Painted-Tongue (Velvet Flower)
Salpiglossis sinuata. SOLANACEAE.
Planting and Growing Painted-Tongue
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow painted-tongue in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, and root structure of painted-tongue
- Plant hardiness and growing conditions for painted-tongue
- Season of bloom and planting time for painted-tongue
- When, how deep, and where to plant painted-tongue
- How to plant painted-tongue
- Watering, fertilizing, care, and pests or diseases of painted-tongue
- Landscape and container uses of painted-tongue
- Comments about painted-tongue and its features
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Growing Painted-Tongue
Several cultivars of upright, open perennial herbs, to 30 in. (75 cm) tall. Sticky, deep green, broadly oval, pointed, toothed leaves, to 4 in. (10 cm) long.
Planting and Care Guide
Blooms
Many blue, orange, pink, red, yellow, or multicolored, variegated, patterned, flared, trumpet-shaped, 5-petaled flowers, to 2 in. (50 mm) wide, in late spring–early autumn.
Best Climates
Plant as tender annual, zones 2–7; ground hardy, zones 8–10. Self-seeding.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained soil. Fertility: Rich. 6.5–7.5 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Spring in full sun, 8–12 in. (20–30 cm) apart, after soil warms. Start seed indoors 6–8 weeks before final frost for early blooms; transplant when frost hazard has passed.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep moist; allow soil surface to dry between waterings. Fertilize monthly; avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers. Pinch to encourage branching. Stake. Propagate by seed.
About This Plant
Good choice for backgrounds, borders, containers, massed plantings in cottage, small-space gardens. Good for cutting. Pest and disease resistant.