A.K.A "bat faced flower" which is an evergreen perennial.....I can see where they get the common name from tho, lol.
Cuphea llavea
Very interesting plant, I grew a cuphea last year but it stayed low to ground and wasn't hardy for me.
Maybe it loves the "Texas heat".....lol - sure it hot here!
*sigh*
That certainly looks like another one I must try next year. O yes, a definite must have.
How long has it been blooming? How old are those plants?
Cheri'
thats a great lil plant...
Oddly enough I seem to have collected two types.
One like yours, and another grower stopped by and dropped off one that was like a macho-bat face.... had flowers that seemed like twice the size, and the leaves were much larger.
I wonder if it is a different type or just different conditions, guess i'll know in a year or two.
drew
I have owned this plant for several years - it just keeps coming back...and blooms from spring till it freezes. I'm pretty sure it seeds because I have found little ones on the ground around this one (it is in a container).....
I found this plant at my local nursery for little to nothing....it was really small back then. You might want to check around in your area for it.......
DeepRoots - I read about the same thing at http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/HUMNETf/Cuphea.html
I've also grown Cuphea llavea [2]. It kind of sprawls and produces purple
flowers with two red extensions that look to some people like ears. It is
sometimes sold by the inane name of "Bat-faced Cuphea". Recently, I found
one that had huge flowers and huge leaves compared to the ones I've had inthe past. Hummers use it, but it isn't their first choice.
and apparently someone else here at DG had a similar thing.
http://davesgarden.com/t/70147/
Now, how does one go about making sure that the one they buy is the large one, if it doesn't have a different name? hhhmmmmmmmmmm.
Cheri'
*shrugs*
I dunno, next spring I'll sell them as different plants, and just see what happens.
Hummers LOVE any cuphea. There are more than 2 cultivars.
Moonlighting, welcome, and, where is Needville?
Love, Lav
Hello Lavanda - thanks for the welcome!.....Needville is about 30-35 miles southwest of Houston.....