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Key characteristics

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

Perennials

Platycodon Grandiflorus

Balloon Flower

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.

Light

Full sun to light partial shade

Water

Moderate

Bloom time

Early summer through late summer

Find this plant

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.