Grow this beauty wherever you have a shady bit that needs some color .
Browallia bring in its nicknames of amethyst flower and sapphire bloom because of its vibrant blue star - work blooms that pop out like jewels against the plant ’s burnished green leafage . They commonly havesapphire blue flowers , but browallia ( Browalliaspp . ) plants with bright purple or pristine white blossoms are also available . As a background to these vibrant flower petal , the emerald green foliage forms a dense matting that lasts throughout the develop season .
This oestrus - love plant blooms continuously throughout the growing season without deadheading . Plus , the flowers pull in hummingbird and other pollinator . Usually develop as anannual , bush violet is in reality a tropical perennial that you’re able to fetch inside for the winter .
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Browallia is toxic to weenie and cats , so implant it out from places your dearie turn .
Where to Plant Browallia
Browallia is one of the few annuals that thrive in part shade to full shade . Plant it where the grime isrich in organic matterandwell - debilitate , slightly acid to somewhat alkaline .
It hit an center - catch option to use in office of impatiens . A tidy mounding plant , it wreak well in container or for edge the front of a border .
How and When to Plant Browallia
industrial plant browallia afterall danger of frost has passedbecause even a low-cal frost can damage the leaf . Dig a cakehole that is at least the size of the greenhouse pot and with the same deepness . Water the plants well in their pots and let them run out before identify them in the hole and backfilling with the original soil . Space the plants at least 9 inch aside .
Browallia Care Tips
Light
The works needspart shade to full shade conditions . In direct sunlight , the leafage are likely to burn off .
Soil and Water
Browallia does best in organically rich , evenly moist soil , so pee regularly in the absence of rain . Theideal pH rangeis between 6.0 and 8 . Browallia does not allow drouth .
Temperature and Humidity
This tropical works thrives in heat and is not bothered by humid conditions . Cold weather , even a light hoarfrost , kills the plant life .
Fertilizer
A continuous boo-boo like bush violet needs to befertilizedoccasionally throughout the produce time of year to stomach a uninterrupted show of blossom . apply a stark , balanced fertiliser about once a month , stick with product label directions .
Pruning
twitch the develop crest serve keep the plant shaggy , but deadheading is unnecessary . If the works originate to thin out toward the last of the summer , gently shear them to encourage more novel outgrowth .
Potting and Repotting Browallia
take a mass with large drainage holes and fill it with a combination ofpotting mixandcompostor pot grease in high spirits in constitutive matter . you could plant each bush violet in its own 4 - inch potbelly or in a large sundry planter where it serves as a makeweight . Potted plants need more frequent watering and fertilization than in - terra firma plants .
Unless you bring the plant inside before the first frost , the life story cycle of bush violet ends in the fall , so it does not take repotting .
Pests and Problems
Browallia has no serious disease or pests , although you might findaphids , thrips , spider mites , leafhopper , and whiteflieson the works . If the number are lowly , they can often be wash away with a hose . Treat infestation with insecticidal grievous bodily harm .
How to Propagate Browallia
grow this tone - fan from seed is a unsubdivided alternative to hunting for it at local garden center . get down them indoorseight to 10 weeks prior to thefrost - free day of the month in your areaby sowing seeds on top of the soil ; they need sunlight to sprout . Keep the soil lightly moist . Seedlings will go forth in two to three weeks . Divide and plant them in individual pots when their true sets of leaves emerge over the next few weeks . As shortly as the menace of freeze has passed , set out toharden offthe plants . Plant them alfresco when the seedlings have grow two sets of folio and a full-bodied root system .
Types of Browallia
‘Endless Illumination’ Browallia
vivacious violet - blue star - shaped blossoms cover this hybrid flora from spring until frost . It develop 12 to 16 inch tall and disseminate 10 to 14 inches .
‘Endless Flirtation’ Browallia
‘ Endless Flirtation ’ is another pop bush violet intercrossed with crisp white flowers that counterpoint beautifully with emerald unripened leafage . It grows 12 to 16 inches marvellous and spreads 10 to 14 inches encompassing .
Browallia speciosa ‘Blue Bells’
usually known as bush reddish blue , this cultivar ofBrowallia speciosais covered in patrician wizard - shaped blossom with white eye from early summertime to early declivity .
Browallia Companion Plants
Impatiens
What would we do withoutimpatiens ? It ’s the older reliable for tint gardens when you need middle - popping color all time of year . The plants bloom in just about every colour except true blue and are well - suit for maturate in containers or the primer . If you have a bright dapple indoors , you may be able to acquire impatiens all year as an indoor plant .
Sweet Potato Vine
Among the most popular container - garden industrial plant , angelic potato vineis a vigorous grower that you’re able to calculate on to make a big impingement . Its colorful foliation , in shades of chartreuse or purplish , accentuate just about any plant . Grow a few together in a large pot , and they make a big impingement all on their own . Sweet murphy vines do best during the ardent days of summer and favor moist , well - drained dirt . They fly high in Lord’s Day or shadowiness .
Begonia
Talk about foolproof : Annualbegoniais about as easygoing as it gets . It does well in a variety of conditions , but to keep it at its most luxuriant best , give it light shade , well - drained soil , and ample water . It also screw plentitude of fertilizer , so be generous . Plant yearly begonias in spring after all peril of icing has passed . No motive to deadhead this flower unless you want to ; it ’s ego - cleaning .
Frequently Asked Questions
In its native home ground in tropic South and Central America , it is a perennial , but it is grown as an annual by most gardeners in the United States .
Overwinter the potted plant in a S - facing windowpane in a elbow room where the temperature is around 55 ° F . These conditions can be dispute to provide , but if you have the right conditions , fetch it inside before the nighttime temperatures deteriorate below 40 ° farad . Cut the plant back to a manageable size and keep it moist but not wet . Browallia cash in one’s chips dormant over the winter , so it postulate less water . Often , it is easy to start with a new flora in the spring .
Browallia is not a favorite bite of cervid . The plant life is considered deer - repellent and recommended for gardens in field that have cervid populations .
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
update by Nadia Hassani
Browallia viscosa . North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension .
Credit: Justin Hancock
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit: Justin Hancock
