The more I grow balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus), the more it impresses me.
We only had two days of rain all of September.
Temperatures were way above normal. (Or perhaps this is the 'new normal'?)
So it was hot, dry, sunny and I rarely watered.
Many plants would wilt or go dormant. Some would give up the ghost. But not balloon flower - it kept sailing through, pushing out more and more cheerful, cooling blue flowers.
These flowers are not exactly pollinator magnets, but they do attract some creatures.
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| Can you spot the tiny pollinator here? |
In my experience, balloon flower has a very long blooming season, but it tends to slow down in midsummer. If you cut (or break) the stems way back, it will soon regrow and rebloom.
Individual plants seem to be long-lived. They don't spread through rhizomes, though clumps can get bigger over time. Balloon flower does self-sow. These volunteers are amenable to transplantation and they're not hard to pull if you find yourself with too many balloons!
