Fuji Blue is a balloon flower whose puffy, inflated buds pop open into large, deep blue bells 2 to 2.5 inches across. Kids and adults alike enjoy gently squeezing the buds to hear them pop.
It blooms reliably in midsummer on a plant about 20 inches tall and is rarely bothered by pests or disease. Use it in the middle of a sunny border, in containers or as a cut flower. Bees visit the flowers, and deer browse it less than many perennials, though they may nibble it.
What it looks like
Buds swell into rounded, five-sided balloons that split open into wide, star-shaped bells 2 to 2.5 inches across with five pointed lobes, in deep violet-blue with fine darker veining. Flowers face outward and upward along the upper stems, mixed with unopened balloon buds. Leaves are oval to lance-shaped, toothed, bluish green, on upright stems. The plant forms an upright clump about 20 inches tall and 12 to 18 inches wide. At peak bloom open blue stars and puffy buds cover the top of the plant.
Growing it with lavender
Balloon flower grows happily in the same sun and well-drained soil as lavender, and its deep blue bells open in midsummer as the lavender peaks, adding a bolder shape in a matching color family.
Care
Grow in full sun to part shade in well-drained soil of almost any quality; it tolerates dry spells once established. Hardy in zones 3-8. It is one of the last perennials to sprout in spring, so mark its spot, and avoid moving established plants because of the fleshy taproot; deadhead to extend bloom.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Platycodon grandiflorus
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Flower color: Deep blue
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Foliage: Bluish green
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Growth habit: Upright clump
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Mature size: 20 in tall × 12–18 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 3–8
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Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
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Bloom start: Early-July
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Peak bloom: Mid-July
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Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
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Deer resistance: Moderately resistant
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Pollinator value: Good
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly. This plant grows a deep taproot: plant it promptly in its permanent spot, avoid moving it later, and expect it to emerge later in spring than most perennials.
Shipping note: Fleshy taproot resents disturbance, and plants emerge late in spring, so dormant plants can look empty on arrival.
Lavender companion · grow guide
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