A series of Balloon flowers from Grimes Horticulture.
Pronunciation
(plat-ee-KO-don)(gran-dih-FLOR-us)
Plant Type
All Plants, Perennials Hardy
Hardiness Zone
5
Sunlight
prefers (best in) full sun, tolerates some shade
Moisture
averge
Soil & Site
average, well drained
Temperature
frost will nip the plant
Flowers
before opening the buds swell resembling an inflated balloon, 5 petals, broadly campanulated shape, 2.5 inches, starts blooming early July
Leaves
gray-green leaves, yellow fall color,
Stems
erect floppy stems, bleed a milky sap when cut
Roots
roots are light colored, deep, thick and brittle
Maintenance
mark plant in fall because it emerges very late (early May) in the spring, dig a large clump when transplanting to avoid breaking the roots
Propagation
seeds, difficult but not impossible to divide
Native Site
Japan and China
Author's Notes
Make sure the plants spot is marked in the fall. It is one of the slowest of the perennials to emerge so they are easily damaged from early spring weeding.
Notes & Reference
#04-Herbaceous Perennial Plants (Allan Armitage), #40-Herbaceous Ornamental Plants (Steven Stills), #30-Gardening with Perennials Month by Month (Joseph Hudak), Chicago Botanical Gardens Plant Evaluation Notes