Growing Bells of Ireland: A Complete Profile
By Growing Home Greens Team · August 10, 2026
Bells of Ireland isn’t grown for its flowers at all, really. The tiny white blooms tucked inside are almost beside the point; what the plant is grown for is the spike of pale, papery green calyxes surrounding them, which is what gives the cut stem its name and its appeal in arrangements.
A taproot that resents disturbance
Chill seed for 1 to 2 weeks before sowing to improve germination, which otherwise takes 12 to 21 days. Direct-seeding once soil reaches 50-60°F in early spring is the more reliable route, since bells of Ireland has a taproot and transplants poorly; if starting indoors, sow about 7 weeks before your last frost and handle the move outside carefully. Seed needs light, so don’t cover it. Space plants 10 to 12 inches apart; mature stalks typically reach 2 to 3 feet.
Staking and repeat cutting
In an exposed spot, the tall flower spikes may need staking to stay upright. Regular cutting for arrangements encourages the plant to keep producing more stems rather than settling into just a few, so harvest doesn’t have to mean the end of a plant’s productivity for the season.
Fresh versus dried
For fresh arrangements, cut when the bells are about half open and still green. For drying, wait until the bells feel firm to the touch, which holds their shape and color much better through the drying process than cutting too early.
Bells of Ireland has no recorded companions or antagonists in our data. See the full companion guide for bells of Ireland for how it’s tracked. Its height and stiff, upright form make it a good back-of-bed anchor in the Garden Designer, and since it doesn’t transplant well, plan its spot before you sow rather than after.
Source: Bells of Ireland: Key Growing Information, Johnny’s Selected Seeds.
Companion planting guide for Bells of Ireland · Find your planting dates
Typically viable in USDA zones 2-11. Not sure your zone? Look it up by ZIP code.
Method: Either: Start indoors for an earlier harvest, or direct-sow outside for less fuss. Bells of Ireland tolerates either.
See exact start-indoors, direct-sow, and harvest dates for your zone →
How many Bells of Ireland plants fit per square foot?
Spacing: 1 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 2-3 ft.
Varieties worth considering
- Straight-species bells of Ireland (Moluccella laevis): Johnny's Selected Seeds sells it as the plain species; there's no real named-cultivar market for a flower grown for one distinctive, pale green form rather than a range of colors. (source)
Cited from the source shown next to each variety. We haven't grown these ourselves yet, so treat this as a research-backed starting point, not a personal endorsement.
Where to buy bells of ireland seeds
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See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing bells of ireland" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
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Growing Bells of Ireland: A cut-flower spike grown for its pale green, bell-shaped calyxes, not true flowers at all, with a taproot that punishes any attempt to transplant it.
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