Bells of Ireland | Moluccella laevis
Perfect green bells for a bouquet.
These apple-green bells add interesting texture and contrast to borders and make an excellent cut flower. Inside each bell-shaped calyx, you will find a small, white flower with a mild fragrance. This plant grows wild in Syria and Turkey, but the vibrant green has come to be associated with Ireland and good luck. Sow in a well-prepped bed and keep soil evenly moist to germinate (be patient!).
Direct sow in early Spring. Or, sow indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost then transplant into a well-prepped garden bed. Bells of Ireland prefer cooler temperatures and can be planted in full sun or partial shade. If sowing indoors, chill seed for a few days before seeding.
Days to Germination 15-20 days
Days to Maturity 95 days
Planting Depth 0"
Spacing in Row 10-12"
Spacing Between Rows 12"
Height at Maturity 24"
Width at Maturity 6-12"
Sun Preference Full to partial Sun
Stephanie Anderson's watercolour incorporates collaged marbled paper elements, including moths, that highlight the Turkish origins of this plant. In her art, Stephanie is fascinated with the still life, and she also enjoys depicting imagined creatures in their respective environments.
About Hudson Valley Seed Company
They are a values-driven seed company that practices and celebrates responsible seed production and stewardship. Hudson Valley are best known for their beautiful artist-design seed packs (Art Packs) that appeal to gardeners, gift buyers, and lovers of art and nature.
These Art Packs, most fundamentally, tell stories. Hudson Valley challenges artists to convey in a manner that is fully their own, the history and meaning of the seed variety contained in each pack. These stories were once integral to traditional societies-stories of seeds were often origin stories for entire communities and peoples, and the lore and beliefs that accumulated around seed varieties reflected the nearly familial way in which gardeners and farmers regarded their crops. Our society is, by and large, no longer connected to plants this way. But we like to think these Art Packs help to stitch our fragmented world back together: useful seeds, evocative art, both equally valuable to our experience of being human.