Astra Pink Balloon Flower

Light Needs

Partial Sun to Full Sun

(At Least 5 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

8-10 Inches

Mature Spread

6-8 Inches

Growing Zones

3 to 8

If you are looking for a really unique plant for your garden choose the showy, playful Astra Pink Balloon Flower. Its sweet, light-pink blooms are bell shaped and upward facing. Each flower is three inches across with five lobes that are broad and pointed. It has green foliage on branching stems that grow 8-10 inches high. The plant blooms in midsummer and flowers continuously until frost.

This compact, dwarf herbaceous perennial has a mounded, uniform, well-branched habit. It is an excellent hardy, pest- and disease- resistant choice for your garden. It is deer resistant, drought tolerant, and attracts bees. Faultless for the front of the border, you may also use it in a mass planting. It is perfect in rock gardens, gravel gardens, and cottage gardens. Its dwarf size makes it an easy choice for containers, taking the role of ‘filler’ in a combination pot. As a cut flower it adds joy to a bouquet.

Astra Pink Balloon Flower Care

Avoid planting it in a damp site. Dig a hole the same depth and wider than the rootball. Remove the plant from the pot, being careful not to disturb the roots. Plant with the ground soil level even with the pot soil level. Maintain an even amount of water before and after planting. Add mulch to retain the moisture. Do not fertilize if the soil is rich as too much nitrogen causes legginess. Otherwise, give it an all-purpose, slow-release granular fertilizer in early spring. It adapts well to most soil types and thrives in part sun to sun.

Deadhead to prolong blooming. Cut back to the base in fall. At that time, mark the location of the plant because it emerges late in spring and an impatient gardener may disturb the roots. It is important to leave this plant undisturbed once established because it has a fragile, fleshy root system. When growing them in containers, choose pots with drainage holes. Keep them uniformly moist, not soggy. Remember that containers dry out quicker than ground soil.

Astra Pink Balloon Flower Spacing

Plant your balloon flowers in groups for the best effect. Space them 6-8 inches apart to allow for their mature dimensions. Choose containers that are at least 10 inches wide and 12 inches deep to accommodate the roots.