How to Plant Balloon Flower Seeds

Balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus), also known as the Chinese Bellflower, is a hardy perennial that's easy to grow, which makes it a perfect choice for the beginning gardener. They bloom from late summer through fall, in a wide range of colors, including blue, white and purple, and are a good choice for late season color in your garden. Their round buds swell like a balloon until they open into star-shaped flowers. Balloon flowers will thrive in areas as far south as the Carolinas and as far north as the Canadian border.

Balloon flower seeds

Small peat pots

Good quality potting soil

Garden trowel and cultivator

Garden mulch

Plant your balloon flower seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last spring frost. Fill peat pots with potting soil almost to the top and add two or three seeds per pot. Lightly press the seeds into the soil, but don't cover them, because they require light to germinate.

Place the pots in a brightly lit, warm area and keep them damp until the seeds start to sprout, which should take three to four weeks. Once the sprouts have appeared, leave the healthiest looking one in each pot, and carefully remove and discard the others.

Transplant the balloon flower seedlings outdoors in the late spring to a sunny garden spot with rich soil that is well-drained. Dig holes with your trowel, just large enough to hold the peat pots snugly, spaced 12 to 18 inches apart. Add a ? inch layer of garden mulch to the area to help support the transplanted seedlings, and keep them well-watered.

You can also plant balloon flower seeds outdoors any time after the last spring frost through mid-summer. Choose a sunny, well-drained area in your garden and loosen the soil with a cultivator. Then smooth the area out.

Scatter the seeds 12 to 18 inches apart over the area and gently press them into the soil. Don't cover them, because they require light to germinate. Keep the area well-watered. Once the seedlings are well-established, add a thin layer of garden mulch for support and to retain moisture.

When balloon flowers are started from seed, they usually don't bloom until the second year.

Once the plants are established, balloon flowers do not do well if they are transplanted, so you should avoid moving them.

You can encourage more blooms if you remove old flowers as they fade and start to die.

Balloon flowers sprout much later in the spring than other plants, so you should mark the area where they are planted. This will help you avoid disturbing them, or mistaking them for weeds.