Spigelia marilandica is spectacular every Fourth of July
- A living Sparkler.
If you have a few hours of good sun somewhere, this beautiful and tough plant will return each year, bringing in Hummingbirds for the festivities. It will give you its amazing display for quite a while, and if you trim it after flowering, rebloom some as the season progresses.
In zone 5B it fortuitously flowers around the Fourth of July. It is fully hardy and reliable, likes a sunny place, is fine in a moist place, and even happy in a typically drier spot, once established. It also can manage well in partly shady places….
This plant is neat in its habit, and takes up only a few feet in width and height and so is quite easy to site, spreading gradually from the crown.
Spigelia is seriously great with light yellow, full true oranges, orangey reds and any backdrop of green. The only potential problem is the color when in flower might overpower certain quiet jewel tones and if you have mauves, or any reds with blue in them, there may be color discomfort. You just want to choose its color place carefully.
In the photo above, it is shown with Coreopsis moonbeam and the fluffy green of Euphorbia cyparissias. The Lonicera dropmore scarlet shown below can be a good companion with its complementary orange, and this long blooming vine is typically fabulous before 7/4 and on through summer and early fall.
I have recieved excellent Spigelia marilandica plants from Barry Glick at
Sunshine Farm and Gardens, barry@sunfarm.com
