(Click photo for larger version)
These balloon flowers, named for the shape of the flower buds (see photo at left), are my favorites every year. I love the bright blue color and prominent veins of the petals, and enjoy viewing and taking photos of them every summer. Although they look purple in the photos, the flowers really are blue. They are perennial, bloom from summer until early fall, and are very easy to care for. These plants, also known as Chinese Bellflowers, form small mounds about 12 inches tall, with many flowers per plant. The deep blue color always makes them stand out in the flower beds.
While they are known to be hard to propagate by division, I have had luck with dividing a large clump of them once. I just pulled up a small section of the mound right after they finished blooming, cut a section with several roots, and replanted it elsewhere. It came back the following summer and both clumps are doing fine. I’ve collected a huge amount of seeds from these flowers, but never got around to planting them — I may plant some seeds this fall and see how they do. They really are gorgeous flowers.
All photos are clickable for larger versions.
The first season of Jericho will be rebroadcast this summer on CBS. The show will air on Fridays, at 9pm est, beginning July 6th. Season 2 will start this fall! Be sure and watch this awesome show, and see why its cancellation prompted one of the 
