This is one plant that likes my poor rocky soils and manages well with a minimum of water. I will cut it back after blooming in the hope of another round of flowers in the fall. Seeds germinate in the fall when the temperatures are in the 60s and need light to germinate. They found good spot here as I see several seedling plants in the same area which will provide me with a good showing next year. In the past I have had plants with yellow flowers but this year they are all red. Gone are the days when I would have banished red flowers from the garden. They re certainly a match for our current fiery weather.
This is how the plant looks in its first year of growth.
This one has seeded just at the foot of the steps going down into the veg. garden. I won't be able to move it for fear of not being able to get out the whole of the tap root. Not a good location but I will let it stay. I'm certainly planning on having more if these next year.
Look for the small ferny plants in 4" pots in the fall.
I love this plant and am so admiring it in a neighbor's garden. You got super pictures, as always!
ReplyDeleteIt was pretty easy to photograph such a beautiful plant.
DeleteThanks for the cultural information, I've tried to grow these in the past with no luck, I'll try fall sowing and not cover the seed come this October.
ReplyDeleteThis was the first year that I has seed germinate successfully. Maybe it was just the conditions in the fall.
DeleteThis plant is new to me, although my Sunset Western Garden Book says it'll grow here. I avoided red in my old garden but i'm beginning to embrace it in this one as it does indeed fit the sunny conditions. Our weather remains unusually cool but there's no telling how long that will last. I hope you get a break from the heat soon!
ReplyDeleteI have seen this plant growing wild in Idaho but not so showy as these ones. Suddenly I am loving red and i would never have entertained it before. I'm afraid summer is here to stay.
DeleteI bought one of these last fall, when we were on vacation on the eastern side of the state. I didn’t get it planted out before winter and then it died before I could get it planted this spring. Thanks for showing me what I missed! And now I am on the hunt...
ReplyDeleteHope you find the plants in the fall. That's when we see them in the nurseries. They didn't seem to be fazed by the very cold temperatures we had this winter.
DeleteFrom your garden/blog to my shopping cart...thanks, Jenny!
ReplyDeleteYour are welcome. Such a long lasting bloom even in this heat.
DeleteBoth in foliage and flower, this is a stunning plant! Off to the interweb to see if it'll live in the soggy PNW.
ReplyDeleteLoree said she bought last fall so they must be available. They are enjoying this heat at the moment.
DeleteI love these and always comment on how we should get some. Maybe an addition to the Butterfly/Pollinator Gardner down the road. Thanks for sharing such pretty pictures.
ReplyDeleteThat is an amazing plant! I can imagine the hummingbirds going crazy over it! I know they absolutely love Lobelia cardinalis, which has a similar color, height, and structure. The foliage on the young Ipomopsis rubra plants is exquisite, too!
ReplyDeleteImpressive plant in your garden, and that makes sense how it takes heat there so well. And that red! No luck in my last garden with that one, so I'll enjoy your's there.
ReplyDeleteWhen we first moved here Standing Cypress and those wild white poppies were growing together in a field. I didn't try to grow them then but enjoyed seeing them every year. Now the field is full of houses and the flowers are gone. Your photos make we want to try to grow Ipomopsis rubra this fall!
ReplyDeleteIt's always sad to see houses take the place of native plants and the problem is that few people replace them. Just with easy shrubs that have no value to our wildlife.
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