Milkshake Echinacea

This was suppose to be a variety called Little Angel, but it is actually Milkshake.  I bought this as a plug a few years ago, this year it has come into it's prime.  You can see the blue Balloon Flower to the right.  The new orange rose bush is in the rear center.

Balloon Flower Blooms

Balloon Flower blooming like crazy now.  Click on the picture to see a close up of the veins of this flower.  In the pictures to the left, you can see one of the petals that is dying.

Balloon Flower

My Balloon Flowers are finally opening.  This morning I spent 3 1/2 hours at the garden weeding.  I noticed the bud at the right (bottom) just starting to open.  About 2 hours later, Diane took the top photo of how far the bud had opened.  The picture above is a fully open bud (but not this one)

Balloon Flowers getting ready to pop!

The Balloon Flower is swelling up and getting ready to open.  If you look at the top of the bud here, see the lines that divide, that is where the flower petals will open to expose the full flower.  The petals are rather large on this plant.  I just love how the buds look like hot air balloons.

Balloon Flower Buds, Platycodon grandiflorus

This is my Balloon Flower,  in full bud.  The flower will be a bright blue.  I just love how the flower buds form before they open.  This will be the 3rd year in my garden for this plant.  This is the one that I thought had died over the summer last year.  I did not realize that they have a sort of tuber root and dug it up when getting the ground ready last year.  I actually cut in almost in half.  I moved it and just re-planted it and the thing grew and bloomed last year.  This year, I had a marker for where it was.  Not too long ago I noted I had another Balloon Flower plant not too far away from the mother plant.  It must have been a small piece of the one I cut in half, which did not bloom last year.