In my neighborhood, a church uses bells to herald certain hours and events. Whenever I hear them, I always stop what I’m doing and listen for a minute. Besides listening to bells, I love seeing them too- in the form of several lovely bell shaped flowers I grow in my garden beds.

Some of the most popular bell shaped flowers for the garden include:

1. Comfrey
2. Solomon’s Seal
3. Campanulas
4. Adam’s Needle Yucca
5. Cobaea scandens
6. Lily of the valley
7. Bluebells
8. Penstemon
9. Foxglove
10. Bells of Ireland
11. Clematis roguchi 
12. Mediterranean Bells allium 
13. Fritillaria imperialis
14. Allium triquetrum
15. Fritillaria meagris
16. Coral bells
17. Giant snowflake
18. Tulips
19. Fritillaria persica
20. Trumpet vine
21. Stinking hellebore

Besides having several of these gorgeous flowers in my own gardens, I also asked other gardening experts to share their favorite bell shaped flowers. So I’ve got plenty of pro tips and suggestions for you here!

Each of these lovely flowers deserves a deeper dive, so let’s get to know these captivating bell shaped flowers a little better, shall we?

1. Comfrey

• Blooming Season: Late spring through first frost
• Growing Zone: 3 to 9
• Light: Full sun to part shade
• Soil: Rich, well-draining soil
• Water: Keep soil moist
• Average Height: 12 to 36 inches tall

Comfrey may not be a well-known garden plant, and I don’t have it in my own garden yet. But I think both of those things need to change!

Alex Tinsman, owner of How to Houseplant, says that comfrey is a must-have in his garden.

“My absolute favorite bell-shaped flower has to be comfrey. Not only does it flower prolifically and require very little care and maintenance, but the bees here absolutely love it. There are only a few other plants in the garden that I can be guaranteed to always find bees glued to the flowers – and knowing about the problems bees and insects are in, I almost feel duty-bound to ensure I’ve always got a healthy crop of comfrey in the garden.”

2. Solomon’s Seal

• Blooming Season: Mid-spring through early summer
• Growing Zone: 3 to 9
• Light: Partial shade to full shade
• Soil: Well-draining, rich soil
• Water: Keep soil moist
• Average Height: 12-24 inches

If you’re looking for something a bit uncommon for that shaded spot in your yard or garden, don’t miss Solomon’s seal. This graceful plant is a woodland native that will produce abundant white bell shaped flowers in shady areas. Perfect under a tree or near shrubs!

Anwar Kaur, gardening expert at Hindu Rope, says that one reason he appreciates Solomon’s seal is the symmetry and architectural beauty. And he also points out that longevity is another awesome benefit.

“Unlike many flowering plants that look worn-out at the end of summer, Solomon’s seal remains perfect. The leaves are still vibrant and the stalks sturdy. It blooms from April until June and bears bluish-black berries.”

3. Campanulas

• Blooming Season: Early to mid-summer
• Growing Zone: 3 to 7
• Light: Full sun to partial sun
• Soil: Well-draining
• Water: Keep soil moist
• Average Height: 36 to 60 inches

Campanulas, also known as bellflowers, are a massive family of flowers, with more than 500 different types in various shades of purple, pink and white. Canterbury Bells are perhaps the most well-known type of campanula.

Carl Anderson, owner of Sweet New Earth, picks campanulas as his favorite bell shaped flower. “We love growing the purple ones in our garden because they add that special pop of color like no other plant can do.”

Carl has a few tips for getting the best show from your garden campanulas. “Make sure you plant them in well-drained soil, with regular watering. They love the sun but not too much. Aim to plant them in a spot with partial sun.”

NOTE: Some varieties need cold exposure before the seeds will germinate in the spring. So be sure to check if the variety you want to grow needs to be planted in the fall.

4. Adam’s Needle Yucca

• Blooming Season: Mid to late summer
• Growing Zone: 4 to 10
• Light: Full sun to part shade
• Soil: Well-draining, sandy soil
• Water: Water sparingly, tolerates drought
• Average Height: Up to 48 inches

I have Adam’s Needle yucca in my front garden, and I always think of them as a study in contrasts: Long spiky leaves, a gangly flower stalk and of course, delicate bell-shaped blossoms. They’re beautiful in a unique way, and they’re perfect for adding a few layers of texture to your garden.

One tip I have to share is that you may have to be patient with this plant at first. Yuccas won’t flower until they’re mature, and that could take a few years depending on the growing conditions.

I got my plants from a family member who was clearing out some flower beds, and it took about 5 years from transplanting to blooming for the first time. I had started to wonder if I would just have to be content with the spiky foliage, and I was so excited to see that first flower stalk! They were beautiful, and I think they’re worth the wait.

5. Cobaea Scandens

• Blooming Season: Mid-spring to summer
• Growing Zone: 9 to 11 (may be grown as an annual in lower zones)
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Well-draining, tolerant of average soil
• Water: Keep soil moist
• Average Height: Up to 20 feet

Cobaea scandens goes by a few common names, including monastery bells, cathedral bells and cup and saucer vine. The last one is especially fitting, in my opinion- the cup-like flowers sit atop outer petals in the shape of a saucer.

This plant is one that Oberon Copeland, CEO of Very Informed, suggests as a great addition to the garden, thanks to its “small, cup-shaped blooms that range in color from white to purple.”

As a vigorous climbing plant, a trellis or other sturdy support structure is a must. If you’ve got something you’d like to hide (chain-link fence, a dilapidated outbuilding, etc), this can be a perfect solution.

Just be sure to diligently trim away excess new growth- Cobaea scandens is an aggressive grower that can become invasive.

6. Lily of the Valley

• Blooming Season: Mid-spring
• Growing Zone: 3 to 9
• Light: Partial sun to full shade
• Soil: Well-draining, tolerant of most soil types
• Water: Keep soil moist
• Average Height: 8 inches

These delicate plants produce graceful stalks of tiny, pendulous bell flowers- they remind me of a true bell tower! I have lily of the valley interspersed with hostas in a shady border around a huge maple tree in my yard, and I really love the contrast between vibrant green and pure white.

Common lily of the valley has white flowers, but some varieties produce pink blossoms. Both deer and rabbits pass by lily of the valley, making it a great choice if you need animal-resistant landscaping.

While this plant is certainly beautiful, I have a couple of words of caution. Lily of the valley is an aggressive spreader, and it’s considered an invasive species in some areas. Also, lily of the Valley is highly toxic to both humans and animals. So if you have young children or curious pets, be sure to keep them safely away.

7. Bluebells

• Blooming Season: Mid to late spring
• Growing Zone: 4 to 9
• Light: Partial to full shade
• Soil: Well-draining soil rich in organic matter
• Water: Keep soil moist
• Average Height: Up to 12 inches

One of my and my kids’ favorite springtime activities is walking around our neighborhood and pointing out the delicate flowers we spot. I just love the yards that have bluebells- they make such a gorgeous carpet of blue!

If you want to add bluebells to your garden, plan ahead and plant the bulbs in September or October, before the ground freezes for the winter. And make sure to plant the deeply- at least 4 inches. Once bluebells get established, they’ll readily spread to fill in your spring flower beds. In fact, it may be a good idea to put up a border; bluebells multiply so rapidly they can become invasive.

8. Penstemon

• Blooming Season: Late spring to mid-summer
• Growing Zone: 4 to 9
• Light: Full sun to partial shade
• Soil: Well-draining
• Water: Prefers regular watering; can tolerate moderate drought
• Average Height: Up to 36 inches

This is another plant I have in my sun garden, and it’s a favorite of mine! It’s also a favorite for pollinators, and I have frequent bumblebee and butterfly visitors. The flowers have a somewhat elongated bell shape, and they grow in clusters on delicate flower stalks.

I know penstemon as beardtongue, and the genus is huge- there are over 250 distinct species and over 800 cultivars! I have the Husker Red variety, which is also featured in the photo above.

You can plant penstemon almost anywhere you have the space. While the plant prefers sunny locations and loose soil, it’s very forgiving and will grow in a wide range of conditions.

9. Foxglove

• Blooming Season: Late spring to early summer
• Growing Zone: 4 to 9
• Light: Full sun to partial shade
• Soil: Prefers well-draining soil, but is tolerant of most soil types
• Water: Water regularly
• Average Height: Up to 4 feet

Foxglove, also known as digitalis purpurea, is a classic Victorian garden flower that remains popular in modern times. And for good reason- it’s hard to top the color and majestic height of a healthy foxglove plant.

Dale Steven, garden and yard expert at Mowers and Yard Tools, says foxglove is one of his favorites. “These beautiful flowers come in a range of colors, from white to pink to purple. They’re easy to grow and don’t require much care. Just make sure to deadhead them regularly to keep them looking their best.”

Foxglove comes in both perennial and biennial varieties. If you choose a biennial variety, it will not flower its first year, but you should get a lovely showing the second year before the plant sets seed and dies.

One word of caution, though- foxglove is highly toxic, so be sure to keep young children and pets away.

10. Bells of Ireland

• Blooming Season: Late spring, early summer
• Growing Zone: 1 to 10
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Well-draining, fertile soil
• Water: Water regularly
• Average Height: 12 to 36 inches

These unique bell flowers grow in tall stalks and are a lovely shade of delicate green. The blooms are long-lasting, and they make a perfect addition to a cut-flower bouquet.

I think Bells of Ireland are so stunning, and I tried growing them this past spring. Unfortunately, they can be tricky to get started, and they didn’t grow very well for me. But I think I’ll have better luck starting seedlings indoors in late winter. They’re just too intriguing to not keep trying!

Also, some people say their Bells of Ireland didn’t grow well the first year but then burst forth the second year. So don’t get discouraged if your flowers don’t take off right away. They’re worth the wait!

11. Clematis Roguchi

• Blooming Season: Mid-summer through fall
• Growing Zone: 3 to 9
• Light: Full sun to partial shade
• Soil: Tolerates most soils
• Water: Keep moderately moist
• Average Height: Up to 12 feet

Clematis Roguchi is a Japanese clematis, and it produces an abundance of flowers that are perfectly shaped like miniature bells. And when you add in the deep indigo color- it’s a real show-stopper!

Clematis are well-known for their dramatic climbing growth, but the Roguchi variety is a bit different- it has more of a creeping growth pattern. While you can attach the long stems to a trellis or support structure, clematis Roguchi will look its best cascading down from a retaining wall or meandering across the ground.

12. Mediterranean Bells Allium

• Blooming Season: Late spring to early summer
• Growing Zone: 4 to 8
• Light: Full sun to partial sun
• Soil: Well-draining soil rich in organic matter
• Water: Tolerant of drought; water sparingly
• Average Height: 24 to 38 inches

Need a unique plant to fill in a sunny garden border or add to a rock garden? Mediterranean Bells allium is a perfect choice- this is a fairly uncommon plant, and you may very well be the first in your neighborhood to add it to your garden!

This perennial plant, known by the botanical name allium nectaroscordum siculum, produces tall stalks with clusters of bell shaped blooms. Each flower is an interesting color combination of creamy white and pink, with green highlights scattered about.

Besides its visual interest, Mediterranean Bells are deer-resistant and will readily naturalize to fill in your garden bed over time.

13. Fritillaria Imperialis

• Blooming Season: Mid to late-spring
• Growing Zone: 5 to 8
• Light: Full sun to partial sun
• Soil: Sandy or loose soil
• Water: Water regularly
• Average Height: Up to 44 inches tall

If you want some eye-catching drama along with your bell shaped flowers, don’t overlook Fritillaria imperialis. The tall stalks of bright-orange blossoms topped with fringy green leaves definitely command attention, and it’s pretty hard to miss this plant!

Thanks to their tall growth and vibrant coloring, Fritillaria imperialis is perfect situated in the back row or corner of a flower bed. And they’re perennials, so you can look forward to enjoying their bright, showy blossoms year after year.

14. Allium Triquetrum

• Blooming Season: Mid-spring to early summer
• Growing Zone: 7 to 10
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Well-draining
• Water: Keep soil moist
• Average Height: 12 to 18 inches

Allium triquetrum is a perennial heirloom variety of ornamental onion, and it’s also known as three-corned garlic or three-cornered leek. Each plant produces a stalk of nodding bell shaped flowers, with every petal having a delicate green streak down the center.

Besides its graceful appearance, Allium triquetrum is also edible. It has the classic onion flavor, and it’s great in cooked dishes or raw in salads and sandwiches. But good news- deer and rabbits do not appreciate the strong taste, so they won’t bother your Allium triquetrum in the garden.

15. Fritillaria Meagris

• Blooming Season: Mid-to-late spring
• Growing Zone: 4 to 8
• Light: Partial shade
• Soil: Prefers damp conditions; tolerant of poor drainage
• Water: Keep soil moist
• Average Height: 12 inches

The photos for the Fritillaria meagris look digitally altered- but they’re not! This delicate plant features a delicate checkerboard pattern on the outer side of its petals, and the entire flower is shaped just like a classic bell. Like the photo above shows, a few Fritillaria meagris also come in white.

This perennial bulb is perfect for planting in areas that are too moist for other plants. Fritillaria meagris is native to boggy regions in Europe, so it does best with damp soil and partial light.

16. Coral Bells

• Blooming Season: Late spring to fall
• Growing Zone: 4 to 9
• Light: Prefers partial shade, but tolerates any lighting
• Soil: Prefers well-draining, slightly acidic soil, but tolerant of most soil types
• Water: Water regularly; can tolerate moderate drought
• Average Height: 12 to 36 inches

Always a favorite for landscaping, coral bells have a wonderful combination of lovely foliage, a hardy nature and those lovely red/pink bell shaped flowers. Pollinators love the flowers as much as we growers do!

While the blossoms are certainly an attraction, I think the foliage is nearly as pretty. And they come in a range of colors, from silver to green to almost black.

And besides looking great, coral bells are also extremely forgiving. They’re tolerant of drought, do well in sun or shade and will happily grow in almost any soil. There’s really no reason not to add coral bells to your garden plans!

17. Giant Snowflakes

• Blooming Season: Mid-to-late spring
• Growing Zone: 4 to 8
• Light: Full sun to partial shade
• Soil: Well-draining soil
• Water: Keep soil moist
• Average Height: Up to 30 inches

Giant snowflake, officially known as Leucojum Gravetye Giant, is a relative of the early-spring flower snowdrops. But the giant snowflake stands a bit taller and blooms a little later in the season.

Each plant produces long, grass-like leaves and a central flower stalk with several nodding white flowers in the perfect shape of a bell. One unique touch is the yellow-green dot on each petal, giving the white flower a little extra pop of color.

Giant snowflake flowers are perennial bulbs that readily naturalize into your landscape. They look amazing when covering a slope or mound!

18. Tulips

• Blooming Season: Mid-to-late spring
• Growing Zone: 3 to 10 (warm zones require different care)
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Well-draining, sandy soil
• Water: Water regularly
• Average Height: Up to 24 inches

While most flowers that look like bells dangle downward, tulips have an inverted, upright bell shape. In the Midwest where I live, the spring tulip showing is a sight to behold!

Even though we often associate tulips with the Netherlands (and it’s true that most of the world’s tulip bulbs come from there), the tulip actually originates from central Asian plain regions, according to Amsterdam Tulip Museum.

Available in nearly any color, tulips will add a lovely burst of color to flower beds, borders and rock gardens. Allow the flower and leaves to completely turn brown and die before cutting them down- that allows the plant to store energy for next year’s bloom.

19. Fritillaria Persica

• Blooming Season: Mid-to-late spring
• Growing Zone: 4 to 9
• Light: Full sun to partial sun
• Soil: Well-draining soil is essential
• Water: Water regularly, tolerant of moderate drought
• Average Height: Up to 48 inches

Fritillaria persica, also known as Persian lily, brings the garden drama in more ways than one! The tall flower stalks command attention by reaching up to 4 feet tall, and each stalk produces a column of deep-purple bell flowers.

This plant is perfect for the back row of a sunny flower bed or a border. And if it’s happy where you plant it, Fritillaria persica easily naturalizes for lovely perennial color.

And if you need another draw, some growers report that the flower’s scent seems to repel squirrels and rabbits.

20. Trumpet Vine

• Blooming Season: Early summer to fall
• Growing Zone: 4 to 9
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Tolerates a wide range of soil types
• Water: Minimal water needs
• Average Height: Up to 40 feet

Thanks to its vibrant blooms with an elongated bell shape, this vine is definitely an eye-catching garden feature. Orange-red is the most common color for trumpet vine, but there are also yellow and lavender varieties.

Do you have an unattractive fence or another outdoor structure that you’d like to hide? Trumpet vine has a rapid growth pattern and is a vigorous climber, so whatever you want to obscure will quickly be nothing but a memory. Typically, trumpet vine will reach several feet in length with lots of bushy foliage by 1-2 years after planting, and flowers appear after about 3 years.

But while it’s a beautiful flowering cover plant, be aware that it can become invasive. Trumpet vine spreads through underground runners, so keep an eye on the ground around your plant to keep it in check.

21. Stinking Hellebore

• Blooming Season: Late winter to mid-spring
• Growing Zone: 6 to 9
• Light: Partial sun to full shade
• Soil: Moist but well-draining soil
• Water: Keep soil moist
• Average Height: Up to 24 inches

These plants have an off-putting name, don’t they? When crushed, the flowers and foliage release an unpleasant odor, but don’t let that frighten you from adding these bell shaped flowers to your garden. The scent makes stinking hellebore naturally deer-resistant and may actually help repel rabbits.

And of course, this plant also offers unique blossoms. Rounded, bell shaped flowers nod downward gracefully, and the color combination of soft green petals tipped with burgundy is understated but very pretty.

Where to Buy Bell Shaped Flowers

There are many places to buy the flowers we’ve mentioned above. Here are a few places, other than Amazon, that I personally love to shop around at:

• Local garden centers and nurseries
• Etsy
• Nature Hills Nursery
• Botanical Interests
• Blooming Bulb
• Eden Brothers
• True Leaf Market

Final Thoughts

I hope you’ve enjoyed this list of my own and other garden experts’ favorite bell shaped flowers. There are certainly plenty to pick from- I love having several of these in my own garden and I know which ones I want to plant next!

I’d love to hear from you! Which one(s) of these are your favorite? Are there any other bell flowers that I missed on the list? We learn best as a gardening community, so please share your thoughts in the comments!