| Description | The swelling of the flower buds before they open give this plant a special appeal. Grows best in full sun. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (plat-ee-KO-don) (gran-dih-FLOR-us) |
| Plant Type | All Plants, Perennials Hardy |
| Hardiness Zone | 3-8 |
| Sunlight | prefers full sun, tolerates some shade |
| Moisture | average |
| Soil & Site | average |
| Temperature | Easily nipped by frost. |
| Flowers | Before opening the buds swell and resemble an inflated balloon. The flowers are 2" wide with five petals. Starts blooming early July and lasts for around 4 weeks. Colors are: white, blue, violet, shell pink, double and single. |
| Leaves | gray-green leaves, yellow fall color, |
| Stems | erect floppy stems, bleed a milky sap when cut |
| Roots | light colored, deep, thick and brittle |
| Dimensions | Mariesii has stayed in the 18'-24" range while some of the others will get past 30" Since these plants tend to flop I like to group 3 or more close together and they will support each other. |
| Maintenance | Mark the plants in the fall since they are very late to emerge in the spring. Emerging in early May. Dig a large clump when transplanting to avoid breaking the roots. |
| Propagation | easy from seed, careful division of the brittle roots |
| Native Site | China and Japan |
| Author's Notes | Reported to produce good cut flowers if the ends are seared with a flame. |
| Notes & Reference | #04-Herbaceous Perennial Plants (Allan Armitage), #30-Gardening with Perennials Month by Month (Joseph Hudak) |
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