Plant Encyclopedia

Group/Class:  Pop Star™ Series

Brand:  Benary

Description:

A very compact variety with balloon-shaped buds opening to huge, star shaped blue blooms; fast and easy to grow; great for beds, patio containers, or border fronts

Ornamental Features

Pop Star™ Blue Balloon Flower has masses of beautiful spikes of blue bell-shaped flowers with violet overtones and navy blue veins rising above the foliage from early to late summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its narrow leaves remain dark green in colour throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Pop Star™ Blue Balloon Flower is an herbaceous perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Pop Star™ Blue Balloon Flower is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Pop Star™ Blue Balloon Flower will grow to be only 6 inches tall at maturity extending to 8 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 10 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 8 inches apart. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Pop Star™ Blue Balloon Flower is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.