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Tuesday, August 30, 2016

I'M THE CAT'S WHISKERS

Several years ago, in the spring, a friend gave me a cutting of the plant Orthosiphon aristatus, more commonly called Cat's Whiskers or Java tea. I planted it in the garden and forgot about it until one late summer day I saw this beautiful white bloom. It was an easy id because the flowers are very much a reminder of cat's whiskers.



Every year I have asked our local nurseries if they had the plant. Every year the answer was no-until this year. We had gone to visit a friend's garden in Georgetown and learned of a nursery nearby where they had the plant. It was the end of May and a little late for planting, especially as I was going to be gone for 5 weeks in June. Still, worth a try. How glad I am that I did and how happy was the hummingbird who visited this morning.
I'm going to try to take cuttings in the fall because unless I mulch really well the plant is not likely to survive a central Texas winter. I also will ask my local nursery to locate some of this plant next year.

3 comments:

  1. They are a favorite, for sure! Mine, also from the Georgetown nursery, is going crazy after all the rain. Glad you got one too!

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  2. It's such an interesting plant. I've seen posts on the plant out of the southeast too but, although ostensibly suited to my zone 10 as well, I've never seen it in a nursery or garden center here either.

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  3. I planted some in my in-laws garden in Malaysia - where it is relatively commonly sold in nurseries - last summer but it does not appear to have much staying power, since three months later they had all disappeared, despite tropical temperatures and very regular rain, while everything else I had planted was doing well.

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