A fantastic plant, easy and floriferous, not used nearly as often as it deserves. Here it's especially useful for bedding or containers i...Read Moren shade, where blue to violet flowers are uncommon. Sometimes (but all too rarely) available from garden centers in six-packs, but beware of rootbound starts, as I find they're often stunted. Start seed indoors 8-10 weeks before last frost, as they're slow to develop.
December 2014 update: My enthusiasm has been tempered by further experience with this plant. A stem blight often causes individual plants to fail. I'm not sure if this is due to our source or if it's generally true for this species in my climate.
Often designated as an annual, B. speciosa is a tender perennial. Specimens of the 'Heavenly Bells' cultivar brought indoors bloomed cont...Read Moreinuously all winter while kept at about 58 degrees, providing a wonderful display of color at a dreary time of year. See my second photo at http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/191289 taken in early April.
I've read that browallia speciosa is a true perennial, while browallia americana & viscosa are annuals. I live in a frost-free area, but ...Read Morehaven't been able to keep these plants going into a second year. However, my plants did bloom continually from late May to October. They performed best in partial to full shade in a spot which was moist and sheltered from strong winds. I've heard that this browallia makes a good houseplant. I spent three months nursing along my seedlings before planting out. (They took 2-3 weeks to germinate and developed slowly.) The annual browallias germinated and grew much more quickly. Stokes Seeds is a good source of seeds.
I love this plant. It has come back every year, but does not oversow. It is blooming right now when so little else is blooming. I have...Read More it in a slightly shaded spot with moist soil.
This is a great annual. For years I resisted adding annuals to my perennial beds, but it finally dawned on me that they are great filler...Read Mores and bridge the times when I have no perennials blooming. I like annuals that are a little less common - no marigolds or impatiens for me - and this one is blooming its heart out at the front of the bed. Pretty blue. I'll plant this again and add a few other kinds next year!
Plant grew fairly easy and relatively fast from seed. It was said to be a a great houseplant but it never bloomed for me so I put it outs...Read Moreide in full sun, the temps are in the high 90s, and it flowered less than a week later. I'm looking forward to more blooms and I'm waiting for my scragly plants to "bush" in these new conditions.
Westbrook, ME (Zone 5a) | September 2001 | neutral
Grows 8-12 inches tall with smooth branching stems. The flowers are 2-iches wide and can be blue, violet, purple, or white. Its mounding ...Read Moreform makes it an excellent choice for containers.
A fantastic plant, easy and floriferous, not used nearly as often as it deserves. Here it's especially useful for bedding or containers i...Read More
Another common name is amethyst flower and I too love it. It blooms for months without fail and is one of our favorites here in Central Alabama.
Often designated as an annual, B. speciosa is a tender perennial. Specimens of the 'Heavenly Bells' cultivar brought indoors bloomed cont...Read More
I've read that browallia speciosa is a true perennial, while browallia americana & viscosa are annuals. I live in a frost-free area, but ...Read More
I love this plant. It has come back every year, but does not oversow. It is blooming right now when so little else is blooming. I have...Read More
This is a great annual. For years I resisted adding annuals to my perennial beds, but it finally dawned on me that they are great filler...Read More
Plant grew fairly easy and relatively fast from seed. It was said to be a a great houseplant but it never bloomed for me so I put it outs...Read More
Grows 8-12 inches tall with smooth branching stems. The flowers are 2-iches wide and can be blue, violet, purple, or white. Its mounding ...Read More