Description
Hardy, summer-flowering perennial
Description: Puffed-up, balloon-shaped buds followed by bright blue, bell-shaped, 2-3 flowers; multiple flowers bloom on each stem
Habit: Flowering stems grow 12-18 inches tall; compact
Culture: Prefers full sun to light shade and well-drained soil
Hardiness: Cold hardy to USDA Zone 3
Origin: Garden origin
Indigenous to China and Japan, Platycodon grandiflorus, the only species in the genus, was grown in European gardens by 1782. Philadelphia nurseryman Bernard McMahon included Campanula grandiflora (syn. Platycodon grandiflorus) in the General Catalogue of his American Gardeners Calendar (1806). The shorter, more compact form, Mariesii, was introduced from Japan by Charles Maries in 1879. The botanical name is from the Greek platys, meaning broad, and kodon, meaning bell, in reference to the showy flowers.zone3,zone4,zone5,zone6,zone7,zone8,zone9