Thursday, July 9, 2009

CHINESE BELLFLOWER, BALLOON FLOWER

Anyone who knows me, knows I truly love all flowers. I even love the flowers that weeds produce. But this is one of my favorite flowers of all flowers. I find myself looking for the first sign of it late spring, sprouting out of the ground. Then waiting for it to start blooming in the summer. It is not a big plant at all here in the Midwest. When I planted it, the instructions were to plant it and do not move it or seperate it. Just leave it alone, it will produce better blooms. So I have done just that and this has been by a certain rock in my flower bed now for probably 10 years. It doesn't get very big, but what I like are the little five sided balloons that are the buds of the flower, then it blooms into this beautiful five petaled 2" flower. I don't really do anything to it. No fuss at all! It grows maybe 12" high. I just leave it alone (I do deadhead it and I fertilize it in the early spring with compost) and it rewards me with flowers for quite a long season.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST FAVORITE FLOWER, YA KNOW, THE ONE YOU CAN'T WAIT TO BLOOM? Please share......

12 comments:

  1. My prairie coneflowers...when they burst into bloom, I know my summer has begun...s

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  2. Columbine (Aquilegia)!!! They are like shooting stars in the flowerbed, tough and airy all at the same time. They bloom just forever and they can make even the most sedate and stately bouquet into a whimsical nosegay.

    My second favorite are the sunflowers. I love that their faces follow the sun, that at the end of the summer, they feed the birds, and children can plant them with great success, and make houses out of them!

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  3. Great Post!! I love to hear about everyones favorites. My favorite is the azeleas. They are the first to bloom in the spring and show up in every shade of pink. From hot, hot pink to the palest tinge. And It seems like the smallest bush can produce lots of blooms. They're beautiful.

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  4. What a sweet flower. I don't grow them but my favorite flower is the Freesia for it's fragrance.

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  5. You already know what flower is at the top of my list. LILLY, i just need more flower bed space.

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  6. Sharon - purple cone flowers are just blooming. My first year for those!
    Farmers Wife - I have never grown columbine, but love sunflowers too! we almost planted a whole field of them but changed our minds and went with soybeans.
    PJCove - I love, love your azelea pics you have sent me! We can't grow them too well up here so I have never looked into them.
    Just Breathe - That is one I will have to look up, don't know Freesia at all...
    cconz - I know your fav is lilly. I just had a new bloom, Oh my, they take my breathe away!!!

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  7. Lori... hard question! I am watching my bee-balm (mondara?) it's almost ready to pop and the blooms are so spectacular! I love how it attracts so many winged garden critters. So for today that's my answer.I have neighbor- shared balloon flowers that range in color from white to lavender to dk. purple.They bloomed in late June. Then I have the ones you posted.They are a very pretty flower.Too bad we aren't neighbors I love to share plants!

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  8. Laura - I have never seen the other colors.. THERE ARE OTHER COLORS??? I will be checking into that!!! I tried Bee Balm and couldn't get it to grow, which my fellow flower lovers said, "really?? Anyone can grow that" Well, not me. I liked the fact that it attracted birds, butterflies, etc. Yes, I agree, we WOULD have a blast together between crafts, jewelry (I used to collect turquoise jewelry) mosaics, flowers, yard art, would love to see how you do the gourd art, WE DO HAVE A LOT IN COMMON!!...

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  9. Oh this is hard!!! I love so many of them, but I may have to go with hibiscus!!!
    debby

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  10. I look forward to my daffodils in the spring, and through the summer I like my hydrangaes, passion flowers and clematis. I grew these huge sunflowers 2 years ago in my garden, and they got SO big that they started to spook me if I was in my garden in the evening.

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  11. Debby - Love, love hibiscus also. The flowers are a real statement...
    Pammerys - spring flowers announcing a new beginning, favs also. My hydrangaes didn't bloom this year :( don't know passion flower, I will have to look that up and yes, I also love clematis, I planted 4 last year, only 3 did anything...

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  12. I only get to pick one:( Probably my peonies that I waited on for three years before they bloomed. But maybe it's forsythia because that means Spring is here. No wait...azaleas...aaaarrrrggghh I just can't pick one! Great post. Thanks for stopping by. I'll look for you on Crock Pot Wednesdays! Hooray.

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