My sedums aren't blooming yet, but they were taken from plants just like you said. I stuck them in the dirt and kept them watered. I cut back bee balm, shastas, even my hibiscus. It makes for a fuller plant and lots of blooms. Almost all perennials can tolerate this. Great too for staggering bloom cycles to extend the flowering time. Cut 1/3 of the plant when you see buds. Cut another 1/3 a couple weeks later or just as the buds are opening. Leave 1/3 to bloom as normal. It also staggers the height and helps hold up the tallest stalks that weren't cut back. The Well Tended Perennial Garden. Can't go wrong with that book.

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.

Most plants can be started from cuttings, but I guess no one who is reading the forum right now has any specific information on how to root balloon flower, but I found the following on the Plant Propagation Forum. Only thing is it might be too hot right now to get them to root unless you have a mist system. Cuttings lose moisture and deteriorate very quickly in this heat. Here is a link that might be useful: Tip cuttings of Balloon flower

Thanks Ken, Yes I do put a layer of compost over my whole garden in the spring. That was my first thought last year. I will dig one up and see how that goes, it is still a bit chilly here. I did read older posts that stated their balloon flowers went mutant. My dilemma would be, if they have gone back to the original seeds, if I move them, should I count on them being 2-3' tall or 1' tall. Right now they are shading too many smaller plants that are behind them..