Balloon Flower Seeds

Platycodon grandiflorus 

Balloon-shaped flower buds pop open into beautiful blue, white, pink, or purple flowers in summer. Plants are slow to establish and emerge late in the spring, but are otherwise long-lived and low maintenance. Balloon flowers (Platycodon grandiflorus) are named because their bloom starts out looking like a purple, white or blue balloon, then it pops open to a wide bloom. After the bloom dies off, you’ll see a brown pod at the end of the stem. Wait until the stem and pod dry out completely, then snap the stem and place the pod into a paper bag. Once you break open the pods, you’ll find hundreds of tiny brown seeds that look like miniature grains of brown rice. Plant the balloon flower seeds in the spring when all chance of frost has passed. Choose a site that gets full sun to slight partial shade, and dig a 3-inch layer of compost into the soil. Sprinkle the seeds on top of the soil and water them.