Canterbury bells

American  

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. a plant, Campanula medium, cultivated for its showy, bell-shaped violet-blue, pink, or white flowers in loose clusters.

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Etymology

Origin of Canterbury bells

First recorded in 1570–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Canterbury bells

Wildflower Hill at the Theodore Payne Foundation Nursery is thriving with a few species of phacelia, including lavender-blue lacy phacelia and violet Canterbury bells.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026

A premiere destination for wildflower viewing, Chino Hills State Park is host to wild hyacinth, poppies, Canterbury bells and redmaids through May.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026

If you want to get up close and personal with blankets of goldfields, Canterbury bells, filaree and other native plants, your best bet is to take a hike.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2023

The great azure campanulas, or Canterbury bells, are there in bloom, and, in chalk or limestone districts, there are also now to be found those curiosities, the bee and fly orchises.

From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 10, No. 262, July 7, 1827 by Various

I think the Canterbury bells are playing little tunes.

From The Second Book of Modern Verse; a selection from the work of contemporaneous American poets by Rittenhouse, Jessie Belle