Plant Height: 8 inches
Flower Height: 12 inches
Spacing: 18 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: (annual)
Description:
A pretty addition to the rock garden or hanging baskets; leaves covered with whitish, waxy hairs give the plant a frosted look; tiny pink flowers cover them in late winter and early spring; easy to grow and a great houseplant as well
Ornamental Features
Flower Dust Plant is covered in stunning clusters of pink trumpet-shaped flowers with red throats rising above the foliage from late winter to early spring. Its attractive succulent round leaves remain grayish green in color with showy burgundy variegation and tinges of silver throughout the year.
Landscape Attributes
Flower Dust Plant is an herbaceous annual with a mounded form. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.
This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Flower Dust Plant is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Accent
- Rock/Alpine Gardens
- General Garden Use
- Container Planting
Planting & Growing
Flower Dust Plant will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity extending to 12 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 24 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 18 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. Although it's not a true annual, this 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 full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under typical garden conditions. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.
Flower Dust Plant is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
