PlantFiles: Cupid's Bower, Hot Water Plant, Monkey-Faced Pansy, Magic Flower, Orchid Pansy
Achimenes longiflora

I love this plant. I bought it in a 3 inch pot at a garage sale. I put it in a hanging basket when I got it home and within 3 weeks it had filled the pot and was covered with purple blooms. It bloomed for me all summer, then died back in the fall. When collecting plants to put under a winter shelter this one went with the rest. This spring when I started pulling out plants the baskek was full of new plants. I will dig the tubers this fall and store them to make more baskets next year.

I found this plant growing amongst my ginger plants, apparently a legacy from some long gone gardener that was a former owner of my property, or perhaps a "hitchhiker" that came in a pot with one of the ginger plants. I didn't know what it was until I recently posted a photo of it in the DG Identification forum and got a name for it.

I've transplanted some of it from the shady, wet location where it originally came up to other sunnier, drier spots in my yard. It seems to do fine whereever I put it. I have the purple flowering variety, very similar to the photo by Toxicodendron.

I am adding it to my trade list, but there is currently a very limited amount of it I can share. It spreads easily, however, so I may be able to be more generous with it in future years.

Jeremy

I am having alot of success - I've had this plant for several years, and as long as you deadhead the blooms it will bloom all summer. I have it in hanging baskets, and I hang it outside in the summer.

I love this plant. My plant makes me happy each time I see. Its attractive, dark green fuzzy foliage contrasts wonderfully with its violet funnel-shaped flowers. I've read it is also called "Kimono Plant" or "Magic Flowers" and that some varieties have a bronze undertone foliage. It is easy to grow, it is accomodated to our temperate climate as well, and many balconies have jardinieres with Cupid's Bow cascading over. Some call it "Mother's Tears" or "Widow's Tears". I prefer the name "Magic Flowers". It likes bright, indirect light, is not affected by rain. During late fall I reduce watering and the plant goes dormant and begins forming tubers. I keep the pots in a rather dark place, at a temperature of about 10 degrees Celsium and in spring I place it outdoor and start watering it. It is reported that "Seeds can also be sown in a propagating case filled with finely sifted, sandy soil in February, but the plants will bloom only the following year." Unfortunately, I don't know how to collect seeds so I cannot try. I have succeded propagating it with cuttings of young shoots taken in the summer.

When grown in containers these shade-loving plants do best when given the same care as African violets. After they begin growing do not allow them to become dry until they have finished blooming. They can be left in the container until time to repot in Spring but do not let them freeze. The little risomes are very tender but every little broken piece will make a plant.

After the foliage dies down in late summer I set the pots in the shade under the north eave of the house where they won't get water. Before frost I dig out the scaly, cream-colored rhizomes which are very small(1/2" long by 1/4" diameter) and store them in a ziploc bag for the winter. About February they start to sprout in the bag so I lay them on some jiffy mix and cover them lightly to start growing. Then I put them under lights or in light shade in the warm greenhouse. They can be potted on to bigger pots or added to the regular shady garden after danger of frost. Bloom is best here in May and June, but continues into July unless I neglect watering them.
Adding a note for 2004: It is the 7th of September and my achimenes is still in full bloom. Apparently our very hot and dry summers usually cause an early dormancy, but this year it has been relatively cool and rainy.

Erect Perrenial with whorls of 3 or 4 ovate to oblong, toothed, dark green leaves to 3 in.long, red-marked beneath.Bears solitary, violet-blue flowers,to 1 1/2 in across, from summer to autumn.Achimenes are usually grown in hanging containers. These thin-stemmed plants require staking if grown in a container where upright growth is desired. Plant the rhizomes in early spring in a well-drained potting mixture. The use of a house plant fertilizer applied according to label directions is suggested. Provide a shaded growing area. In the fall, water less frequently to allow the plants to go dormant. Leave them in the soil and container and store them in a cool (50 degrees F.) area until spring.