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Platycodon grandiflorus |
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| Common name |
balloonflower |
| Family |
campanulaceae |
| Life cycle |
perennial (Z3-8) |
| Flowers |
blue/pink/white (summer) |
| Size |
see below |
| Light |
sun-part shade |
| Cultural notes |
ordinary garden soil |
From seed  |
germinate at room temperature
detailed seed-starting info below
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| Seed ripens | late September |
Very useful perennial - we use it in lots of our borders. The mid- to dark-green foliage emerges in late spring; while it's not particularly noteworthy, it holds up through the rest of the season, well after flowering. Of course the main show is the swelling buds, which give the plant its common name, and the bowl-shaped flowers that follow. We grow a few different varieties. Our mainstay is 'Sentimental blue', with rich blue flowers on a compact, bushy plant. The others, white and Axminster Streaked, are more upright, and a little more difficult to place in the garden.
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| Although the plain species has blue flowers, non-blue cultivars seem to often revert to white from seed. The plant in this picture was grown from the same seed batch as the Axminster Streaked in the background; likewise, plants we grew from seed collected from 'Fuji Pink' came out pure white.
| | Flowers come more freely on the third-year plants. |
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In our garden, this plant grows in the following areas: patio area, side garden, driveway bed, the lane, bogside border, orchard nursery area, sale plot Seed for this plant is included on my seed trade list One or more images of this plant are included in my stock photo catalog About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Platycodon grandiflorus
Visitors to this page have left the following comments| Sandra Trentz | Aug 22, 2005 | Rob,
You are a joy and a wonder! This is exactly the plant. My neighbor, Penny, has been showing it and asking folks if they knew what it was ever since the first bud opened in early July. When I show her this, she'll probably bake me some cookies! Thanks so very much. Sandra
Glad I could help - enjoy your cookies :-) |
| Aurosylle | Jun 02, 2006 | i did a search for Platycodon grandiflorus because i just saw one flowering for the first time, here in south India and its a wonder to behold. Wanted a bit more info on how to keep them growing,what conditions and so on.Great photos, thanks. |
| c-crook | Apr 22, 2008 | This page has more good info then any of the others I have looked at. Pictures are great. Have been looking at this plat in my daughters yard and want to find one. |
| susan suchowski | Aug 19, 2008 | hi - i bought this lovely perennial - it bloomed nicely and now it's growing and there are buds (small ones) but the buds haven't gotten any bigger and obviously hasn't produced flowers in weeks! i don't know how to make this happen. i fertilize - lots of water daily - what shall i do? any assistance will be appreciated. susan s.
Are you sure what you're looking at are buds? I suspect they are developing seedboxes, and that your perennial is done blooming for the season. That gives you something to anticipate for next year! |
| Kathy Firth | Jun 06, 2009 | I have a plant similar to balloon plant in its bud formation, but the flowers, when opened, resemble a tulip. Could you advise me on possibilities for identifying this pretty plant? Thank you!
Check out the Name That Plant forum at gardenweb.com! |
| Shirley, Dallas Texas | Jun 29, 2009 | I love your page, but I would like to know must I pinch off the flowers on my current balloon flowers for them to flower next year
Pinching the spent flowers will keep the appearance of the plant tidy as new blooms appear - but it is not necessary for the plant's health or its flowering potential in future seasons. |
| marie Riggs | Jul 01, 2009 | IS there just one blooming a season? What can I do with the long fallen over stems with so many dead looking past blooms? It was beautiful when it bloomed but it is the beginning of July and I am wondering if there is a possibility of more blooms?
All the ones we grow show off their flowers just once a season, in early summer. 'Sentimental Blue' keeps blooming for quite a while (deadheading may help to extend the duration of bloom). But once it stops producing flowers, it's done for the year. |
| Doreen | Jul 02, 2009 | Your page is very informative & appreciated. I've had a difficult time finding care information on these beautiful flowering plants. My balloon flowers have really taken off this year after being planted just last summer. I was under the impression that they will bloom all summer long, but after pinching off the dead blooms I'm left with a tall stem with lovely green foliage, but no more buds or blooms. Is this normal? Am I supposed to be pinching off the dead blooms afterall? LOL Also, in one of your comments above you talk about a "seedbox." What does that look like, please? Thanks for your help
By 'seedbox' I meant the dry round fruiting body which contains the seeds. If you deadheaded the plant, none will develop. |
| Jackie Myers | Jul 22, 2009 | I was wondering how you collect seeds from Platycodon grandiflorus. I have the blue variety.
Stop deadheading the flowers once the blooms start petering out, to let some of the round seedheads develop. Once they are tan and dry, you can pick them. Each will have many seeds rattling around inside - just break open to collect them. |
| Ann Holmquest | Jul 25, 2009 | Will this plant take a winter in New England?
Easily - it's hardy to zone 3 or 4. |
| jaye | Jul 31, 2009 | I have a balloon flower that I would like to harvest the seeds from, however, I am not sure if the buds are finished? They are hard and round and have already bloomed but have found conflicting information about second blooms. I live in the shenandoah valley of virginia. Do I harvest the seeds in the fall or should I cut the buds now? Jdrhye@yahoo.com
If the pods are dry, harvest them now. |
| Christine | Aug 08, 2009 | I, too am in Northern VA and happy to find some guidance on maintaining this flower. I bought two at peak bloom so I only had a couple of weeks of blossoms. I did deadhead them, thinking that letting the plant "focus" on settling into my garden was the better idea. I have lots of stems with no heads, but figure next year I can prune more closely. I do have a few seedpods that I am letting go, but they are still a long way from being dry. |
| GAIL | Aug 26, 2009 | My Platycodon grandiflorus (baloon flower) is done blooming, do I cut the plant back??
You can certainly prune off the spent flowers. I would not remove all of the top growth, since the plant is still storing energy for next year's growth and blooms. |
| Doreen | Aug 30, 2009 | Thanks so much for your info on the seedboxes. When I harvest the seedboxes should I plant the seeds indoors now? If & when I get a start off the seeds, will they produce perennial plants?
I think it's better to wait till early spring to start them. The offspring will certainly be perennial. |
| Winifred | Sep 24, 2009 | My baloon flower behaves differently when in ground from in pots. First year in pots, they did not bloom. Second year I moved half to inground. In ground they grew to 3 feet tall and bloomed in late august. The in pot plants did not bloom second year and grew to only 8" high. Any suggestions on how to keep them in ground , grow to 1-2 feet in height and bloom all summer? I am in zone 4 in the Catskills, NY.
All I can say is - keep experimenting. You won't get all summer bloom from a balloonflower, but you can probably get the height you desire by choosing the correct placement. Did your pot plants get sun most of the day? How about the in-ground plants? You may be able to pinch them back in late May to control their height, although I've not tried that myself.
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| Marjorie A | Oct 13, 2009 | I read on the 'net' that if balloon plant is deadheaded they will not produce flowers the rest of the season. Your opinion please?
That doesn't sound right. Many plants will continue blooming longer if they are regularly deadheaded. I'm not sure if the bloom period for balloon plants is prolonged by deadheading, but removing the spent flowers certainly won't stop the plant from blooming more. |
| Dan | Oct 18, 2009 | Can this plant be grown inside at all? My grandmother has some of them in her flowerbed. I live in an apartment and wanted to have one to remember her each time i looked at it. Any suggestions?
My guess is it would be difficult to get enough light. And the plant needs its cold cycle through the winter to renew itself. |
- 'Fuji Pink' seed from '02 trade. Baggy 70F (100%G, 5-10d)
- 'Axminster Streaked' seed from '02 trade. Baggy 70F (90%G, 5-10d)
- 'Axminster Streaked' seed from '04 garden. Baggy 70F (70%G, 7d)
- 'Hakone Double Blue' seed from '05 trade. Baggy 70F (81%G, 8-13d)
- 'Axminster Streaked' seed from '06 garden. Baggy 70F (100%G, 6-9d)
- 'Sentimental Blue' seed from '06 garden. Baggy 70F (95%G, 5-8d)
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Last modified:
November 01, 2009
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