Yes balloon flower responds well to pinching back to control its flipping nature.

That should be flopping nature. LOL.

I whack back my balloon flowers in mid-June every year to prevent flopping. Some varieties will grow 4-5 ft. tall by the time they bloom which isn't a look I'm going for in my garden beds. It may or may not encourage branching--I haven't noticed--but it does eliminate flopping.

gosh - wish mine got to 4-5ft tall (a look I DO want in my (ahem) beds - lucky if they straggle in at 2 feet. I have a few more in the greenhouse from last years seeds....which I have been neglecting because they look so measly.......
Obvs. mine are some wimpy variety......so what are the giants then?

Great, thanks. I'll definitely pinch them back today!

I love balloon flowers! I have 'Sentimental Blue' that is a dwarf. It stays very tidy and neat, gets about 8-12" tall.

I am delighted to see it peeking out of the soil (about an inch tall right now) because I brought it with me to the new house last year -mid summer no less- at which time it was 3 years old. I heard they don't do well with transplanting.

These are my balloon flowers popped and unpopped. Is blue the only color they come in? I want to purchase more flowers in other colors

Swallowtail Garden Seeds has varieties in pink and white. I have never grown them, so I can't speak to their performance, but the photos look great!

Here is a link that might be useful: Swallowtail Balloon Flower Seeds

Glen4sure - Platycodon grandiflora/balloon flower is available in blue/lavender, pink & white as well as double blooms. I like them particularly because so far there don't appear to be any critters that like how they taste.

Campanula - I'd be happy to send you seeds of my tall plants but the question is, what are the chances they'd grow as tall where you are? I can't be sure of which varieties I planted where--I have about 8 or 10 clumps of them growing in various beds. I do know which clumps grow tall and just whack them back with pruning shears each year to control height.

hpny2 do you have any photos of your balloon flowers now?

I was at walmart a few weeks ago and spotted one there for like $4 and picked it up not expecting much and it's doing so well. I think I am going to have to go back and get some more now that I know they survive zone 5 winters.

Looks like I have Sentimental Blue Balloon Flowers.

thegardenat902 - they're super easy to grow from seed via winter sowing and will sometimes bloom the first year from seed. I ordered seeds from Swallowtail and will be growing their Fuji Pink this year.

Sorry - tried to post photos but they didn't upload.

Re balloon flowers generally:

It's amazing how long lived balloon flowers can be here.

The patch below, at Merlin's Hollow, Aurora, On. (July 11, 2010), is certainly over 20 years old.

SunnyBorders - those are lovely.

gardenweed_z6a - thank you for the tip. I am looking for easy to sows for this winter. I will give these a try. :D

I bought a couple sentimental blue last year, end of season and put them in the dumbest place between two daylillies.

I'd like to move them -- I hear they take being moved very hard.

If I wait to late fall, can I cut them back and move them then? Hopefully they will be happy again by the time spring comes?

I bought 8 white ones many years ago. Very pretty in bloom, but unfortunetly too much work for my liking. I found them to be very high maintanence that required CONSTANT deadheading.

I pulled them and gave them away....

stir_fryi - I haven't moved any of my balloon flowers but all were grown from seed via winter sowing and took planting out with no visible problem.

The link below seems to confirm they resist being moved. Can't say if that's just Sentimental Blue--it's the only one I Googled.

Here is a link that might be useful: Transplanting balloon flowers

Related to balloon flowers not liking being divided or moved is the fact they have tap roots.

I'd agree that they also grow in a way (small clumps) that makes division unnecessary.

Taproots make them drought resistant and give them food reserves and hence perhaps contribute to an unusual longevity for garden perennials.

I do deadhead my balloon flowers (Re Lilsprout's comment), but feel that if dead-heading is not done, the short ones look worse than the taller ones.

I find taller balloon flowers easy to stake. In my experience, they don't tend to flop but they do grow towards the sun.

Below (July 30, 2013) my (Hakone series) favourites.

Beautiful blue in that picture SB.

I know "Balloons" with that tap make it more difficult to move but I can tell you from personal experience that I have successfully relocated these plants several times. The depth of my shovel seems good enough.

Deer pruned my tall platycodyn from front to back at a gradual angle two nights ago. I don't prune mine and they mostly stand upright. Am interested to see how they look in bloom with this pruning.

I also deadhead but it is quick work. Have also transplanted and dug up plants to share. Shovel deep works for me as well.

Rouge: Think also, the older the plant (the deeper the taproot), the less movable they are.

Mnwsgal: Agree re deadheading, though find it easier to deadhead the taller ones; less stooping.

Hi hpny. Here's another look at my balloon flowers now that they are popped. My flowers are at least a year old and in a small space. How tall does these flower grow?

Lovely, Glen!

Stir_fryi, my experience is the same as rouge's. I posted earlier that I moved my three year old 'Sentimental Blue' to my new house last year and they have survived. There is some risk in moving them but if they are going to get crowded out anyway, might as well take the chance. And as SunnyBorders points out, a younger plant is likely easier to transplant.

I don't always deadhead mine... I find this cultivar's habit and clean foliage attractive even when not in bloom.

Server

I only have one 'Fairy Snow', moved it to another location last spring with no ill effects, but it does flop over, not enough sun maybe?

Annette

Yes Annette mine never flop in full sun. Have not heard of that one.

The worst thing that ever happened to Platycodon was when hybridizers decided to push the dwarfs, which are much less impressive in the border than the tall varieties.

Well OK, maybe the worst thing was the selling of mutant Platycodon whose buds never open ("hey, too bad your new hybrid turned out to be defective. I know, we'll sell it as a great new variation and convince people it's better than having actual flowers!").

I cheerfully disagree, rusty. I love 'Sentimental Blue'! Though I can't say I prefer it to the taller varieties, I am glad to have it for the smaller spaces in my garden.

I am unfamiliar with the hybrids that don't open ... that would definitely take away from some of balloon flower's charm.

I second that greenhearted. I really like my 'mini' balloons. But so do the deer :(. (And as with all platycodon one does need to dead head to get the most out of them).

At least this thread has reminded me to start up some new Platycodon from seed. I'll be looking for a variety like the one my father grew many years ago (similar to this):

http://www.f-lohmueller.de/botanic/Campanulaceae/Platycodon/plagraf03915.jpg

instead of this:

http://plantcareguide.com/image/cache/data/Platycodon%20grandiflorus%20Sentimental%20Blue-500x500.jpg

I am really fond of Platycodon and grow 4 varieties and though I have not grown any of the dwarf ones I certainly would.

I actually do see some charm to Platycodon 'Komachi', a variety that the blooms are "supposed" to never open but stay as inflated pods. Upon researching I am getting conflicting info as to whether they open or not.

I seem to recall someone saying they grew this one. It would be interesting to hear first hand experience. Here is a link Platycodon 'Komachi'.

Sorry rusty lol! There are a few plants I am not overly fond of but am generally a plant geek.