Gardeninginsouthafrica.co.za Website Review

Balloon flowers are hardy long-lived perennials which are reliable bloomers in cold climates, and can take short periods of drought while still delivering a long season of beautiful blooms with minimal effort. For these reasons, gardeners around the world have always valued the balloon flower, and new gardeners are also re-discovering their charms, not only for their whimsical flower buds, but also you will notice the resemblance right away. Platycodon grandifloras is native to East Asia, occurring in China, Korea, Japan, and Siberia, where they grow on slopes, and in meadows. The botanical name means ‘broad bell,’ but the open flower is really more of a star shape. However, it's the puffy buds which intrigue gardeners, because as the flower buds grow they inflate like an origami balloon, before unfurling into gorgeous five-star bellflowers, 5 to 7cm across. This enthrals everyone and makes the balloon flower almost irresistible; and taking into account their flower colours which come in sought-after shades of blue, violet-blue, as well as pink and white,. BLANKET FLOWERS ARE ECO-CHIC, WATER-WISE TOUGHIES, WITH ENOUGH FLOWER-POWER TO BLOOM ALL SUMMER. 'Mesa Bright Bicolour' Picture courtesy www.ba*lstraathof.co.zaBlanket flowers are stalwarts of the summer garden and appreciated by seasoned gardeners around the world for their resilience, extremely long blooming season, and richly coloured, daisy-like flowers in shades of yellow, orange, red, and brown, atop spreading mounds of narrow, fuzzy, grey-green leaves. Wild blanket flowers are found all across North America and southern Canada, as well as Mexico; and there are about 12 species, some with very limited ranges. Apparently its common name “blanket flower” comes not only from the plants ability to blanket the North American prairies with its ga* colours, but also from a Native American legend about a man who used to make exceptional blankets; and when he died the spirits rewarded him with an