continue to moisturize from the spray bottle.

Landing in open ground

When the weather settles and the night frosts pass, the seedlings are planted in the ground on lawns and flower beds. This usually happens in mid or late May. Already in June, you will see the first buds. There should be a distance of at least thirty centimeters between the seedlings.

Propagation by cuttings

These flowers can be propagated using cuttings. In the second year after planting the plant, in the spring, when the stem is formed, the healthiest shoot is chosen and a cutting is made. It must have at least three internodes. The leaves are removed from it so that they do not take away the strength of the plant.

The stalk is planted in a well-moistened soil. The two internodes must remain on the surface. Cover the stem with a cut plastic bottle or glass jar.

We hope that now an elegant "cup and saucer" bell will appear on your site.Growing from the seeds of this plant, as you can see, is not too difficult. Observing all the rules of planting and care, you can admire the luxurious flowering all summer long.

Many people think that the bell is a wild plant, however, this is not entirely true. There are certain varieties that are used in floriculture for landscaping flower beds and lawns, and it is also grown in flower pots. Most often, flower growers grow the bell medium or Campanula medium L. Its history began in the 16th century in the south of Western Europe and Asia.

Bell Description

It is a biennial plant that is often grown perennial through natural renewal. Reaches a meter in height, stem straight, hard... Flowers are in the form of inverted goblets or bells with curved edges outward. They can be smooth or terry, up to 7 cm in length. The bell has a variety of colors: shades of white, blue, light blue, purple and pink.

Flowering is observed from early summer to September. When grown by seedlings, the bell will begin to bloom in the same year, if you sow directly into the ground, you will have to wait for the next year: a developed root and leaf rosette will form in the first mountain, and a flowering shoot will grow on the second. Cut flowers can last up to 7-10 days.

Seeds appear in August - September... They are quite small and light: there are up to 4.5 thousand seeds per 1 gram. Many growers practice self-sowing: falling seeds take root in the soil and give growth to the next generation. Thus, there is no need to renew the flower bed annually.

There are several types of medium bell varieties that are successfully grown in Russia:

1. Large-flowered;
2. Terry - the corolla is a few interconnected rows;
3. Crowned - the corolla and calyx are of the same color;
4. Variegated - differs in a variety of shades: the leaves are red, yellow and green, flowers are usually blue and blue.

The most popular varieties include "Droplet", "Cup and saucer", "Vanilla clouds", "Pink gramophone", "Raspberry ringing" and others.

Growing features

To properly care for the bell, you must adhere to a few simple rules:

1. Bellflower prefers a well-humidified and sunny place, calmly tolerates coolness, but did not like extreme heat or bitter frost, and also does not tolerate excess moisture.
2. The plant prefers light and nutritious soil with a neutral level of acidity. The soil should be well moistened, but you don't need to overdo it, otherwise the seeds will rot. Flowers will not grow on clay or loamy soils, as they are too heavy.
3. In drought, moderate watering is necessary., you also need to regularly loosen the ground and cut off dry flowers.
4. It is recommended to fertilize it with rotted manure before planting., leafy humus or turf. Fresh manure will not work: it can cause the development of fungal diseases.
5. When growing bells for two years in the first year, it is necessary to prune leaves near the ground and cover them with a layer of foliage or peat (about 10–12 cm) for protection. The next year, nitrogenous fertilizers (ammonium nitrate or urea) are introduced into the soil, and when buds begin to appear, they are additionally fed with minerals.

Growing from seeds

The easiest way to plant bells is to plant them directly in the open ground, but then the flowers will appear only next year. Most flower growers prefer to grow seedlings, which are then transferred to flower beds.

1. Growing seedlings will require small greenhouses or seedling boxes. They are filled with a mixture of 6 parts turf, 3 parts leaves and 1 part sand. The mixture must be carefully moved so that the earth is free of lumps. Before planting the bell, it is watered.
2. Seeds are planted at the end of October or in March - April to get flowers this year.A later beginning will prevent them from forming. In this case, you can use the collected seeds from last year's flowers. They must be scattered over the surface, without falling asleep from above, and lightly pressed or sprinkled with fine sand.
3. Then the seedlings are covered with cellophane to get a greenhouse effect, and they are removed in a dark place or shaded with a cloth. This point must be followed: unlike other flowers, bells do not grow in the light. In this case, an inflow of fresh air and a temperature of at least +20 degrees are required.
4. After about half a month, the first shoots will begin to appear. They must be regularly moistened with a spray bottle, the dark cloth can be removed.
5. The next two weeks, the seedlings will slowly grow and get stronger. Only after that it will be possible to pick them up.
6. The sprouts dive at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other, after which they are again removed into the dark for 7-10 days for final engraftment.
7. Bells are planted in open ground in early summer, along with the land on which they grew before. The distance between the bushes should be at least 30 cm. To protect mature plants from the wind, you can tie them to sufficiently high pegs.

If you plant seeds in early May, you will have to transplant them into open ground only at the end of August.

Cuttings

One of the ways to propagate bells is by cuttings. Cuttings are cut for the second spring... A cutting with trimmed leaves is transplanted into wet soil so that two internodes remain on the surface. Then it is also covered with a film to create a greenhouse effect.

Different types of bells

Features of some types of bells

Below are brief descriptions of some types of middle bells that can be found in summer cottages.

1. Carpathian bell... This undemanding, low plant tolerates heat and dryness well, but requires regular weeding of the soil. Blooms profusely all summer. To stimulate flowering, it is recommended to regularly prune faded shoots and remove dry flowers. Before the winter cold, it is necessary to completely cut off the stem. The disadvantages of the variety include fragility: every 2-3 years the plant dies off completely, and therefore the flower bed has to be sown again.
2. Bell peach... The variety easily tolerates sun and shade, can grow even on clay soils, but requires regular loosening. Like the Carpathian variety, it disappears after 2-3 years and requires regular renewal. Propagated by seeds, cuttings or roots.
3. Crowded bell... Despite its small growth (the flower grows up to 50-60 cm), this perennial species is unpretentious. It perfectly tolerates drought, shade and poor soil, requires regular loosening and renewal every 3-5 years. Varietal bells reproduce by cuttings, wild ones - with the help of seeds.
4. Point bell... The plant stretches up to 70 cm, loves shade and moisture. Natural varieties easily fill all the free space. For their fencing it is necessary to use small fences. Flowering occurs in early summer, after which the bell goes to rest. It takes root almost at any time of the year.

Conclusion

A bell is a capricious plant that can become a real decoration of a plot or a bouquet. It looks good in the same flowerbed with perennial plants or alone.

Of the many types of garden bells (point, peach, rotundifolia, Pozharsky, twisted, milk-flowered, Carpathian, pyramidal, round-leaved and others), not the last interest is bell medium (Campanula medium L)... Its height is up to 1 m, flowers of a characteristic shape are inverted glasses with a skirt, about 7 cm long, cold colors (white, blue, lilac, pink, purple). Flowers are double. There can be up to 50 flowers on a single stem, making this type of bell look like a luxurious candelabra.

The plant is graceful, delicate, expressive, solemn, with its bright image, easily reconciles with partial shade, like all bells, looks great in a flower bed and in a bouquet, it is not surprising that it is popular and if you study the shops - it will be obvious - there are more varieties of medium bells than others (except that sometimes it is inferior to the Carpathian and peach-leaved).

In the west, the plant is called the Canterbury Bells - similar bells were tied to their horses by pilgrims on their way to Canterbury, the place where the main Anglican church of Britain - Canterbury Cathedral is located.

Varieties

A cup and saucer is not so much the name of a variety as of a variety group. Under this name, seeds are produced, most often - mixtures of various colors, by many agricultural firms, including foreign ones (in English "Cup & Sauser"). All cups with a saucer and Chinese sets (this is how the Gavrish agricultural company chose to call the plant for its brand "Successful Seeds") have double flowers with two skirts, as if nested one into the other. Really resembles an inverted cup and saucer. The shape of the flowers is very harmonious and beautiful.

Other varieties or mixtures of medium bells that can now be found on sale: Raspberry Ringing - terry, a mixture of colors (Russian Garden), Cottage - simple, a mixture of colors (Johnsons, England), Dreaming - simple, pink (Sedek), Carminrose - simple juicy carmine pink (Gavrish), Gramophone - simple carmine pink (Plasmas). In addition to the colors and the degree of doubleness of the flower, they do not have fundamental differences, so all the recommendations in this article can be safely applied to any seeds on the package of which the middle bell is written.

Growing from seeds

There are two options for growing: seedling or non-seedling. In the second case, the plant will bloom only the next year.

For seedlings, seeds are sown in March and early April, spreading over the surface of the soil. The plant is distinguished by good germination, and the procedure for growing it by seedlings does not differ in any special moments, except that young seedlings need shading from the direct sun.

Sowing in open ground is carried out at the end of May, the seeds are medium-sized, therefore they are not sealed, but mixed with sand, which is distributed over the surface, or the change is distributed over the surface of the soil, and then sprinkled with a thin layer of sand. Seeds sprout quickly enough, after 2-3 weeks from the moment of sowing, young plants can be transplanted to another place at a distance of 10-15 cm. But this is not the final planting site. It is customary to carry out such a transplant into seed beds, planting plants in a permanent place only in August (after 30 cm from each other).

Adult plants are used as "donors". The growing spring shoots can be rooted to produce new plants.

It is a biennial, but is often grown as a perennial.

Landing and seat selection

The bell is a rather unpretentious plant, but you should know some of the planting features. The plant is considered light-loving, but it perfectly tolerates partial shade, very often it can be seen along the western or eastern walls, where the direct daytime sun does not fall. And such semi-shady places can really be considered ideal. The fact is that the parameter lighting is closely related to two other characteristics of the environment: temperature and humidity. And here everything is unambiguous - the bell loves moisture and feels great in the cool. Therefore, if you are looking for a plant for planting under a tree, near a gazebo that creates a shade, a front garden on the east side, it makes sense to consider the middle bell.

The soil is necessary with a neutral reaction (acidic soils are absolutely not suitable), well-drained (dampness leads to damping out of the bushes), light, nutritious.

In one place, the middle bell grows from 3 to 5 years.

Care

The plant is unpretentious, you will need to perform a number of very simple activities:

1. Sufficient watering in dry summers. Bells do not like a lack of moisture. The plant will not die, but it will significantly lose in decorativeness: the flowers will become small, or the plant will stop blooming altogether.
2. Removing wilted flowers.
3. Lime is periodically added to the soil.
4. By the fall of the first year of planting with seeds, the plant forms a rosette of leaves, it should be mulched with a sufficiently thick layer of coating (if these are fallen leaves, then at least 10 cm).

Collecting your own seeds

Seeds are harvested in early autumn, choosing the healthiest and most lush specimens. Unfortunately, varietal varieties (hybrids) do not inherit 100% of their traits, so some of the seedlings grown from seeds of their own collection "run wild" - will be classic blue.

Application in the garden

"Cup and saucer" is good in borders, in flower beds, in mass plantings, mixborders. Will look great near the lawn or in small groups.

What is the middle bell combined with?

It looks great with many cultures:

1. Garden geranium.
2. Carnation.
3. Cuff.
4. Looks amazing in combination with roses, especially pink shades. The photo below does not convey all the beauty of the combination of delicate bell-shaped "cups" and lush buds.

It goes well with cereals and herbs. Can be grown in container culture: pots, tubs, vases.

Bell is medium, carnation, horned viola.

A medium bell is used for cutting - flowers in water retain their freshness for up to 2 weeks.

Photo of a bell in a landscape, on a flower bed, in compositions:

Can a middle bell bloom twice?

How effective the bell is average and how to achieve re-flowering - in the material of the blog "Garden World".

Long gone are the days when the bell and cup and saucer could be found only in nature, for many years this plant has been actively cultivated as an ornamental garden flower. Landscape designers skillfully use bells to decorate flower beds, lawns, and flower pots on balconies and terraces.

Bell cup and saucer

As a cultivated plant, the most widespread species is the middle bell. It is grown as a biennial. The bell has an erect stem, up to one meter high. The stem is abundantly covered with hard villi. The flowers of the plant are of particular value. They have an unusually beautiful shape, in the form of a glass. Depending on the variety, the flowers can be double or simple. The color of the bells also depends on the variety. They can be crystal white, pale pink, bright blue or deep purple.

The flowering period for this species lasts from June to September, which has a huge advantage for gardeners.

This type is represented by several varieties, but the most popular variety is the bell medium "Cup and saucer".

Description of the variety

The bell is an unusually beautiful garden plant. It belongs to biennial species. Grows up to eighty centimeters. It blooms with beautiful flowers, which in their structure resemble a cup with wrapped edges and a saucer made of the finest porcelain. Up to fifty flowers can be collected in one inflorescence. Its diameter reaches eight centimeters. The range of colors is extensive. There are specimens with white bells, blue and purple.

This variety blooms throughout all the summer months and even at the beginning of September, under favorable natural conditions.

Growing a bell in the garden has some features that we will note with great pleasure in the article.

Growing

The bell is not only an exquisite flower, but also a demanding garden plant. In order to fully admire its beauty, it is necessary to take care of its growing conditions and provide proper care.

You need to plant flowers in well-lit flower beds, but at the same time you need to make sure that during the summer heat, at lunchtime, the bell is slightly shaded from direct sunlight.

Flowers need light and nutritious soil. The plant does not tolerate acidic soil. Before planting, the flower beds need to be dug up, a little dry lime added, mixed and fertilized with humus and peat.

Bells need moist soil, so they need to be watered, especially in summer, after which the soil near the plants should be loosened. However, it should be borne in mind that watering should be moderate, as excessive moisture harms the roots of the plant. Rot may appear on them and the flower will die.

Biennial bells, cut off in autumn and cover for the winter with a thick layer of peat or fallen leaves.

With the onset of spring, the shelter is removed, and the bushes are fed with ammonium nitrate. During the period of bud formation, additional mineral fertilizers must be added to the soil.

How to grow a bell from seeds

Growing from seeds is the most common way of propagating these flowers. This can be done in two ways:

• planting seeds directly in open ground;
• getting seedlings.

Since the plant belongs to biennials, planting seeds in open ground will allow you to get beautiful flowers in the next summer season.

Therefore, in horticulture, it is preferable to use the second method.

First, certain preparatory work is required:

• selection of landing tanks;
• soil preparation.

Plastic containers or small wooden boxes can be used to plant seeds. They need to provide drainage holes.

For the soil, six parts of sod land, three parts of rotted leaves and one part of river sand are taken. All components are mixed until smooth.

The prepared soil is poured into planting containers and watered. Now you can start planting the seeds directly. Note that the process of growing seedlings should be started in October - November, then the plant will have enough time to form and give abundant flowering in the summer.

Seeds are sown on the surface of the soil, slightly pressed down and slightly crushed from above with fine sifted sand.

Then the planting boxes need to be covered with glass or foil. Now an important point: seeds should germinate in a dark, well-ventilated and warm room. The optimum air temperature is twenty degrees. For darkening, the film or glass can be covered with a dark cloth on top. The seeds are periodically moistened with a spray bottle.

The first shoots will begin to appear in two weeks. Then you can remove the dark fabric or put the boxes in a bright place. When the first leaves appear on the seedlings and it grows up to three centimeters, it will need to be dived, transplanted into other containers at a distance of fifteen centimeters from each other. After this procedure, the seedlings are removed for ten days in a dark place, in such conditions it is more likely to take root.

The entire period of growing seedlings, it needs care. Water the seedlings from a spray bottle.

When the weather is warm and the period of night frosts has passed, the seedlings of bells are planted in open ground on flower beds and lawns. In terms of time, this is the middle or end of May. With proper care, the first buds will appear in June.

Saplings are planted at a distance of thirty centimeters from each other.

Bell propagation by cuttings

Bells can also be propagated using cuttings. In the second year of the plant's life in the spring, after the formation of the stems, a good and healthy shoot is selected, a cutting is made from it, so that there are at least three internodes. The leaves must be removed from the cutting so that they do not take away strength.The stalk is planted in open ground, having previously moistened it well, so that the two internodes remain on the surface. The stalk is closed with a glass jar or a cut plastic bottle.

As you can see, it is not so difficult to grow a bell, and if you follow the rules of planting and care, even such a capricious plant will not cause much trouble. The bell will become a real decoration of any garden area.