Flowers of Transplanted Balloon Flower Changed Color

For 5 years, I had an increasingly abundant bed of bright blue balloon flowers. After I divided them into two bunches, the original bed remained blue, but the transplanted stalks only produced white flowers. The soil is the same, but the transplanted stalks get more direct sunlight. Would that affect their color?

There are several possible explanations. For some reason the transplanted portion sported (mutated) producing white flowers. Gardeners often blame it on drought, transplanting or other stress. Research hasn't uncovered the reason for the sport, they just know a mutation has occurred. Watch and see if this mutation stays or reverts back (actually another mutation) to blue. The other possibility is the transplanted portion died but dormant seed in the soil sprouted and grew. These seedlings did not come true from seed and the offspring was white. If the white plant produces white offspring it is classified as a variety or subspecies. A white variety of balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus albus) was discovered and has been cultivated and sold since the late 1800's.

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