Three bushes for ID, please

16 years ago

In front of my son's school, these apparently bloomed while I wasn't around in the summer. Now they are covered in seed pods and I'm wondering if they're something I should be saving:

#1 Whole Plant

{{gwi:344852}}

And Pod

{{gwi:344853}}

#2 Whole Plant

{{gwi:344854}}

And Pod (not quite ready I think) - this is similar yet different to #1..

{{gwi:344855}}

#3 Whole Plant

{{gwi:344856}}

Although there were lots of small purple flowers on #3 and there are several brown calyces on the stalks that I would have expected to hold seeds, I haven't been able to shake any seeds out. Wondering if I either missed 'em or what. But just curious now what this is. Nobody in the school knows.

Thanks.

Terri

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Comments (12)

carol23_gw
16 years ago
The first lot looks like Platycodon, Balloon flower.
sarahbarah27
16 years ago
Gee...I'm not quite sure about #3. But the first pictures are balloon flowers for sure. I had minimal success with having them germinate for me, but its def worth a shot to collect some seeds and try!
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pitimpinai
16 years ago
Yes, 1,2,3 are Balloon Flowers. The seed pods are still green. Wait until they turn brown/tan. You'll have tons of seeds to sow this winter.

The last plant looks like Purple Loosestrife. A very invasive non-native that is prohibitted in many states. It has spread into wetland affecting local habitats.
pnwjoy54
16 years ago
I've grown balloon flowers from seed by winter sowing them. They self sow in my garden too so they probably need a cold period to germinate.

Joy
conifers
16 years ago
Agree with Loosetrife.
roflol
Original Author
16 years ago
Looked up balloon flowers and they grow 6 to 12 inches tall by plantfiles description. #1 and #2 are woody at the base and are at least 2 feet tall, I had figured them for some type of flowering bush. The other one may be loosestrife but it sure isn't getting any extra water and it isn't spreading... one plant on either side of the door. Thanks for the info.
carol23_gw
16 years ago
Platycodon cultivars vary greatly in height from dwarf to about 30 inches tall.

Here is a link that might be useful: Platycodon grandiflorus
Iris GW
16 years ago
I think it would help to see a close up of a leaf on #3.
roflol
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks on the info on the balloon flowers. Just to be safe, I'll keep the seeds out of swaps this year and see what the blooms are next year. Plant #1 has lots of tan pods already and have started to split open at the top so I've saved some of those; plant #2 is the one that is still green, but its pods are larger, its leaves are colored different too and it's not as many-branched so maybe there's something different about it.

I will get a picture of the leaves of #3, and try again for a picture of bloom of it as well (I didn't post the one I had because it was too badly out of focus). It doesn't look like the pics I've seen of purple loosestrife, but then again I don't know all the versions there are... ;-)
roflol
Original Author
16 years ago
As promised:

Blooms on tip of one spike on #3 (most blooms are spent):
{{gwi:344857}}

Leaves:
{{gwi:344858}}

Base:
{{gwi:344860}}

Side note - stick bugs really like hanging out on this plant! None of the pictures I took of them came out in focus (LCD screen was in sun, what did come out in focus was by sheer luck), but there were more than a few. It was cool. :-)
Carrie B
16 years ago
Yes, the third looks like purple loosestrife.
roflol
Original Author
16 years ago
So baffling to me that a plant as invasive as purple loosestrife would have been planted here. The pictures I have seen online show the flowers being more at the tips, though, other than one where the flower stalks were amazingly contorted. The specimens at the school demonstrate flower stalks that are really pretty erect, and judging from the calyces the flowers were very low on the stalks and not just at the tips. Plus I have found no seeds on these at all. I will ask further at the school, maybe I haven't asked the right person yet about it. Will also keep a better eye open in the spring to see what happens, maybe there will be seedlings to tell me I simply missed the millions of seeds I've been reading about. :-)

Thanks for all your info, everybody.