In article , "Jill Claus"
jillclaus@cogeco,ca wrote:

I purchased some Bellflower seeds. The package says they will grow a foot
high and bloom all summer. However, the package says they bloom the 2nd
year. Does this mean they bloom every other year? Or that they won't bloom
the first year they are planted. Does this mean the plant should not be cut
off in the fall? I've only been gardening for 3 years, so any help would be
greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jill

When grown from seed, probably won't be mature enough to bloom until their
second year. If you want them right away you could add a couple small
bedding starts already partially grown, usually only cost about $3 from a
nursery, & they'll bloom this year. As for pruning, it somewhat depends on
what species of bellflower, & the zone you're in. Some bellflowers are
semi-evergreen in mild winters; many rebloom right up to October. I
experimented with canturbery bells in that I left two unpruned & they
bloomed even in winter (in December if I recall), though too feebly to be
more than mild curiosities to be blooming out of season. The ones I cut
right down to the basal leaves came back early spring as thick bushy
leaves, while the ones I encouraged to prove some small degree of
evergreen capacity are still in April way behind, growing at about
one-third the pace as the ones that were pruned in late autumn. They
wasted too much energy blooming poorly out of season, so it really wasn't
a good idea.

Some things that are semi-evergreen keep part of their growth as a kind
of self-mulching program to keep from freezing in winter, & those should
be pruned back late winter or early spring just before new growth begins.
The canterbury bells are among these, but they don't need anything left
but the lowest basal leaves. On the basis of one little experiment on
bellflowers, I'm of a mind to prune them tot the basal leaves in late
autumn in the future & not try to stretch them deep into winter. But the
Korean bellflowers & a couple similar groundcovery bellflowers die
completely to the ground in late autumn without being pruned.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/