How to Grow Balloon Flower (Platycodon Grandiflorum)

Balloon flowers bloom in summer with white, pink and purple blossoms on 3-foot-high plants. The flowers do look like balloons; they also look like big bells.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bypass Pruners
• Fertilizers
• Garden Hoses
• Mulch
• Plants
• Plants

Choosing Balloon Flower

1. Look for plants at nurseries in late spring through fall.

2. Buy balloon flower in 4-inch to 1-gallon containers.

3. Choose healthy-looking plants with signs of new growth in leaves and flower buds.

Planting Balloon Flower

4. Plant balloon flower in full sun in well-drained soil.

5. Add a light application of organic fertilizer to the planting hole.

6. Place the plants no deeper than they were growing in their containers.

7. Set the plants 9 to 12 inches apart.

8. Mulch around but not on top of the plants with 3 inches of organic compost.

9. Water well until soil is completely moist.

Caring for Balloon Flower

10. Be patient - balloon flower doesn't start growing until late in the spring.

11. Apply a light application of organic fertilizer to the top of the soil in spring; follow package directions.

12. Mulch around but not on top of the plants with 3 inches of organic compost in spring.

13. Water well weekly until soil is completely moist in summers with no rainfall.

14. Cut off flower stems with bypass pruners to encourage more blooms.