Right when the balloon flower, Platycodon grandiflorus, is about to bloom, it does its best impression of a balloon. It’s so good at it, I have to work really hard to keep myself from trying to squeeze it and make it pop!
In addition to having a really fun bud stage, this is a hard-working perennial. I love a plant you can put in the ground and forget about. This one has been ignored in my garden for a few years, and each year, it faithfully returns and produces several flowers.
How to Grow Balloon Flower
For best results, grow this plant in full sun in well-drained soil. It does not do well if the roots stay wet but it is also not drought tolerant, so water it during dry periods. If you deadhead the plant, you’ll be able to get flowers for an extended period of time. Mine starts blooming in late spring and will continue through the summer.
There are different varieties of the plant with varying heights – from a little under a foot tall to 3 feet tall and flowers can be periwinkle, pink, or white. It is hardy in zones 4 to 9.
