Platycodon grandiflorus ‘Blue‘

Balloon Flowers are summer-blooming cousins to the more familiar Bellflowers. This forms an upright mound of green foliage, bearing inflated buds that pop open into star-shaped violet-blue blossoms. Nice addition to the border, or in mixed containers. Especially good for cutting. Because they come up very late in the spring, consider planting tulips or daffodils beside the clump to mark the location. Division is seldom necessary, and not always very successful because of the carrot-like root. Long-lived, but dislikes being moved once established. Deadhead individual flowers to prolong blooming. The dried stems and seedpods remain attractive through late autumn and into the winter.