Balloon Flowers

I was recently donating a good portion of my paycheck at the local box store's nursery, with my 5 year old grandson in tow.  I was looking for a particular plant when I hear, "Gramma, I just CAN live without this plant!" Trying very hard not to laugh (as were several other adults in the vicinity) I corrected him that the phrase is "I just CAN'T live..."  Since he said it with all the seriousness of a 12 year old girl, I assured him that if we did not buy it, he would indeed live, but we would not have to test it that day, and I put the pot into the cart.  After a bit, he asked what the flower is called, so we looked at the tag and saw "Balloon flower."

Once we got home, I jumped on the teachable moment and had him get a spot picked out and choose a pot for it.  We talked about how it likes a lot of sun, but not the really hot sun in the afternoons.  So, he looked around, and I encouraged him to pick the spot on the bottom step going up to the house. He was fine with that, and into the pot it went. The next day, the stamen had opened into another little white flower and the bud had turned from a light brownish color to the balloon looking bud pictured below. The flowers that had been there were shriveled up. After doing my research, I found that balloon flowers are of the most kid-friendly plants that one can put into the garden. I think they are great because of the color, and they can also be found in white and pink, and because they are SUPER easy to grow and maintain. Their only pest enemy are snails and slugs.  They only need sustained release fertilizer once a year, in the spring, and they produce lots of seeds which are in the dried up flower. The gardenknowhow.com site said to pluck off the dried up bud and put it/them into a paper bag and store in a cool dry place until spring, then break it open and sprinkle the brown, rice-like seeds onto a layer of compost and water. The sprouts should come up in about 2 weeks. (This will be the next teachable moment.) The site also said that if one would want to cut the flowers for an arrangement, to singe the ends to make them last longer. They may also need to be staked up, as they can get fairly tall.

Overall, I'm glad that I did not make the boy try to live without the plant as it has been blooming right along since we brought it home. Now I'm keeping an eye out for a pink one to add to the pot, and white while I'm at it.

photo by Jenni Dodini

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