Thursday, March 25, 2010

Gregg's Mist Flower

Mist Flower, Gregg's  (2017)
I purchased a bunch of these plants two years ago.  After the first winter, only one of them came back.  The little guy grew and even bloomed last year, but this is really a plant that needs to be surrounded by friends.  And as much as I read from the notes (below) that this plant spreads quickly, I have seen no sign of it.  Let's see if year three brings about some growth and spreading.

(Note:  I guess this plan is so lackluster, that I have never even taken a photo of it.)

1ft x 2ft  Forms colonies, but easy to contain; tolerates poor soil; can take full sun but does best in morning sun or part shade; attracts butterflies; native to West Texas; cut back to 3" if needed after hard freeze

Gregg’s Blue Mist Flower is a perennial that’s root hardy to 0°. It thrives in partial shade, as long as it gets some sun, loves very low water, and tolerates clay soils. It usually stays one to two feet tall, but spreads easily in width by its roots. In fact, its exuberance may take over a bed in quick time. Consider it more of a “groundcover” than an upright perennial.

It flowers in spring and summer, but it is in fall that it puts on its most magnificent show, attracting Queen butterflies, migrating Monarchs, and many others.

It spreads quickly (good or bad, depending on what you want). It’s also easy to divide and move to a new area after the last frost. Just cut out a chunk, digging deep enough to grab the roots.

It may brown in winter. In early spring, clip it back to the ground or to green leaves to wrangle its spread and encourage new growth. In May, you may want to prune it back a little to control its height and encourage a more lush habit.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Blogging tips