Platycodon 'Astra White'

Platycodon 'Astra White': Crisp White Stars, Window Box Ready

Inflated balloon buds that pop open into crisp white stars, like somebody's handing out party favours in the flower bed. 'Astra White' keeps it clean, compact and A LITTLE BIT MAGICAL.

Plant Characteristics:

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

Where to Plant: Plant it along the front of a border, in a rock garden or in containers, including window boxes and mixed summer pots, since it stays so compact. White flowers brighten partly shaded corners and show up well in the evening.

Companion Plants: Geum TEMPO™ 'Orange' adds orange flowers from April to June, ahead of the balloon flower. Lobelia 'Queen Victoria' brings red spikes at 75 to 90 cm from July to September. Pennisetum Lumen Gold™ is a low grass that flowers from August to October. White balloon flowers keep the front fresh from June to August.

Plant Care: Plant in full sun to part sun in well-drained soil enriched with compost. Water regularly through the first season. Avoid spots that stay wet in winter. It's one of the last perennials to wake up in spring, so mark the spot in fall to avoid digging into it. The fleshy roots resent disturbance, so plant it where it can stay. Deadhead spent flowers to keep the buds coming, and cut stems back in late fall or early spring.

History: Balloon flower grows wild in meadows and on hillsides in China, Korea, Japan and eastern Russia, and its root has long been eaten as a vegetable and used in traditional medicine there. The Astra series is a compact, front-of-border version of this old garden favourite.

Final Thoughts: Deer won't touch it, bees will, and it lives for years. Tuck it near the patio for the evening glow. NO HELIUM REQUIRED.