i cant say enough good things about my balloon flower. this one is blooming like crazy! my pink one hasn't started yet.
balloon flowers...show me yours!
one closeup before opening
open bloom close up
Gorgeous! Do they like mostly sun? My spot is shaded all morning, but gets 4-5 hours full sun during the hottest part of the day...
Sorry, I tried three times to post this directly, but it wouldn't work. Here's the link:
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2658843500047771707fLRMKK
Dee
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/72/index.html
here is the link to the plantfiles for the balloon flower. it says sun to partial shade : )
dee i love the picture : ) nice with the fairy.
Thanks, lovesdaylilies! I kind of lucked out that day. My camera was in my air-conditioned bedroom, and when I went out to take this picture, the lens fogged up in the warm air. I didn't have time to wait for it to clear, and took the picture anyway. I kind of liked the effect, lol!
Dee
me too
okay a new one for me. i was so glad to see this one bloom!
one more
lovesdaylilies - That is beautiful! I love the color. I have not seen any this color around here! :(
Lovesdaylilies: I've never - ever seen pink ones before! Lovely.
This is mine.
Deb
I forgot to mention above that my pic is from last year. Mine are not blooming yet this year.
I tried sowing some pink ones this year but no luck. I had great success last year with the blue ones. I'll have to try a second sowing of the pink ones.
:)
Dee
thanks everyone! nice pict. deb.
the balloon flowers have become a favorite in my garden. they bloom so well and add some much interest and color.
This is from November. As you can see, my plant was new and very small.
Balloon Plant (Platycodon) is one of my favorites!
I have the blue, double blue, dwarf blue, pink and white. I have some seedlings this year and can't wait to see if they will bloom and what color the flowers will be. I'm hoping for "splash" (Axminster) which I direct sowed seeds for last year. I just started 10 seeds of the double lavender and 9 of them have germinated :) I won't get flowers this year from them but hopefully next year :)
They haven't started to bloom here in Maine yet but when they do I will post pictures. I love my white ones, they are lightly streaked with purple but not quite as much as the Axminster. I hope my seedlings are a wonderful surprise :)
Kim
Oh I wish!
Mine are just barely out of the ground here - they are always the last thing up and I mark the spot by putting a large( bottomless) juice bottle over it in the fall!
Otherwise I just lose it!
I never deadhead mine and let them all go to seed as I love having all kinds of seeds to share in the fall. I try to trade as many seeds as possible as I think everyone should have these in their gardens :)
Kim
I want that pink one!! Beautiful!!!!!!
Balloon this year is having to put up with a self-seeded Rubeckia.
I have three varieties in my garden, Mariseii, Sentimental Blue, and Astra Blue. To me they all look pretty much the same (not a bad thing!!!) My question is how tall they get. I know Sentimental is supposed to be only 15" tall or so, and I've read the same thing about Astra. But the tag in the pot said they were supposed to be 2'-4' tall. That's quite a difference, and I want to make sure I know how big they'll get so I can get them in the right spot before they get established and can't be moved.
Here is a picture of my Sentimental Balloon flowers I planted last night. Ursula from Chile introduced me to them a few days ago and I am a new member. She posted a beautiful picture of one she had growing in a pot with her Indian Summer. So I decided they would look nice in front of my Indian Summer. I can only find shorter variety right now. It says on the tag for Sentimental Blue that their height is 6-8''. I want to try other varieties next year.
Debin Sc---What is the name of that blue one you posted? That one is so beautiful.
jmorth,
I think that is so beautiful how your balloon flower is interwined with your Rudbeckia. I want one of the taller varieties. I love Rudbeckias. what is the name of that one? It is lovely and I would like to try it in my garden.
BettyBF,
The rudbeckia is self-seeded from variety called Cherokee Sunset. This variety sets flowers first year; it sometimes overwinters but always sets viable seed for the following year.
J
I saw the Chreokee Sunset for sale yesterday at Kroger's and it had a lot of brown in it but I like yours the best. So I guess I will get a Cherokee Sunset and let it set seeds and maybe it will turn out like yours. So lovely. Thanks
I have the tall white and I keep it deadheaded for several weeks to keep it blooming, then let it go to seed on toward the end of the season. My white is at least 4 feet tall. I used to have the blue, but lost it a few years ago. It is hard to find anything but the short at the garden centers around here.
Sandra
slcdms,
Yes I can only find the short ones too. I checked out the links in this thread for where to purchase them on line and one company has the tall ones for 8 dollars each but you have to purchase a minimum of 40 dollars for the order plus 30 percent shipping and handling for my zip code. I think I will pass. But I would love to see a picture of your white one that is 4 feet tall. Sounds beautiful. I just love the balloon flower and I am deadheading mine so they will hopefully bloom through September.
I have the tall ones :)
I have tall white, pink, blue, and double blue.
I also have the dwarf blue but it sounds like you all want tall.
Mine are JUST starting to bloom. Will have lots of seeds for winter sowing this fall :)
Kim
Hi Kim, I was hoping you'd say that! But short would be great too. The tallest plants here from your seeds are about a foot high so far, with a few buds forming. I think every seed germinated, or close to it.
I go look at the buds every couple hours, I can't wait!
Kim, remember me when your seeds are ready , please. I will get out later this morning and get a picture of the white one.
This plant has been with me for at least 16 years, I can't help but wonder why the blue one died and the white one lived on, I got them both at the same time.
Sandra
Sandra, did you ever move them around in the garden? If so, maybe when you dug the white one you got all of the taproot (which goes down pretty deep) but you severed the tap root on the blue one which it would die from.
I would say my Platycodon is about 2 feet high or so except for the dwarf ones. Platycodon will bloom in their first few years in the garden, however are not at their "peak" height or maturity until 3 years.
Everyone, please just remind me when I start posting my seed offers OK?
Kim
Kim,
I just started with Balloon Flowers this year and love them. I would like to see pictures of yours when they are in full bloom and I would like to see the whole plant not just one flower. There are a couple of varieties on the Hyperlink above that I checked out that say they bloom the first year from seed. Is that possible? I am one of those types who does not want to wait 2 years for a bloom . If I cannot find seeds that will bloom for next year, then I will just order plants.
Betty
Kim,
I just checked out the HYperlink above and it is Diane's Flower Seeds and the Balloon Flower that is Double and blooms the first year if started early indoors is called Hakone Blue and also Hakone White. Do you have these and if so could you post pictures? Also could I go ahead and plant the seeds now even though they would not bloom until next year?
Thanks,
Betty
Good Morning Betty,
I just went out and took these pictures for you this morning :)
This first picture is of my Platycodon in the garden. As you can see, it is almost as tall as my lilies (which are very tall this year for some reason) The three that are highlighted in hot pink are my "mother" plants of blue, double blue, pink (the white is just beyond the lilies and cut out of the picture) and the one highlighted in yellow is a seedling from seed started last year. It is going to bloom but as you can see, it is now where near the height of the "mother" plants.
This picture is what the "balloons" look like when they are just starting out.....probably another week or 2 before actually blooming:
This is another seedling from seed started last year.....Fingers crossed that this is a new variety for me.....specialty seeds :)
Thanks Kim,
Wish I could fly to Me. and watch them open each day. I just love them. Keep posting more pictures of the whole plants. That is a beautiful garden.
This is a picture of my "dwarf" baby....look in comparison to it's size compared to the Aster and Autumn Joy Sedum how much shorther and "bushier" she it. I may actually move her this fall as she is being so shaded by the Sedum. I may just dig up the Sedum and move that too.....think that is what I will do instead *lol*
These are specialty seeds I broke down and ordered as I HAD TO HAVE THEM to add to my collection. I started 10 seeds and looks like I will get 5 seedlings (I have been playing with them since I planted them....moving them etc. so that is the reason all 10 didn't make it.....my fault) I CAN'T WAIT until these bloom next year! Cost me alot of (for me, for seeds) to add to my collection. I planted these just over a month ago.
Betty, thank you very much for the compliment on my garden. I can't tell you what that means. You would never belive that I started with and it's only because of Dave's Garden and the people I have met here that it is actually starting to look like a garden. You are more than welcome to fly to Maine ANYTIME :) The doors are always open here and welcome sign is always out :)
Kim