Platycodon 'Astra Pink'

Platycodon 'Astra Pink': Pink Party Balloons, Kid-Approved

Puffy little balloon buds that open into light pink bells looking straight up at the sky. 'Astra Pink' is the optimist of the border. PINK SIDE UP.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Platycodon grandiflorus 'Astra Pink'
• Common Name: Balloon Flower
• Series: Astra
• Height: 20–25 cm (8–10 in)
• Spread: 20–30 cm (8–12 in)
• Flowers: Light pink, bell- to star-shaped, facing upward, opening from inflated balloon-like buds
• Bloom Time: Early to late summer (June to August)
• Foliage: Blue-green, oval leaves in a compact mound
• Features: Compact, long-lived, good cut flower

Where to Plant: Use it at the front of a sunny border, along a path, in a rock garden or in patio containers. A few together make a neat edge for a bed, and it's worth a spot in a small cutting patch.

Companion Plants: Give 'Astra Pink' a moist bed in sun or part shade with red Siberian iris, rose foxgloves and white fleeceflower. Iris 'Miss Apple' opens red and yellow Siberian iris at 75 cm in May and June. Digitalis 'Dalmatian Rose' adds rose foxgloves at 40 to 60 cm in June and July. Persicaria polymorpha brings big feathery white plumes at 120 to 180 cm from June to August. Molinia 'Variegata' arches at 60 to 80 cm in flower with cream-striped blades.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun in well-drained soil with some organic matter. Water regularly while it settles in. It doesn't like soggy soil in winter. It emerges late in spring, so mark the spot in fall. The fleshy roots don't like to be disturbed, so choose its place carefully and avoid dividing it. Deadhead to extend flowering, and cut the stems down in late fall or early spring.

History: Balloon flower is native to the grassy meadows and hillsides of China, Korea, Japan and eastern Russia, and Platycodon means broad bell in Greek. The Astra series offers the classic balloon flower in a much shorter, more compact form.

Final Thoughts: Small enough for a pot, tough enough to stick around for years, and the bees adore it. INFLATE YOUR EXPECTATIONS.