A New Sweetheart in My Collection
I recently adopted a new, precious gem to add to my family of sweethearts on the hill. She is a balloon flower, and I've been admiring her ever since she joined us. I do believe this is the first balloon flower I've ever seen, and it has been quite a treat. This little girl loves the sun. She doesn't require too much care. She blooms all season. And her flowers shine during every stage of their growth. In this first picture, you can see three distinct stages. On the far left is a bud just getting started. In the middle is what I can only assume to be the source of this sweet lady's name. And finally on the bottom left is the flower with its petals out. This whole process takes about 48 hours. Here you can see the full bloom from a better point of view. Notice all of the buds covering the plant. Isn't she sweet (sthooper, sthilly, sthweet)?! She's a chosen winner in my book!