Balloon Flower

Balloon Flower (Platycodon Grandiflorus) is a  a sturdy perennial plant with bold purple flowers.

I planted two side by side and they are making lots of buds and flowers. The flower gets its name from the buds that are like little balloons. They suddenly pop open and you have colourful star-shaped flowers.  They also come in white and pink but I found the pink to be very washed out so now I stick with the purple ones.

They are easy to care for and enjoy a sunny location.  Mine lean a bit because they are not in a site with all day sun but the stems are good and stiff and don't flop.   They have a taproot so they can't be transplanted once they are established but you can buy young plants that are still small enough to handle the transplant.

The balloon flowers will make a nice clump if the soil is adequately enriched. They can tolerate dry conditions and don't like to be soggy. So far I haven't had any insect pests or diseases on the balloon flowers.