Go Back Mexican Heather

Posted: May 7, 2019 at 4:12 PM
Cuphea
    Butterfly IconDeer Resistant IconRock Garden IconHummingbird IconFoot Prints Icon

    Plant Type: Annuals

    Winter hardy to USDA Zones 9-11. It is grown as an annual, container plant or houseplant. In the garden, it is easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soils in full sun. May be grown from seed started indoors 8-10 weeks before last frost date. Tolerates high summer heat and some drought. Best with regular moisture. If grown in containers, plants may be overwintered indoors in warm, sunny locations. Easily propagated from tip cuttings.Best to start new plants each year, however.

    Currently not available for online purchase.

    Growing & Maintenance Tips:

    Native from Mexico to Guatemala, Mexican heather is a rounded, densely branched 1-2 tall tropical sub-shrub. It produces quaint, small, trumpet-shaped flowers with six spreading lavender petals and green calyx tubes. Flowers appear singly in the leaf axils along stems crowded with lance-shaped glossy green leaves(to 3/4" long). Blooms profusely summer to frost. Although heather-like in appearance, this plant is not a member of the heather family, hence the sometimes used common name of false heather. Some white- and pink-flowered cultivars are available. Flowers are attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies.

    Flower Color

    Lavender

    Foliage Color

    Green

    Plant Spread

    3/4 - 2 1/2 ft.

    Good Companions

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    Plant Height

    1-2 ft.

    Scape Height

    —

    Hardness Zone

    9-11

    Soil Moisture

    Medium

    Characteristics & Attributes

    Attributes

    Annual for borders, beds, ground cover or edgings along walkways or paths. Container plant for decks, patios or porches.Hanging baskets. Houseplant.

    Bloom Time

    Flowers freely,

    Critter Resistance

    —

    Exposure

    Full Sun

    Growth Rate

    —

    Seasonal Interests

    Summer