Platycodon grandiflorus Fuji Blue

Platycodon grandiflorus 'Fuji Blue' is a beautiful dark blue variety of the Platycodon with large flowers, also known as the bellflower with large flowers or balloon flower. It is an extremely hardy perennial plant, floriferous and with a dense appearance, and moreover, easy to cultivate. It produces curious balloon-shaped flower buds all summer long, which open into large dark blue flowers veined with violet, with a wonderfully simple design resembling bellflowers. Sometimes slow to establish, this semi-tuberous plant makes a big impact in border plantings.

Platycodon grandiflorus 'Fuji Blue' is a plant from the campanula family. Its wild ancestor, the Platycodon, is native to Asia, spread from China to eastern Siberia, through Japan and Korea. This herbaceous perennial plant develops from a large fibrous root resembling a long turnip, which should be taken care not to disturb once planted.

The 'Fuji Blue' variety forms its foliage quite late in spring. It grows into a round and dense clump of leafy stems, with an upright and spreading habit, reaching about 40cm (16in) in height and diameter. Flowering takes place from June to September, depending on the climate, with a clear predominance in July-August. The individual flowers develop at the upper part of the stems, in the axils of the leaves. The rounded flower buds, pale mauve-yellow in colour, swell like small balloons and open into large bell-shaped flowers, with a thick texture, in the form of wide 5cm (2in) stars, of a deep blue colour veined with violet. They are visited by pollinating insects and are followed by the formation of small black and round seeds. The foliage is dense, with a matte bluish-green colour, slightly glaucous on the underside. The leaves are opposite, lanceolate, with irregularly toothed edges. The aerial parts turn yellow and then take on red hues in autumn, before disappearing in winter. Platycodon grandiflora overwinters dormant underground.

Hardy and easy to grow, Platycodon grandiflorus 'Fuji Blue' thrives in full sun or partial shade, in well-drained, rich and light soils, not too dry. Plant it in border plantings or in the background together with Oriental poppies, phlox, bellflowers, peonies... It also grows very well in a deep pot to accommodate its impressive root system, with regular watering. Its large flowers are also beautiful in wildflower bouquets.