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Size Guide

3.5
3.5" Perennial
3 or more $6.00 ea
Regularly: $6.99 ea

Balloon Flower 'PopStar'

Scott's Nursery Ltd.

$3.50
Title
Experience the mesmerizing magic of nature’s own optical illusion with this breathtaking garden performance. Platycodon grandiflorus 'PopStar' builds anticipation with huge, dramatic, balloon-shaped flower buds that playfully swell until they suddenly pop open into massive, star-shaped blossoms. This compact powerhouse forms a beautifully neat, dense mound covered in thick, leathery leaves, providing a perfectly structured canvas for some of the largest, most striking flowers you will find on a dwarf plant.
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Plant Details

Mature Size:

6" - 8" H x 10" - 12" W

Zone:

3-9

Watering:

Medium

Type:

Herbaceous Perennial

Growth Rate:

Fast

Light:

Full Sun/Partial Shade

Plant Profile

Common Names:

PopStar Balloon Flower, Chinese Bellflower, and Japanese Bellflower

Scientific Name:

Platycodon grandiflorus 'PopStar' Series

Type:

Compact Perennial / Novelty Accent / Border Filler

Growth Details:

Mature Size: 6" - 8" H x 10" - 12" W

Growth Habit: Compact, mounded, and heavily branched.

Form: Tidy, uniform, low-growing cushions.

Growth Rate: Fast.

Flowering Time: Throughout the entire summer season (typically June to August).

Flower Colour: Available across the series in intensely vibrant shades of deep blue, soft pink, and crisp white.

Environmental Needs:

Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade.

Soil Preferences: Prefers rich, loamy, organically fertile, well-draining soils.

Soil Tolerance: Can tolerate sandy, loamy, or clay soils, provided the location has excellent drainage to prevent winter root loss.

Watering: Provide steady, moderate moisture during the spring and summer; highly resilient to short dry spells once established.

Container Role: Thanks to its exceptionally compact, non-flopping habit, it makes a perfect front-row Filler or standalone specimen in patio pots.

Special Features:

First-Year Blooming: Specifically bred to bloom heavily in its very first season without requiring a cold winter period.

Deer & Rabbit Resistance: Naturally unpalatable to foraging wildlife, making it highly resistant to deer and rabbit browsing.

Pest & Disease Free: Highly resistant to most common garden pests and diseases, keeping the foliage clean and neat.

Attracts: A fascinating and highly attractive destination for curious bumblebees, honeybees, and butterflies.

Care Guide

Ornamental & Landscape Value

Seasonal Interest:

Bloom Information: Exceptionally showy, 2" to 3" wide flat-faced star flowers that open continuously from round, inflated puff buds all summer.

Perennial and Annual Interest: Wakes up notoriously late in the spring, popping up with fresh blue-green rosettes just as other plants finish their initial rush. It transitions into a solid mound of dramatic balloons and stars all summer long, turning a beautiful clear gold in late autumn before dying back completely to the ground for winter.

Garden Value:

Ornamental Interest: Offers an unforgettable visual sequence from geometric, puffed-up balloon buds to massive, open star-shaped petals.

Landscaping Uses: Exceptional for rock gardens, small-space border edgings, children's gardens, mixed patio container groupings, and high-visibility walkways.

Wildlife & Human Value:

Wildlife Value: Provides a sturdy landing platform and rich nectar reward for native pollinators and larger bumblebees.

Human Value: Creates immense entertainment value in family gardens due to the "popping" balloon buds, and yields short, incredibly unique stems for whimsical, indoor floral designs.

Planting & Care Guide

Planting Considerations:

Best Time To Plant: Plant potted starts in early spring or early autumn to let the fleshy root system anchor safely.

Spacing: Space individual plants 10" to 12" apart to allow the compact mounds to fill out completely without crowding.

Location Tips: Handle with care when planting; it grows from a delicate, deep taproot and does not like being moved or disturbed once established.

Companion Plants: Pairs beautifully with fine-textured Coreopsis, low-growing Sedum, or trailing white Sweet Alyssum.

Care:

Light Requirements: Thrives in full sun to partial shade; requires a minimum of 4 to 6 hours of daily sunlight for strong flower production.

Moisture Requirements: Requires average, well-drained soil; water regularly when the top inch of soil feels dry, but do not allow the roots to sit in soggy mud.

Maintenance: Deadhead spent star flowers individually to encourage a continuous succession of balloon buds throughout the summer.

Fertilization: Apply a single application of slow-release, balanced fertilizer or a thin layer of compost in early spring as new growth starts

Tolerances:

Tolerates cold northern winters, hot summer heat, deer, rabbits, poor soil fertility, and short periods of drought.

Tips For Success:

Mark the Spot: Because it emerges very late in the spring, place a garden marker where it is planted so you do not accidentally dig it up during spring cleanup.

Gentle Handling: Avoid dividing or transplanting this variety because its long, thick taproot breaks easily and dislikes disruption.

Fading Flowers: Pinch off the dead flowers at the base of their small individual stems to keep the plant looking clean and to force new buds to open.

Fruit Profile