Balloon Flower
- Botanical Name
- Platycodon grandiflorus
- Min Zone
- 3
- Max Zone
- 8
- Height
- 24 to 36 inches
- Flowers
- Summer: blue, white, pink; 2 to 3 inches, single and double forms; flower buds are balloon-shaped and will pop when squeezed
- Fall Color
- Gold
- Light
- Full to part sun
- Soil
- Moist, slightly acidic, not tolerant of wet soils
- Planting & Care
- Slow to emerge in spring
- Deadheading will prolong bloom and improve appearance
- Easily grown from seed, flowering the second year after sowing
- Division is tricky because of the fragile, stringy root system
- Best left undisturbed once established
- Taller varieties are often floppy and require staking
- Cutting plants back by half in May will result in fuller plants with sturdier stems
- Varieties
- Double Blue - 18 to 24 inches, double blue flowers
- Fuji series - seed grown; blue, white or pink
- Hakone Blue - 20 inches, double blue flowers
- Apoyama - violet blue flowers all summer long, 10 inches
- Sentimental series - compact, 6 to 8 inches tall by 12 to 15 inches wide, blue or white flowers
- Shell Pink - soft pink flowers, 18 to 24 inches, color washes out in full sun
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