Plant Encyclopedia

Other Names:  Bush Violet

Description:

A profusion of beautiful clear blue star shaped flowers all summer above rich green foliage; a perfect choice for hanging baskets, tubs or containers

Ornamental Features

Blue Bells Amethyst Flower is covered in stunning blue star-shaped flowers with white eyes along the stems from early summer to early fall. Its pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Blue Bells Amethyst Flower is a dense herbaceous annual with a mounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other garden plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Blue Bells Amethyst Flower is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Blue Bells Amethyst Flower will grow to be about 22 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 14 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. Although it's not a true annual, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Blue Bells Amethyst Flower is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.