Seeds from My Garden

Balloon Flower

Platycodon grandiflorus

Those puffy buds really do look like tiny balloons before they open into star-shaped flowers. This is a patient little perennial worth planting where it can stay.

A deep blue balloon flower blooming in Amelia's garden

Light

Full sun to part shade

Sow

Surface sow

Soil

Keep evenly moist

Habit

Hardy perennial

How to sow

Press the tiny seeds onto moist seed-starting mix or prepared soil. They need light to germinate, so do not bury them deeply. Start indoors 6–8 weeks before your last frost, or sow outdoors after frost danger has passed.

How to grow

Give seedlings good light and well-drained soil. Balloon flower forms a fleshy root and dislikes being moved once established, so choose its permanent spot with care.

What to expect

Germination can take two to three weeks. Seed-grown plants may take their time before flowering, but established clumps return reliably and often bloom for years.

Seed-sharing note

These seeds came from plants growing in my garden. Seedlings are individuals, so they may not look exactly like the parent plant—and that is part of growing from seed.

From my garden

A closer look

A pale pink balloon flower blooming in Amelia's garden — A pale pink bloom from the same garden

Tiny black balloon flower seeds beside a dime for scale — The tiny seeds, shown beside a dime for scale

A note from my garden

“The closed buds are half the fun. I like to leave a few seed heads standing so I can collect another round for neighbors.”