Meaning & use
bellflower
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Meaning
nouncountablebiology
A garden or wild plant with blue, purple or white flowers shaped like small bells, usually grown in borders and rock gardens.
Grammar: Count individual plants: one bellflower, many bellflowers.
Patterns
- a bellflower in the border
A purple bellflower grew along the stone wall.
We planted bellflowers at the edge of the path.
Bees love the nectar of the bellflower.
Word forms
| plural | bellflowers |
|---|
Common combinations
- blue bellflower
- A blue bellflower brightened the corner of the garden.
- creeping bellflower
- Creeping bellflower spreads quickly if it is not controlled.
- plant bellflowers
- Plant bellflowers in full sun for the best flowers.
- wild bellflower
- We spotted a wild bellflower on the hillside.
Synonyms and how they differ
- campanula
- Campanula is the botanical name and is used by gardeners, while bellflower is the common name everyone understands.
- harebell
- A harebell is one specific, delicate kind of bellflower found in dry grassland.
- bluebell
- Bluebell often refers to a different spring-flowering woodland plant, so it is not an exact synonym.
Word family
Commonly confused: bellflower or bluebell?
bellflower vs bluebell
Bluebells grow from bulbs in woods in spring, while bellflowers are mostly perennials that bloom in summer.
Practice
The gardener planted a ____ with violet, bell-shaped blooms by the gate.
Choose one answer.
A bellflower has bell-shaped flowers. A sunflower is large and yellow, a dandelion is a small weed, and a cornflower has a different shape.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bellflower”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.