{"product_id":"fuji-blue-balloon-flower-bare-root-plant","title":"Fuji Blue Balloon Flower - Bare Root Plant","description":"\u003cp\u003eFuji 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat it looks like\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuds 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eGrowing it with lavender\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eBalloon 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eCare\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrow 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAt a glance\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBotanical name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Platycodon grandiflorus\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlower color:\u003c\/strong\u003e Deep blue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bluish green\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth habit:\u003c\/strong\u003e Upright clump\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMature size:\u003c\/strong\u003e 20 in tall × 12–18 in wide\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUSDA hardiness zones:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3–8\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e full sun, part sun to part shade\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBloom start:\u003c\/strong\u003e Early-July\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePeak bloom:\u003c\/strong\u003e Mid-July\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBloom pattern:\u003c\/strong\u003e Long Blooming\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDeer resistance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Moderately resistant\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePollinator value:\u003c\/strong\u003e Good\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSizes and shipping\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eDormant 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShipping note:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fleshy taproot resents disturbance, and plants emerge late in spring, so dormant plants can look empty on arrival.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Great Lakes Lavender Farm","offers":[{"title":"Bare Root Plant","offer_id":67776720634152,"sku":"GLLF-PER-A9097404-BR","price":10.35,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0941\/0736\/9768\/files\/fuji-blue-balloon-flower.jpg?v=1790892229","url":"https:\/\/greatlakeslavenderfarm.com\/products\/fuji-blue-balloon-flower-bare-root-plant","provider":"Great Lakes Lavender Farm","version":"1.0","type":"link"}