Question
QUESTION: hi. im growing a canterburybell from a seed indoors in water alone at a north facing window so far its growing good but i read its a biennial and will only live 2 yrs is it possible were its indoors that it can live for like 30 yrs? thank you for your time

ANSWER: Greetings Cynthia,

I grew Canterbury Bells (also known as Campanula medium)years ago. Such a wonderful plant.

In my experience it is unlikely that campanula medium will return after blooming. It forms a rosette of leaves the first year, blooms the second year, and then dies. Whether it is indoors or out, the result tends to be the same.

BUT... if you deadhead it after it blooms it is POSSIBLE that it will live to bloom again. I would say that it is 50/50. I occasionally had a plant that bloomed a second time. But never a third.

For a continual show, start seeds every year. That way you are guaranteed continued bloom.

Isn't it a pity that some of the most beautiful plants only bloom once and then go to plant heaven?

Please feel free to write again with any additional questions.

Best wishes,

Donna

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QUESTION: thanks agin for your help i had 1 more question are zinnas as short lived as canterburybells? 2 years? oh and can you tell me how to deadhead the canterburybells iv never done it before thanks agin

ANSWER: Hello again Cynthia,

Zinnias are annual plants. The first frost will wipe them out. So they are even more short lived than campanula.  They must be planted again each spring. One nice thing about them however, is that they grow so quickly that you can sow them every two or three weeks for continuous color. They are also easy to transplant, so you can start them in peat pots and then transfer them outdoors. You can actually get a jump on the zinnia season by starting them indoors when it is still too cool to plant them outdoors and then put them out when temperatures rise. I have a south facing patio, and I do this every year.

You can deadhead campanulas by simply cutting off the flowering parts as they decline. Look for fading flowers that are losing their color. Follow the fading flower down the stem to a new bud. Cut just above that new bud. You will stimulate it to bloom.

Great questions!

Regards,

Donna



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QUESTION: hey Donna thanks so much agin you have helped so much and i wish you the best growing your plants :) do you mind if i ask another question? i was wandering is it possible to grow zinnas indoors all year round? if so will they still natrualy die like campanulas? if thats the case is there any type of flower that can live as long as a philodendron for instance? also i was wandering for plants that have realy massive and deep roots and i put it in as big of a pot as i can do i have to worry about them not having enough room and getting rootbound? or will they just grow to fit the pot? thanks agin for your help and for being so nice iv grown several types of plants over the past few years but im still so inexperienced its so nice having your help and advice

Answer
Hi again, Cynthia!

Let's take the last question first.

Plants can become rootbound. This is more typical with larger plants. On a case by case basis I have heard that there are exceptions, but  I wonder if that is a myth. It's always better if you put plants with potentially massive roots into larger pots as they grow. You can start with a small pot and move them up as they get larger. I started my peace lilies in smaller pots and then started moving them up to slightly larger pots over time.

As for growing zinnias over the winter, yes you can do that. If you have the right conditions you can grow anything indoors. But they will still bloom and die. And that is because they are annuals. In any climate, they are "programmed" to bloom and die.

I grew tidal wave petunias in pots, brought them in for the winter and put them on the sunniest side of my house. I am in zone 5a. There was quite decent bloom. But better yet, when the weather warmed, I put them back into hanging pots. Nasturtiums can be grown indoors all year round as well. But petunias, you see, are actually perennials. A lot of plants we grow as "annuals" are really tender perennials that would survive winter in warmer climates. One mild winter three kinds of salvia farinacea (Victoria is the most popular) overwintered in my garden. But that is because perennials are programmed to return.

Does this make sense? One good piece of research for you would be to "Google" plants to see whether they are described as annuals or tender perennials. If annual, you would need to regrow them from seed (starting them every few weeks) but if they are tender perennials you can hold them over the season as long as you keep them warm.

Does this make sense?

Regards,

Donna