Thanks all: What a relief, I sure do hope this plant makes it, I lost quite a few plants over this winter and was really hoping that these so called long lived plants; really were just that. So am quite encouraged, especially when I hear about the plants started from seed being 30 years old, wow, that's awesome!! I know right were I planted mine and there is nothing there, not even a piece of plant from last year, is that normal? I heard they die right down to the ground during winter. Ok, am very encouraged; enough to go buy 6 more, 2 tall and short blue, and 2 tall white, eeks, hope the last year one comes up, will be even more encouraged then. Oh and I had heard that about pinching, any specific height to pinch at or to? Mine that I just purchased are pretty tall allready, time to pinch I wonder? Thanks so much you guys for all the help, it's the best feeling going into my garden and thinking; I wonder and asking it here and getting all your wonderful replies, makes gardening all the more pleasant!!

Shelley, I have been giving your question some thought and poked around the web a bit but I have come up blank. The only far stretch thought I have is perhaps the lack of color on one plant is due to root disturbance from voles? Or maybe as this perennial is getting somewhat older this is just one of those first signs of old age, sort of like all of the wrinkles that have been showing up on my face. I am curious what others might think. kt

Have planted and maintained a lot of balloon flowers, primarily those of the Fuji and Hakone Series (initially due to availability). I especially like Hakone Platycodon which are doubles. Over years, my experience has been the same as David Tomlinson (Merlin's Hollow); namely that although balloon flowers tend to be longer-lived than many typical garden perennials (they can be notably long-lived), the blue- and white-flowered ones tend to outlive the pink. Below 'Hakone White' in our garden today. I have never grown balloon flowers from seed and tend to deadhead the seed pods for appearance sake. I find that these taller balloon flowers work well within mixed perennial beds, but they grow towards the sunlight and therefore may need a minimal staking to direct stems upwards.

Grief, it was so long ago since I sowed mine (they are incredibly long lived...at least 15 years). I think it most likely that I did an autumn sowing and probably did get a couple of blooms the following summer. I do recall them being fairly easy - this was quite early on in my seed sowing craze when I was even more slapdash than I am now so survivors are memorable. I have never found any volunteers...but they grow in an area where I often trample about so...