Gainesville Landscape Plant of the Month: Mexican Heather

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Rusty Thompson on June 7th, 2018

Cuphea Allyson, or "Mexican Heather" is desired for its delicate, ever-blooming purple blossoms, glossy green foliage, heat tolerance, drought resistance, low maintenance and mounding, semi-trailing growth habit for Gainesville Landscape designs.

Allyson Mexican Heather is a multi-stemmed annual with an upright spreading habit of growth with dainty purple-pink tubular flowers. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition. Heather 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 to your yard, and it has no significant negative characteristics.

Allyson Mexican Heather will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils.

Allyson Mexican Heather is a fine choice for Gainesville garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges.

If this is a plant you would love to see in your Gainesville landscape design, call our office at (352) 378-5296 or fill out our online contact form at the top of the page so we can schedule a meeting to discuss how to add it into your Gainesville landscape design.

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Landscaping