I love them. I have the white the pink AND the blue in my garden. The blue doesn't ever seem to get very tall and the pink seems to be the tallest, I hadn't thought about cutting them back...might try that next year (a little late in the season now :)

One thing I did read is that they don't like having their roots disturbed. They don't like being divided. If you want to propogate them elsewhere in the garden, you're supposed to take one of the babies (when they spread, there will be pieces that are further from the main crown) and you can move that piece but that piece probably won't flower the next year.

I have a small mound of white, and it's very dependable. Comes up and blooms every year for me, provides a nice touch of white in the summer garden.

I have the dwarf blue. Pink and white did not survive in my garden, and the taller ones don't seem to last as long - maybe just a year or two at most...only wish they bloomed for a much longer period of time. It is VERY hard to find blue blooming here in July and August.

I don't know if this is true in all zones, but they can be very late to come up in the spring in colder zones. So make sure you mark it well, and then prepare to be patient next year!

Thanks for all the tips! I think these are the dwarf blue. We're not a colder zone, so should be fine. Happy I found these again this year!!

tina

I have the blue as well,and they are in bloom now.I also have themcoming up in a garden where i never planted them,so i guess the birds and/or the wind help them re-seed.I love them!!

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This was mine when i first got it a couple years ago.It has multiplied quite a bit by now.
Kathi

I have had them in my garden forever, and love them, bot the tall and the dwarf. I always cut them back when they finish their first blooming, and they come back and put on a second flush of blooms. great, reliable, beautiful plants!

I planted some from seed a few years back, and they always perform extemely well. They get too tall for my taste, so I cut them back several times in spring/early summer. They'll produce many more stalks and flowers that way.

Question: when I cut and/or deadhead them, they bleed a viscous milky substance. I've always dealt with that like it's poison. I won't touch it and will wash my shears each time I cut. Those precautions get old with all the deadheading in summer. Am I just being a little nutz here? Thanks.

mehearty - I whack mine down by half in early June to keep them shorter + increase the number of blooms. I use hedge-trimmers and have never washed the blades after using them. Hasn't affected anything in several years of use.

I have one, blue, it's one of the latest perennials to immerge in my garden but it's an pretty, easy care plant here.

Annette

I have some astra pinks and some smaller blues that flop all over. The larger blues I have are upright but the pinks might as well be vines on the ground. They just started to bloom so I assume I missed the opportunity to hack them down, how is the best to support them?

I love mine - I have tall white which I bought as a plant and then have several plants of astra blue/white and pink that I started from seed - they are so easy from seed. Never thought to cut them back - may have to experiment with that next year.

mehearty - the white sap is not poisonous but may irritate sensitive skin. Washing your hands and tools after working with the plant or any plants is never a bad idea but not totally necessary ....

Lynne

I am very pleased that the ones I planted last year came back this year. Thay are lovely blooms.
kay

I have about every balloon flower there is, pink, blue, dwarf, double, variegated & they are all wonderful. One of the few plants that continuously bloom all summer. I do cut my tall ones back by half in mid May or so & sometimes again after they have bloomed. The pink ones seem to get especially tall & floppy if I don't.

It's funny but the only ones I have found here are the blue. Thanks for all your help/info. We planted some in a front area. They will be moved this fall when we have some landscaping done. They are pretty flowers and I am enjoying them. I use pink/blue/white flowers so may have to look for the other colors on line.

Thanks again!!

tina

Thank you for the scoop on the white stuff. =)

We moved last September, have a big clump of what I believe is balloon flower foliage, can't wait to see what colour it is!

Brodie

tinam61 - just a word of caution: you may have difficulty keeping the balloon flowers alive if you move them. I've read they have a long taproot and don't transplant well. I can't say from personal experience as all mine are still right where I planted them originally. My perennial book says they "rarely need dividing and are hard to move."

I moved my blue one that was in too much shade. It had only bloomed a couple years ago and then languished. I just got home from a 2 month trip and I see it is blooming really well. So I guess it had a very small root . I will get a photo later. c

I like to collect seeds, so I've not cut mine back either. Now, I'm going to go out there tomorrow and do it! I have the shorter variety. Looks great peaking out from beneath phlox and azaleas.

Cameron

I Love the suggestion to cut them back. I always hesitated not wanting to loose their gorgeous bloom when other things have finished. gramma jan

I typically deadhead mine (cut spent flowers back to the nearest leaves). If I wanted them to reseed or collect seeds am I right in assuming the seeds are in the spent flower head?

AmyKC - I never deadhead mine since the flowers fade naturally and form seed pods that are chock-full of seeds by the time the growing season draws to a close. You don't identify your zone but where I am the seedpods produce lots of viable seeds once they've ripened.

Other than the initial nursery-grown specimens in my garden, I've grown all my plants from seed I harvested & sowed via the winter sowing method*. The plants I grew are blooming now.

If you don't mulch your beds, chances are you'll get 'volunteer' plants but since I mulch over corrugated cardboard topped with several inches of bark mulch, my own plants haven't self-seeded.

*There's a winter sowing forum here on GardenWeb if you're curious about the method. It's a remarkable way to grow perennials from seed that allows you to fill your garden beds with sturdy & spectacular perennials in short order, literally for pennies.