Platycodon grandiflorus ‘Balou Blue’

Balloon Flowers are summer-blooming cousins to the more familiar Bellflowers. This selection forms a compact mound of green foliage, bearing inflated buds that open into star-shaped single bright purple-blue blossoms. The short habit of this variety makes it an especially good choice for containers, rock gardens or for edging. Remove faded blooms to encourage fresh buds to form. 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. Blooms well right from the first year. Bred and introduced by Kieft Seeds of the Netherlands.