Mexican feather grass looks like a hazy smudge of golden color in the distance, and who wouldn’t want that as a backdrop in the garden? Plant type: Broadleaf evergreen subshrub Hardiness: USDA Zones 9 to 11 (may act as a perennial in Zones 7 and 8). Lawn And Garden. Mexican Heather is a tropical, and not winter hardy here. Special notes: Compact, long-blooming and practically problem-free, Mexican heather is truly a treasure for busy gardeners, especially in the hot, humid conditions that can quickly stress fussier flowers. Gossamer Gardens: 12 Ideas for Landscaping with Mexican Feather Grass Gauzy Backdrop. Privacy Policy. Copyright © 2007-2020 Remodelista, LLC. Here are some helpful tips on growing Mexican Heather: Full sun Plant in quality soil such as Good Earth brand Professional Growing Mix Water regularly... Read more » See our obsessively curated catalog of favorite products sourced by the Gardenista editors. Clicking through to the retailer that sells the product may earn us a commission. See Landscaping Ideas: A Sunken Verdant Courtyard for a Seattle Home on a Slope. Mexican heather likes to be watered whenever the surface of the soil feels dry to the touch. Get our best gardening advice and outdoor ideas delivered straight to your inbox. Mexican Heather Care: How To Grow Cuphea Hyssopifolia. Add a water feature to your landscape. Growing Mexican Heather (Cuphea) This is a guide about growing Mexican Heather (Cuphea). Selective focus. Join the party! ► In zones 7 and 8, it acts like a perennial, and in colder zones, it acts like an annual plant. 1. In this garden bed, plants include silvery Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’, perennial grass Stipa tenuissima, and purple spikes of Russian sage. Close-up of beautiful pink flowers of Mexican heather with green leaves in garden at early morning. PlantFiles Pictures: Cuphea Species, Elfin Herb, False Heather, Hawaiian Heather, Mexican Heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia) by yvana Welcome to the famous Dave's Garden website. Multiple varieties of ferns also thrive in central Florida and most require minimal watering. Your resource for finding the best storage and home organization solutions for every room in the house. Allow at least 18 inches (46 cm.) You can grow a crested iris in a rock or woodland garden. This plant not intended for human or animal consumption. By: Jennifer Eblin ... Mexican heather, African iris, daisy bush and twin flower. White flowers with yellow centers pop against a backdrop of... Slope Softener. It is a rounded, densely branched 1-2’ tall tropical sub-shrub. Mexican heather looks attractive... 2. Also known as oswego tea, this perennial is a member of the mint family. ► Although Mexican heather looks delicate, it is a fairly sturdy and evergreen shrub. Look here for advice on plants and hardscape materials. Gardenista’s members-only directory of landscape architects and garden designers. Hooray for Heather! Good for edging and seasonal color in beds and borders. In hot climates, partial shade can help to keep the foliage from fading. Mexican Heather Plant (Cuphea Hyssopifolia) small shrub, showy bright lavender flowers, evergreen foliage, glossy leaves. In my garden, I planted a bed of grasses and low-water perennials including Echinacea ‘White Swan.’  To recreate the look, plant a mix of Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’ ($14 apiece from White Flower Farm) and Stipa Tenuissima ($8.79 apiece from High Country Gardens). Use them as border plants. Phoenix is 9b so should work. Bench concrete with wood and steel - dkneedham Height/spread: 1 to 3 feet. Get landscaping ideas for Texas yards, explore the best flowers to plant in Texas, learn about Texas native plants landscaping tips and discover Texas flower bed ideas that will make your home the envy of the neighborhood! Meet our editorial team, see our book, and get the inside scoop on upcoming Gardenista events. For more, see Home Turf: Goodbye to a Front Lawn. Use of metal sheeting like CoreTen or other types - soniawhig. A variety of grasses, including feathery Stipa gigantea, solve problems in a Dorset garden sited “mostly on an exposed, north-facing slope,” says UK-based designer Robert Kennett. Tag us using #gardenista. It produces quaint, small, trumpet-shaped flowers with six spreading lavender petals and green calyx tubes. The Gardenista editors provide a curated selection of product recommendations for your consideration. Mexican feather grass waves in the breeze above the stone wall. “This border looks particularly dazzling when its architectural shapes are covered in frost.” A 4-inch pot of Stipa Gigantea available seasonally from Annie’s Annuals for $8.95. Above: Photograph by Michelle Slatalla. 4. Bloom time: Late spring until frost. Mexican Heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia FloriGlory™ Alonso) (aka Wescufloalo) Mexican Heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia FloriGlory™ Corazon) (aka UNG CU34) Mexican Heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia FloriGlory™ Diana) (aka Wescuflodia) Mexican Heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia FloriGlory™ Diego) (aka Wescuflodieg) Zone: 8-11. Choose outstanding and unusual perennials for late summer and early fall gardening. This colorful perennial is great for a mixed perennial border or cottage garden. Classic companion planting with heather often includes rhododendrons and azaleas. Mexican heather, an old-fashioned and reliable pollinator-friendly ornamental plant that adds big color to gardens and landscapes has been named the latest Texas Superstar. Garden designer Jennifer Segale planted Mexican feather grass in pots in her own garden: “Stipa and other grasses give movement, which I find is incredibly important in container gardens,” she says. I think our zone is on the cusp so if you live elsewhere, you may be able to have the plants come back year after year. Visit our location or contact us for more information about inventory and pick-up: 1490 Dahlonega Highway, Cumming, GA 30040 Phone: 470-253-8294 Email: Karla@SouthernDesignNursery.com How to use it: In frost-free zones, Mexican heather makes a wonderful evergreen groundcover and provides non-stop bloom in borders, foundation plantings and containers. For more, see Brooklyn Oasis: A City Roof Garden, Before & After. According to Texas Tech University, Mexican heather is typically grown as a heat-loving annual because of its extreme frost tenderness in all but the warmest climates. Start from seed in spring or propagate by cuttings. “Clusters of potted plants can feel heavy and stagnant without a feeling of openness and ample movement.” For more, see Garden Visit: My Driveway Oasis in Half Moon Bay, California. In frost-free zones, this heather makes a great evergreen groundcover with non-stop bloom in borders, foundation plantings and containers. Install Mexican heathers in groups along your driveway. Selective focus. Grow clumps of Mexican heather together around the border of your flower garden. Mexican heather can be sold under a variety of other names, including false heather, Hawaiian heather and elfin herb. Planting Mexican heather is uninvolved, although the plant benefits from a little added compost or manure if soil is poor. 3. More to come, stay tuned! © 2020 Discovery or its subsidiaries and affiliates. We have 200 guides on everything from fences to foxgloves. All rights reserved. Water and fertilize potted plants regularly during the growing season, less during the winter. Place them in as a front drop in your garden beds. between each plant. Don't miss HGTV in your favorite social media feeds. In addition to looking beautiful, it requires little water, intermingles easily with other perennials, and will provide structure in a garden bed nearly year-round. The slightest wind sends the delicate flower heads and thin leaves of this perennial grass into motion. The Mexican Heather plant is a slow growing evergreen shrub. You’ll also receive my monthly newsletter and stay up to date on: design ideas, dog friendly designs, native plants, nurseries we love, upcoming garden events and tours. Meanwhile, blue fescue adds textural contrast as well as a place to rest the eye among all the color. In winter, Dutch designer Piet Oudolf leaves perennial grasses standing to create moody textures and silvery color in the landscape. There are several common heather companion plants due to their preference for the same growing conditions but also some surprises that will give the heather garden a whole new appearance. Clusters of tiny flowers—usually in shades of purple, but sometimes in pink or white—bloom all along the stems from spring to fall, or even year-round in mild climates. This sun-loving plant is a great source of color in summer. The summer flowering heather contrasts nicely here with woolly thyme and mugo pine. Mexican heather looks dainty and delicate, but this sturdy little shrub is actually tough as nails. Ideas 4 Landscaping is a collection of over 7,250 landscaping images, outdoor projects, and step by step guidelines to create the perfect garden design. Remember that although Mexican heather plants grow in a wide range of soils, good drainage is critical. 1. In cooler climates, enjoy Mexican heather … Learn more about this evergreen shrub and its ability to adapt to different environments. How to Landscape a Border with Mexican Heather 1. Planting. Culture: Average, well-drained soil with full sun to light shade is fine in most areas. Central Florida Landscaping Ideas. Master gardener Paul James describes three great plants to try in the garden. Next, check out our favorite raised flower bed ideas. At the front of a garden bed in northern Italy designed by Turin-based Cristiana Ruspa, a clump of Stipa tenuissima shoots up like a flame against the lower profiles of artemisia and shorter grasses. Plan your trip with our destination guides to our favorite public gardens, hotels, restaurants, and shops. Although some heaths are more tolerant of alkaline soil, particularly Irish heath ( Erica erigena ), most types will struggle. Cut back quarterly to attract butterflies to your full to part-sun garden. 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Plants. Browse our collection of more than 2,000 plants and seeds, which can be ordered directly from our favorite shops and growers. Plant type: Tender perennial, grown as an annual in most climates. Like other grasses in the Stipa genus, Mexican feather grass develops delicate pale green flowers which turn wheat-colored, at the tips of stems that move in a breeze. Saved ... Love mexican heather and how evenly it grows. Elsewhere, enjoy Mexican heather as an annual, either in the ground or in pots. Above: Photograph courtesy of Robert Kennett. SOURCEBOOK FOR THE CONSIDERED HOME A beautiful palo verde tree is the beginning of the courtyard landscape. Pool Landscaping Xeriscape Heather Plant Desert Landscape Front Yard Hardscape Backyard Garden Outdoor Plants Landscaping Plants House Landscape. This sturdy plant often has purple flowers and can grow in many zones. SOURCEBOOK FOR CONSIDERED LIVING Close-up of beautiful pink flowers of Mexican heather with green leaves in garden at early morning. In USDA Zones 7 and 8, treat it like a perennial for spring-to-fall interest in beds and borders. The one-stop sourcebook for the considered home, guiding readers artfully through the remodeling and design process. Spanish dagger, love, grass, agaves and pennisetum work in the sunny areas, and rain lilies and native sedges fill in shady slopes. Cuphea is a tropical flower that likes hot, humid weather Its intense colors add vibrancy to containers and it will keep going strong all summer long Some cupheas are called bat-faced due to their shapes; others have tubular blooms Annuals are perfect for planting in patio containers or your landscape gardens to add bold, seasonal color Remodelista, Gardenista, 10 Easy Pieces, Steal This Look, 5 Quick Fixes, Design Sleuth, High/Low Design, Sourcebook for the Considered Home, and Sourcebook for Considered Living are ® registered trademarks of Remodelista, LLC. Beautiful pink flowers of Mexican heather. Below are just a few ideas on where to install the Mexican heathers. Boxed in by boxwood? The pink, red and white heathers would make a pretty picture on their own, but they’re set off even more attractively by a backdrop of pink sedum. Work in damp peat moss or other acidic soil amendments, particularly if your soil is pH neutral (6.5-7.5). Mexican feather grass planted alongside the driveway helps “soften things up and disguises the ugly fence,” says blogger Morgan Satterfield, who replaced her lawn with a grant from the local water district. Spruce up your outdoor space with products handpicked by HGTV editors. 2. Mexican feather grass is planted in clumps at the edge of Austin, Texas-based landscape architect Tait Moring’s driveway. Receive the Gardenista newsletter in your inbox daily. Plant the "Limelight" variety... 3. Starting from scratch or upgrading an outdoor space? As a result our stock of this item varies with the seasons; we typically stock this plant spring through mid-summer. Cuphea hyssopifolia, commonly called Mexican heather, is native from Mexico to Guatemala. Maybe one of the most attractive salvias, Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia leucantha) is prized by gardeners for its ornamental and showy velvety flower spikes produced from late summer to first frost, when other summer plants have given hope of doing anything productive. Design ideas for a contemporary backyard landscaping in Vancouver. To recreate the look, Artemisia Powis Castle is $5.95 apiece and a low-growing variety of Russian sage, Perovskia ‘Little Spire’, is $6.95 apiece; both available from Santa Rosa Gardens. In Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood, designer Marni Majorelle of Alive Structures created a wild, naturalistic tapestry for a rooftop garden atop a townhouse. Elsewhere, enjoy Mexican heather as an annual, either in the ground or in pots. This plant is a great alternative to lantana or other ground covers and it will provide your yard with a nice glossy green plant. Older plants tend to get a bit leggy; if needed, trim them back lightly or entirely to the ground, and they'll come back better than ever. We suggest covering it if the weather calls for a hard freeze. It also makes a lovely houseplant. For more of our favorite ways to use grasses in a garden, see Grasses: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design in our Garden Design 101 guides. For more, see Rehab Diaries: The Resurrection of a Medieval Nobleman’s Garden. Read more: Sourcebook for Cultivated Living, sister site to @remodelista Ideas where to install Mexican Heathers. A mix of grasses—including Liriope muscari ‘Big Blue’ Lily Turf, Nassella tenuissima Mexican Feather Grass, and Maiden Grass—creates a softly textured and layered look in this terraced garden in Seattle. Light preference: Full sun . Saved by Brittany Alltop. J-Dog, Jonn Karsseboom goes over some varieties of 'Calluna' and 'Erica' Heathers and discusses their hardiness and tips for planting. In zones 8 and lower where the climate is colder, it is best to grow this plant indoors or in a greenhouse. In the same Dorset garden, designer Robert Kennett planted Mexican feather grass at the front of a border to “billow in the breeze…for a dynamic dimension.”. A popular container plant for pots and baskets. In USDA Zones 8 and above, treat it like a perennial for spring-to-fall interest in beds and borders. Plant Mexican heather in a sunny or partially sunny spot with well-drained soil and feed with a slow-release granular fertilizer at planting time. Reblooms continuously, well into fall. This tough, drought-tolerant plant loves direct sunlight and thrives in intense heat. In addition to Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissima or Nassella tenuissima), there are many other useful varieties of feather grasses; heights, colors, and growing tendencies differ. The definitive guide to stylish outdoor spaces, with garden tours, hardscape help, plant primers, and daily design news. For landscaping ideas, here are a dozen of our favorite gardens with feather grasses: White flowers with yellow centers pop against a backdrop of Mexican feather grass. Heading somewhere? Mexican feather grass (Nassella or Stipa tenuissima) brims with grace. Plants > Mexican Heather Southern Design Nursery - More products in store. How to use it: In frost-free zones, Mexican heather makes a wonderful evergreen groundcover and provides non-stop bloom in borders, foundation plantings and containers. A perennial in Zone 9-11. In USDA Zones 7 and 8, treat it like a perennial for spring-to-fall interest in beds and borders. 5. It grows in densely branched, two-foot-tall mounds of slender stems clad in masses of small, oblong to lance-shaped, bright green leaves that are evergreen in frost-free areas. This perennial cyclamen is very hardy so it's perfect for landscapes in the colder regions of the country. Join our friendly community that shares tips and ideas for gardens, along with seeds and plants. People also love these ideas. It is hardy to 28 degrees but will grow back after a freeze. Mexican heather may self-sow in mild climates. Profuse purple flowers on a versatile, tidy, compact shrub with finely textured, glossy, bright green foliage. Plant Mexican heather around a tropical garden filled with tall, large-leaved plants. All Gardenista stories—from garden tours and expert advice to hand tools and furniture roundups. Save Photo. ... Mexican heather makes an attractive and hardy ground cover. Learn the best time for dividing perennials in your garden. Mexican heather can be either a perennial or an annual. In our experience, my dad has always had to replace the majority of the plants each year. Get these easy and simple tips on how to keep your garden, patio, or other outdoor entertaining places beautiful. Both ship for fall planting. What about along your garden path walkway. Heaths and heathers are acid lovers, preferring a soil pH of 4.5-5.5. It is a massive online database of projects and ideas, organized into 64 different categories for easy browsing. Firecracker plant, cigar flower, Mexican cigar plant, bat flower, bunny ears, false heather. Sun Plants .. Tap the link in our bio for f, Visit the link in our bio for 11 eco-friendly land, Landscape designer Brook Klausing of Brook Landsca, With the help of landscape designer Becky Bourdeau, Landscape designer Marc P. Keane (@marcpeterkeane, Landscaping Ideas: A Sunken Verdant Courtyard for a Seattle Home on a Slope, Landscape Architect Visit: At Home with Tait Moring in Austin, TX, Garden Visit: My Driveway Oasis in Half Moon Bay, California, Brooklyn Oasis: A City Roof Garden, Before & After, Rehab Diaries: The Resurrection of a Medieval Nobleman’s Garden, 10 Easy Pieces: Tough Perennials for City Gardens, Grasses: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design in our Garden Design 101, Leaves of Grass: 9 Ways to Create Curb Appeal with Perennial Grasses, Gardening 101: How to Care for Perennial Grasses, Hummelo: A Journey Through a Plantsman’s Life. All rights reserved. Mexican Heather: a low growing perennial with tiny purple blooms. In any area, the fine-textured foliage and flowers make it a perfect partner for bolder leaves and blooms. See more in Landscape Architect Visit: At Home with Tait Moring in Austin, TX. Flower colors and characteristics: This Mexican heather plant is shown planted in full sun to partial shade in a well-draining, mulched bed that helps hold moisture, but ensures that the plant does not sit in water. Heather PlantCuphea PlantPlantsLavender PlantPlant CareSmall ShrubsIndoor Plant CareGrowing FlowersFlorida Plants. What to Plant Next to Heather. Native to North American drylands, Mexican feather grass thrives in quick-draining, lean soil and is quite drought-tolerant.