General Culture:

Winter hardy to USDA Zones 10-11. In St. Louis, it is usually grown as an annual in hanging baskets, containers or as a bedding plant. It is easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Prefers light filtered or dappled sun. Water regularly throughout growing season. Thrives in hot and dry summer climates. Container plants may be overwintered indoors or cuttings may be taken in late summer for overwintering indoors. Bedding plants may be potted up in fall and overwintered. However, these plants are often simply replaced annually in spring rather than trying to overwinter them. May be grown from seed started indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost date.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

Native to Australia, fan flower or fairy fan flower is a sprawling evergreen perennial with ascending and/or procumbent stems. It typically grows to 9-18” tall and spreads to 24” wide. It thrives in hot, humid climates where it produces a non-stop bloom of dark blue fan-shaped flowers in the leaf axils on trailing stems throughout summer to first frost. Lanceolate to obovate, toothed green leaves (to 2” long).

Problems:

No serious insect or disease problems.

Uses:

Tender perennial usually grown as an annual for hanging baskets, containers, window boxes, bedding or sprawling over a wall.

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