Ipomopsis rubra - 9cm pot
(Syn. Gilia rubra). Commonly called Texas Plume or Standing Cypress, this stunning hardy biennial or short-lived perennial is worth growing for the highly attractive foliage alone, but the flower stems promise something incredibly striking! Produces beautiful soft silvery-green ferny rosettes of foliage in its first year. Then in its second year it will send up very strong upright stems, completely unbranched, but studded with striking long-tubed, bright red flowers with flared at the mouth, which are loved by bees and other pollinators. Prefers full sun and free draining stony to average soils, too rich and the stems will not be as upright. In the wild this can sometimes get to 6ft in height, but in garden settings it is more likely to be around 90-130cm when flowering. 9cm pot.