Campanula (Bellflower) in Zone 10a & 10b

Campanula medium

Yes, campanula (bellflower) grows in zones 10a and 10b. Start seeds indoors Dec 12–Dec 19 and plant out Feb 6–Feb 13.

When to plant campanula (bellflower) in zone 10b

Zones 10a and 10b share the same average frost dates, so this page covers both.

Method: Start indoors: Start indoors from seed, then transplant outside. It needs a head start most zones can't give it by direct-sowing alone.

Start indoorsDec 12–Dec 19
Direct sow / transplant outsideFeb 6–Feb 13
Estimated bloomJun 6–Jun 13 (~120 days after transplanting)

Spacing: 2 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 2.5-3.5 ft.

Plant alongside it in zone 10b

These go outside within two weeks of campanula (bellflower) in zone 10b, so one planting day can cover them.

Campanula (Bellflower)
Photo: Salicyna via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.

Campanula, also called Canterbury bells, is a tall spring cut flower with a genuine quirk: it's daylength-sensitive, needing short days as a young seedling to build enough stem length before it flowers under the long days of early summer.

How campanula (bellflower) fits zone 10's season

Zone 10b's frost-free window runs about 324 days, from January 30 to December 20. Campanula (bellflower) needs about 120 days from transplant to first bloom.

Campanula (Bellflower) planting windows in every zone

Zone 10b is highlighted. Useful for comparing against a neighbouring zone, or for a garden somewhere else.

ZoneStart indoorsSow or plant outBloom
2a & 2bApr 1–Apr 8May 27–Jun 3Sep 24–Oct 1
3a & 3bApr 11–Apr 18Jun 6–Jun 13Oct 4–Oct 11
4a & 4bMar 27–Apr 3May 22–May 29Sep 19–Sep 26
5a & 5bMar 22–Mar 29May 17–May 24Sep 14–Sep 21
6a & 6bMar 7–Mar 14May 2–May 9Aug 30–Sep 6
7a & 7bFeb 20–Feb 27Apr 17–Apr 24Aug 15–Aug 22
8a & 8bFeb 4–Feb 11Apr 1–Apr 8Jul 30–Aug 6
9a & 9bDec 28–Jan 4Feb 22–Mar 1Jun 22–Jun 29
10a & 10b (your zone)Dec 12–Dec 19Feb 6–Feb 13Jun 6–Jun 13
11a & 11bNov 13–Nov 20Jan 8–Jan 15May 8–May 15

Bloom dates are about 120 days after the sow or plant-out date, not after starting seeds indoors.

Zone 2 sows before zone 3 here, which looks wrong and is not. USDA zones rank winter cold, not season length, and zone 2 is mostly interior Alaska, where hard winters come with warm summers. More on what a zone measures.

Good companions

No well-established companions for campanula (bellflower).

Where to buy campanula seeds

True Leaf Market (each supplier's campanula seeds)

See why we recommend these suppliers →

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See it growing

Search YouTube for "growing campanula (bellflower)" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)

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Growing Campanula (Bellflower) in USDA zone 10b

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Growing Campanula (Bellflower) in USDA zone 10b: when to start seeds indoors, when to direct-sow, and when to expect a bloom.

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