Chinese Bellflower
Platycodon grandiflorus 'Fuji Blue'
(plat-ee-KO-don) (gran-dih-FLOR-us)

The Balloon flowers normally bloom in the late spring. They often come back and bloom again in September. I caught this very nice cultivar blooming in Stamford. I usually get in a lot of trouble when I start describing colors to people, so let me just say that this one is a darker blue than others I have seen. It is an easy, rewarding plant to grow. It needs even moisture to grow properly. I once planted six plants in a garden about 15 years ago and that has turned into hundreds. I just pull the ones I don’t like or need. The rest put on quite a show having migrated a great distance from where they were originally planted. They will often seed in hard area like in the cracks of stonework.

There are many synonyms for this plant including Balloon Flower, Chinese Bellflower and Japanese Bellflower. The swollen hot-air balloon buds open to a beautiful flat bell shaped flower. It likes mainly sun but will grow in part shade (it may need staking). Getting the moisture right is key to the culture of this one.

“He who is born with a silver spoon in his mouth is generally 
considered a fortunate person, but his good fortune is small 
compared to that of the happy mortal who enters this world 
with a passion for flowers in his soul.” Celia Thaxter