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Balloon Flower

This is one of my favorite flowering plants. When we were at the nursery pointing out our landscaping preferences, this little beauty grabbed my attention. When it first begins to flower, a pale green balloon appears at the end of the stem. It eventually turns to purple and then bursts open into the star shape seen in the photograph below. To see the balloon and the other anomalies with one of my plants, stop by my photography blog – just click the “Picture This” tab at the top of the page.

Without further ado, I present the Balloon Flower

Category	Perennial
Common Name	Balloon Flower Chinese Bell Flower Campanulaceae
Formal Name	Platycodon grandiflorus
Description	This heavy bloomer gets its name from the way each flower bud swells before its starry petals unfold. As one of the easiest perennials to grow, they bloom in profusion in mid to late summer, when many other perennials are beginning to fade.

Uses	Borders Containers
Light Requirements	Full Sun Partial Sun Partial Shade
Soil Requirements	Well drained, slightly acidic
Water Requirements	Moderate drought conditions are ok, but deep watering is preferred.
Height	12” – up to 36” Generally smaller than 36”
Spread	12”
Growing Zone	3 – 8
Manicuring or Pruning	Remove dead branches in early spring. Balloon flowers are late bloomers, coming up long after most other perennials have begun growing. It is best to mark their position so you do not accidentally pull them out as weeds. Pick dead flowers as they begin to fade to encourage more blooms. Be careful about it as the next bloom is coming in right behind it.
Fertilization	Slow-release in the Spring
Growth Cycle	Late Spring through frost
Bloom Time	Early summer through the next two months after the first blooms appear
Bloom Color	Purple (most common), White, Pink
Propagation	Seeds – germinate 2 –3 weeks at temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees, then plant in the fall. Will not flower in the first year. Basal cuttings from non flowering shoots, with about 1/2” root attached. Push soil back to reveal the spot where the stem meets the root. Cutting should be 2” – 4” long. Dividing – dig deep to to avoid root damage – not the preferred method
Maintenance Level	Low
Special Features	Drought tolerant once established
Known Issues	Generally pest-free & easy to grow
Planting Instructions	From seed: Press lightly into soil, but do not cover. From cuttings: Immediately plant in a good potting medium.

Josee Lilac

When I first came across this little beauty, I thought that I should dig up the lilac I have and plant this one instead.  The nursery that put in our landscaping didn’t give me a real detailed layout.  It said something like this:

• Cherry Tree (we have a Kwanzan Cherry)
• Roses (at the time they were Julia Child – that’s another story)
• Crape Myrtle (we have Razzle Dazzles – had to push for this information)
• Liriope (this one was sufficient)
• Holly (we have China Girl – first berries are appearing this year!)
• Balloon Flowers (again, sufficient)
• Dwarf Lilac

There are a zillion varieties of lilac out there, even in the dwarf category.  After this weekend, I’m starting to wonder if we actually do have a Josee Lilac.  The

 

Josee Lilac was the first REBLOOMING lilac I had ever come across.  That the thing about lilacs, when they bloom, they are gorgeous!  After a week or two, the blooms fade and you are left with a pretty shrub, but no more flowers – until the next spring.

 

Anyway, so I was shocked this weekend when I saw blooms out on my lilac bush.  It’s July!!!!

 

 

Category	Deciduous Shrub
Common Name	Josee Reblooming Lilac
Formal Name	Syringa Josee
Description	This dwarf lilac is a gorgeous rebloomer.  It will put out 4” – 5” shoots filled with trumpet shaped flowers intermittently summer through fall.  A perfect hedge or stand alone shrub worth looking at.

 

The first picture is a stock photo of a Josee Lilac. The second picture is of my lilac.

Uses	Hedge Stand Alone Border (along side of house would be good)
Light Requirements	Full Sun
Soil Requirements	Well drained
Water Requirements	Average watering needs
Height	4’ – 6’
Spread	4’ – 5’
Growing Zone	2 - 9
Manicuring or Pruning	For shape – I’d let it go natural by only pruning the wild branches.  As with all lilacs, only prune right after flowering as the seeds form on old wood.  If you prune them much later, you could cut off next year’s flowers. That said, lilacs have to be pruned occasionally in order to promote blooming at all.  If the wood gets too old, it won’t bloom.  It’s a delicate balance.  It has been suggested that you prune about a third of the branches down to the ground each year for three years.  In theory, you would be removing the oldest branches each year and thus at the end of three years, would have a completely regenerated plant.  This will promote the best chance at flowering each year.
Fertilization	They don’t need much, but use something low in nitrogen.  Nitrogen is good for foliage, but not as much for blooming.
Growth Cycle	Moderate to fast growth
Bloom Time	Summer through frost – intermittent
Bloom Color	Lavenderish-pink
Propagation	Just buy one at a nursery or one the sources below. Softwood cuttings are another option
Maintenance Level	Low
Special Features	Deer Resistant Attracts Butterflies
Known Issues	This is a hybrid so it is most likely bred to resist most diseases.  It can be susceptible to a powdery mildew – generally if it gets too much water.
Planting Instructions	Plant in the spring or fall about 5’ apart.  Dig a hole as deep as and twice as wide as the root ball.  After placing the plant, back-fill about halfway with soil.  Water well to remove any air pockets.  After water has drained, finish filling in, and water again.

Light Bulbs - Change the World Wednesday

This one has nothing to do with gardening, but my site is colored green and these challenges are about going green. How's that for a tie in?

This week's challenge is to only change out our light bulbs for LED or CFL.

We already use CFL's through out most of our house, but not in all areas. Call me cheap or decor conscious if you will. For the longest time CFL's were only the swirly kind and did not look good in hanging pendants or ceiling fans. However, the round globe (good for pendants) kind have been out for awhile and I have recently come across candle shaped bulbs - perfect for ceiling fans and dining room chandeliers.

Areas we are not using CFL or LED bulbs (and reasons):

• I believe they make 3-way and/or dimmable CFL or LED bulbs, but I've been too cheap to buy them. They are more expensive than your everyday use bulbs. It's funny how I now consider $2 (minimum) per bulb normal.
• When we built the house, it came with incandescent bulbs everywhere. Believe it or not, some of them haven't burned out yet.
• Three way switches (where you have two switches for the same light - weird two switches is termed a "three-way switch" in electrical speak) cause the light bulb to blink when it is off.
• Our bird needs a bulb for heat in the winter. We let the house temperature fall to 65 during the day in the winter and that is below the recommended temperature for birds. We turn on his light bulb so he can warm up if necessary. We don't use it in the summer because it's too expensive to cool the house that much.

I like CFL's because we were able to spend less on some of our light fixtures because they took a lower wattage bulb or required less bulbs. The CFL's allow you to get more light from your fixture because you can use a bulb with a higher equivalent wattage than an incandescent (i.e., you can put a CFL equal to 75 watts in a fixture that maxes out at 60 watts for incandescent).

I have to head to Lowes at lunch. I will look for the three-way bulb or the dimmables. I guess it's not that bad if you only buy a couple at a time.