Is Balloon Flower deer resistant?
Platycodon grandiflorus
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About Balloon Flower
The buds inflate like small balloons before splitting open, which children find fascinating. It emerges very late in spring, so mark the position or you will dig into the crown. Long-lived and resents division, so plant it where it can stay.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 12 to 18 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
Deer-resistant alternatives to Balloon Flower
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Balloon Flower keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
- Bearded IrisIris germanicaZones 3–9Rarely damaged
- Butter and EggsLinaria vulgarisZones 3–9Rarely damaged
- CatmintNepeta x faasseniiZones 3–8Rarely damaged
- CinquefoilPotentilla sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Common TansyTanacetum vulgareZones 3–8Rarely damaged
- False IndigoBaptisia australisZones 3–9Rarely damaged
Similar to Balloon Flower
Other perennials with the same deer rating.
- AvensGeum sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeOccasionally damaged
- BellflowerCampanula glomerataZones 3–8Occasionally damaged
- Blanket FlowerGaillardia sp.Zones 3–10, genus rangeOccasionally damaged
- Bloody CranesbillGeranium sanguineumZones 3–9Occasionally damaged
- Cambridge GeraniumGeranium x cantabrigienseZones 4–8Occasionally damaged
- Chameleon SpurgeEuphorbia dulcis 'Chameleon'Zones 4–9Occasionally damaged
Protecting Balloon Flower
Whether this survives comes down to local pressure, so it is worth knowing the options before it gets browsed rather than after.
- How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
- Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
- Fencing a raised bedA deer jumps from ground level, so measure the barrier from the ground and not from the top of the bed.
- Check it is actually deerDeer tear and leave a ragged stub. A clean 45-degree cut is rabbits, and slug holes get blamed on deer constantly.
Where Balloon Flower grows
Hardy across most of these 50 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Browse from here
Every list Balloon Flower belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Balloon Flower
- Is Balloon Flower deer resistant?
- Balloon Flower (Platycodon grandiflorus) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Balloon Flower grow in?
- Balloon Flower is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Balloon Flower grow in shade?
- No. Balloon Flower wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Balloon Flower get?
- Mature height is roughly 12–24 in. Growth rate is slow.