code: 899
This exceptional back-of-border
Family: Asteraceae
Common name: MIDNIGHT LADY
Plant Classification: Hardy perennial
Minimum Height: 80 cm
Maximum Height: 1.2 meters
Three inch wide, bright orange flowers on branching purple stems, stand above glossy, beetroot-coloured, heart-shaped leaves. This exceptional back-of-border or even bog plant attracts countless butterflies and moths, such as the Painted Lady butterfly shown here.
Sowing advice:
For best results, sow seeds immediately onto a good soil-based compost. Cover the seeds with fine grit or compost to approximately their own depth. They can be sown at any time, and germination can sometimes be quicker if kept at 15 to 20 degrees C. However, we sow most seeds in an unheated greenhouse and wait for natural germination as many seeds have built-in dormancy mechanisms, and often wait for spring before emerging regardless of when they are sown. But spring sowing will obviously give them a full season of growth if successful germination occurs.
Information:
Bloom Time: June to July
Bloom Description: Yellow-orange
Sun: Part shade to full shade
Water: Medium to wet
Maintenance: Medium
Suggested Use: Rain Garden
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Colorful
Tolerate: Heavy Shade, Wet Soil
Culture
Best grown in humusy, organically rich, medium to wet soils in part shade to full shade. Must have moist soils that never dry out. Benefits from a regular, deep watering in hot summers. Foliage will wilt in too much sun. Needs a shaded location in the St. Louis area. Site plants in areas protected from strong winds.
