Caring For Balloon Flower

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Watering Balloon Flowers
Balloon flowers prefer 1/2 to 1 inch of water per week from rainfall or watering, but they tolerate dry soil and will do well with much less water. They grow poorly in soggy soil, especially in the winter.

Fertilizing Balloon Flowers
Sprinkle a handful of slow release nitrogen fertilizer on the soil around each group of balloon flower plants in the spring for the rain to soak in . Do not over fertilize. For more information see the file for Choosing Fertilizers

Mulching Balloon Flowers
A 1 or 2 inch layer of organic material such as wood chips, chopped leaves, or shredded bark spread on the soil around balloon flower plants controls weeds, conserves soil moisture, and keeps dirt from splashing up on the flowers during the blooming season. After fall clean up and the ground has frozen, a thicker layer will offer winter protection. For more information see the file on Using Mulch

Pruning/Grooming Balloon Flowers
Balloon flowers do not particularly need special attention. Removing faded flowers, called deadheading, is not essential, but it will encourage more flowers to bloom and the plants will look better

Staking Balloon Flowers
The taller types benefit from staking as they mature and come into bloom. Use green tidy bamboo stakes available at garden centers or something similarly unobtrusive. . Push several into the soil around the perimeter of the plant and then loop green string around them around the circle and then across from one side to another to form a matrix to support the flexible plant stems.

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