Growing Ipomopsis Flowers
Liven Up Your Home Garden with Attractive Scarlet-Red Blossoms
The ipomopsis belongs to the Phlox family and is also known as Hummingbird Plant, Red Gilia, Texas Plume, Scarlet Trumpet, and Standing Cypress. It is an annual or perennial flowering plant that blooms from late summer through frost. It grows to a height of 4 to 6 feet tall.
Its chunky and edible taproot has soft and squishy woody base. It also has several stiff and branched stems that grow vertically up to 2-4 feet long.
Ipomopsis flowers are closely spaced which makes the flowering stem appear overcrowded. They blossom on tall stems, particularly in late summer.
This crammed collection of showy flowers makes ipomopsis a wonderful add-on to your garden. Undoubtedly, ipomopsis is a Texas wildflower that captures the eyes. Its trumpet-shaped flowers in vivid, scarlet-red color is not only attractive to people, but also terrific for attracting hummingbirds and all sorts of wildlife. Moreover, this plant draws beneficial pollinators including butterflies and honeybees.
The ipomopsis is native to Europe and North America. In the 18th century, it was used as herbal medicine for headache, diarrhoea, dysuria, and some cases of abdominal infections. At present, it has been a popular ornamental plant for decorating cottage garden, woodland and for landscaping purposes.
Propagating Ipomopsis
It is easy to propagate ipomopsis from seed. Just remember to let the seed capsules to mature completely before removing them from the plant. The seeds are tiny and pale in color. These may drop to the ground so it’s useful to catch the seeds by laying a dark-colored paper beneath the plant.
Sow the seeds indoors 4-6 weeks prior to the last frost date in your area. Cover seeds lightly with a good seed starting mix. Keep the mix moist until germination starts. Put the container in a good location. This means the seeds must receive full sun and the soil should be well-drained.
The ideal room temperature for germination is 70°F. Germination should start in 6-10 days and last up to 30 days. Now, if you want to sow seeds directly into your garden location, you can do so. But start planting seeds in early spring.
How to Grow Ipomopsis
You know what’s great about ipomopsis? This showy, beautiful flowering plant is low maintenance. It grows rapidly, only requires average water, and is moderately drought resistance. Although ipomopsis will grow best in fertile soils, it will also tolerate light sandy to medium loamy soils. However, ipomopsis plants love full sun, so it’s best to place them in a sunny location. Partially shady location is fine though, in case your garden/lawn has a limited space.
When the seedlings reach 6 inches high, reduce the irrigation frequency. It’s also best to let the soil to dry between watering to prevent fungal diseases. Remember that like most plants, excessive water causes the root to rot. Additionally, since ipomopsis stems that are mostly at shaded areas may have weaker stems than those stems exposed in full sun. Stake the stems that become too frail.
With all these new-found information, are you ready to transform your garden into a lush landscape of red/pinkish blooms?
