Campanula medium Big Ben Deep Blue coated seeds - Canterbury bells

Campanula medium 'Big Ben Deep Blue' F1 is a hybrid variety of Canterbury bell campanula specially developed for cut flower production, valued for its upright deep blue bells, long stems and generous flowering. It is suitable for flower beds, borders or large pots.

Sowing is easier with pelleted seeds, due to the small size of the seeds: each seed is coated with a fine layer of clay or neutral material, making it larger, easier to handle and to sow individually.

This campanula belongs to the Campanulaceae family. The wild species is Campanula medium, sometimes called 'Canterbury bells' or 'garden bellflower'. The cultivar 'Big Ben Deep Blue' is part of a series of F1 hybrids developed by Evanthia Genetics in the Netherlands, for florists and professional growers. It offers more abundant flowering, better flower holding and more uniform growth than the type.
The habit is upright, with a rigid main stem, sometimes branched if conditions are favourable. Its growth rate is faster or slower, depending on temperature and available light. In the ground, it can reach 60 to 80cm in height, or even a little more in rich, moist soil. In pots, it remains slightly more compact, around 50 to 60cm. This plant is annual or biennial, depending on the growing method.
The flowers, shaped like large upright bells, measure 4 to 6 cm in length. They are well open, borne on short pedicels and arranged in terminal clusters on the stem. Their colour is a deep, luminous blue, uniform over the entire corolla. Flowering begins 10 to 14 weeks after transplanting, May to July in temperate climates. This flowering is well distributed along the stem and offers excellent vase life (up to 10 days).
The foliage is deciduous, composed of broader basal leaves, lanceolate to ovate, with a toothed margin, forming a rosette at the start of growth. The stem leaves are smaller, narrow and alternate, often slightly hairy. The stems are robust, angular, and sometimes slightly rough. The root system is a taproot, with a long main root and a few fine secondary roots. The plant is not well-suited to late transplanting or to shallow containers. The fruits are elongated capsules containing very small seeds, which ripen in late summer.

The 'Big Ben Deep Blue' F1 cut flower campanula combines well with other spring or summer flowers with blue or white blooms. It can be associated with Annual Verbenas, Wild Campanulas, or sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) as a groundcover. Three campanula cultivars that can accompany 'Big Ben Deep Blue' in a flower bed are: 'Big Ben White', 'Big Ben Lavender', and 'Big Ben Pink'. Due to their varied shades, they form a soft, cohesive arrangement.
In a flower bed, you can use it behind low-growing plants or in front of taller plants, or in a large flowering border.
In pots, choose a container at least 20 to 25 cm deep to accommodate the taproot.