PlantFiles: Browallia, Amethyst Flower, Bush Violet
Browallia americana

I love this plant. I grew it for the first time this season, and it was very easy to start from seed. It began blooming months ago and is still blooming now, in December. The foliage is nice and the prolific violet-blue flowers really pop in the shady bed I'm growing it in. It's a keeper for me!

I first grew browallia last year. I was impressed with its performance - it bloomed nearly continuously, often smothered with blooms, despite a dry summer and being planted close to a tree with shallow roots. I enjoyed it so much that this year I've added the cultivar (not yet listed at Dave's Garden) "Blue Lady". Both the species and "Blue Lady" have been blooming nonstop since the day I planted them earlier this month. A lovely, graceful annual for partial shade or continual dappled shade, coping well even with the somewhat dry soil near trees.

This wonderful annual bloomed from mid-May, through a couple of light frosts well into late October. At all times it produced a profusion of small blue flowers. Planted in well drained composted soil, it thrived on complete neglect all summer -- no feeding, only occasional watering, and no deadheading. It tolerated a surprising amount of sun. My only gripe is that it's not easy to find!!

I bought one of these plants on a visit to Laguana Beach, California and brought it back to New York thinking it was a houseplant. That was almost 3 years ago & it is still thriving, although it has not bloomed since I brought it home. It does have beautiful, lush, dark green foliage, but I would really like it to flower again so will try more fertilizer and get back to you.

Browallia is a tender perennial that has thrived wonderfully in my Zone 4 garden. It is a beautiful substitute for impatiens. I have not planted it directly in the ground, but have been pleased with how it has grown in containers. It blooms all summer and comes in compact bush and trailing forms. The flower color is best when shaded from the afternoon sun. Feed only lightly once a month. Too much fertilizer will result in lush foliage but few flowers. It can rage in height from 1-5'. 'Blue Bells', one of my favorites, grows to 1', has lavendar-blue flowers, and the plant requires no pinching. B. speciosa is one of the taller varieties, growing up to 5'.

These tender plants are native of South America. They have small terminal clusters of flowers grow from the stems. Blooms range in color from pale blue to violet, depending on variety.