code: 704
Impressive sprays of dark purple
Family: Lythraceae
Common name: “Blue Waxweed”, “Bat Face”, “Bunny-Ears” Cuphea viscossissima
Plant Classification: Half hardy annual
Minimum Height: 38 cm
Maximum Height: 45 cm
“Blue Waxweed”, “Bat Face”, “Bunny-Ears”. Impressive sprays of dark purple, orchid-like flowers open in progression along strong stems over a very long period from early summer, right into the frosts of autumn. Sticky hairs on the leaves (its botanical name is Cuphea viscosissima) can cause the individual plants to stick together making the entire clump resemble one enormous flowering plant.
Sowing advice:
For best results, seeds are sown directly into the ground where required in the spring. Alternatively, sow in late winter/early spring in gentle warmth, 15-20 degrees C. Prick out into small 3″ pots and plant in final position when the plants are established.
Description:
n cultivation, the species adapts to a range of soils in a sunny or partially shaded situation with good drainage. It can be cultivated outdoors in USDA hardiness zones 8B-11 but does not tolerate freezing temperatures. In colder regions it may be cultivated as an annual.] Plants may be propagated by cuttings, layering or division. They seed freely, and new seedlings that appear are easily transplanted.
This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017).
