Northwest Blooms · Perennials
Platycodon Grandiflorus
Balloon Flower
- Family
- Campanulaceae
- Height
- 12 to 24 in
- Width
- 12 to 18 in
- Flower color
- Violet blue star shaped balloon like buds opening flat
- Foliage color
- Blue green ovate leaves forming neat upright clumps
- Bloom time
- Early summer through late summer
- Light
- Full sun to light partial shade
- Water
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low; remove spent flowers and avoid disturbing deep taproot
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Wildlife
- Bees butterflies and other pollinating insects
About this plant
Platycodon grandiflorus forms tidy clumps of smooth green foliage from which rounded, balloonlike buds swell in early to mid-summer before opening into broad, star-shaped blue flowers with gently veined petals. The buds open slowly into well-defined, star-shaped flowers that provide steady blue color in borders and seasonal plantings throughout the summer.
Native to eastern Asia, including China, Korea, and Japan, it reflects a long history of garden cultivation and traditional use. Reliable seasonal growth and steady flowering lend composed texture and soft color to mixed perennial plantings across summer.
Works well in
Borders · Cottage Gardens · Pollinator Gardens · Containers
Companion plants
Catmint · Heucheras · Lady's mantle · Hellebores · Hardy geraniums · Hostas
Design tip
Summer flowers carry the middle of the season, so place it where the bed needs color once spring bulbs fade. Because it is easy about light, use it to carry a planting from a sunny end of the bed into the shadier side.
Where to see it
This plant can be seen at the Center for Urban Horticulture.
