Chenille Plant

The Chenille Plant (Acalypha hispida), also known as Red-Hot Cattail, is a tender tropical and is often used as a houseplant. With it’s cascading branches, it is a great plant for a hanging basket. I have mine outside where it gets partial sun and must be watered often. The bright red blooms look like fuzzy caterpillars and can get as long as 12 inches. Click photos to enlarge.

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Red Verbena

I am loving the vivid red flowers of these perennial verbena plants in my flower beds this year. They are very tolerant of our hot sun and high humidity, and also seem to prefer dry soil. These plants are hardy to -10 degrees and are very attractive to butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. The plants spread into large mounds and trail over the edges of my rock wall flower beds, and I like the combination of the red bright flowers with the white miniature roses. Click photos to view larger.

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Red Verbena and white miniature roses
in rock wall flower bed

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Purple flowers

Here are a few of the many purple flowers blooming in my garden right now, both in containers and in flower beds.

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Purple petunias and calibrachoa (Million Bells)

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Scaevola ‘Blue Fan’

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Ageratum, petunias, torenia
Click any photo to enlarge

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Related posts:
Container Gardening
Lilacs are blooming
Hummingbird Moths

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Balloon Flowers

The blue balloon flowers (Platycodon grandiflorus) are in bloom. These perennials are named for the shape of the buds, which resemble hot air balloons. Click photos to view larger.

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Flower and bud

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Blue balloon flower

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Click photos to enlarge

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Related posts:
Blue Balloon Flowers
In the Garden
July Flowers

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