Shady Garden in Need of Color? Now Plant This.

Justicia carnea (Brazilian Plume Flower) can thrive in
and bring color to a dry shade garden - so long as your garden is in
USDA hardiness zones 9-11. 

I love rescuing unwanted plants. You know, the straggly ones that are done flowering and therefore are less likely to sell at the nursery. I'm all about those. To me, it's like adopting an abandoned animal - one who just needs a good home and a little TLC to spring back to life.

One successful "rescue" I'd like to share has to do with the Justicia carnea (Brazilian Plume Flower) you see pictured here. Ain't it lovely? It's July and full of blooms. In fact, it's about the only thing that's noticeably blooming right now in my shady, redwood-anchored back yard garden in Oakland.

I planted the Justicia at least four years ago after I'd spied it in the giveaway bin at the nearby college where I took horticulture courses. It was not even a foot tall, had maybe a few leaves, but I saw the potential. I knew nothing about the plant but was eager to see if I could nourish it to its optimum potential.

Into the ground it went, alongside a path, where it'd get some morning sun and dappled light in the afternoon. It grew slowly but the rich, glabrous green leaves with prominent veins was living proof that I'd been giving it the proper nutrients, water and light exposure. Then came the blooms in summer - just a couple the first few years that would seem to go as quickly as they'd arrived. Admittedly, I wasn't impressed.

Fast forward to Summer 2011 and this tender perennial from Brazil stands roughly 3' high and is covered with hot-pink, spiked clusters of tubular flowers. Just gorgeous.

To learn more about the virtues of Justicia, head to The Gay Gardener. Plant one or - better yet - several in your shady Zone 9-11 garden and you won't be disappointed. I know this is gonna be on my fall gardening to-do list.