Astra Double Blue Balloon Flower

• Partial Sun to Full Sun (At Least 5 Hours of Direct Sunlight)
• Height 8 - 10 Inches
• Width 6 - 8 Inches
• Growing Zones 3-8

If the cute balloon buds that beg to be popped (don’t do it) do not get you, the double layer of petals on this medium blue unique late spring blooming perennial will. A lower growing variety than the P. grandiflorus, Astra Double Blue Balloon Flower will remain a petite 10 inches tall. Its faded denim double blue blooms with star shaped stamen complement the lightly gray/green foliage. Highly adaptable to a variety of garden soil conditions, you will find this an easy to care for part to full sun location perennial.

Native to meadows and hillsides in China, Korea, Japan and Siberia, Platycodon is a hardy perennial thriving in Zones 3 to 8. Northern gardeners will appreciate their cold hardiness and plant in full sun, but should mark the place where the plants will come up the following spring as they die back to the ground completely. They are deer resistant, and do really well in rock gardens and in the foreground of a garden bed. Mid South gardeners will appreciate their tolerance for the mid summer heat but should give some afternoon shade for best performance. Deep South gardeners will have to pass on this petite perennial as the hot humid temperatures will prove to be too much for it.

Astra Double Blue Balloon Flower Care

Tolerating all soil types except wet and soggy, Platycodon Double Blue Balloon Flower will grow in poor to fertile soil that is well drained. Preferring a light sandy loam that is reasonably fertile and stays consistently moist, it will grow in even rocky soils making it a great candidate for a rock garden. It will tolerate a wide variety of soil pH ranges as well. Water regularly to maintain a consistently moist soil. Mulch in areas with hot summer sun to help retain that moisture. Fertilization is not necessary if your soil is fertile, but for particularly poor soil, amend it with a well composted organic material or apply a controlled release fertilizer at time of planting. Plant in the spring when the danger of the last frost has passed, and do not plan on moving the plant as they tend to resent disturbance. Their fleshy fragile root systems are probably the reason behind this tendency.

Deadheading is encouraged to promote repeat blooming. Don’t remove the whole stem, just the spent flower. Pruning is encouraged if the plant is getting leggy, but you should not have to stake this miniature version of the P. grandiflorus. Hybrid varieties tend to not reseed themselves and rarely sow true to its parent plant should they do so.

Astra Double Blue Balloon Flower Spacing

Space your plants 6 to 8 inches apart. These are small plants, growing just 10 inches tall and spreading out just 8 inches. Watch for snails and slugs who seem to be fond of these plants and put a biologic control in place should they become a problem. As their bell shaped blooms burst open to greet you in the summer, you will enjoy seeing this dainty blue perennial in your garden this season.

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