Echter's Plant Finder

Group/Class:  Bumble Series

Brand:  Westhoff

Description:

A wonderful heat and drought tolerant, mounded series of self-cleaning, continuous reblooming plants; presents fluffy, intensely colored, button-like flowers over dark green foliage; a exceptional addition to garden beds, borders and patio containers

Ornamental Features

Bumble™ Blue Flossflower has masses of beautiful blue flat-top button flowers at the ends of the stems from late spring to mid fall, which emerge from distinctive purple flower buds, and which are most effective when planted in groupings. Its pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Bumble™ Blue Flossflower is a dense herbaceous annual with a mounded form. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should not require much pruning, except when necessary, such as to remove dieback. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Bumble™ Blue Flossflower is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Bumble™ Blue Flossflower will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity extending to 12 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 14 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 8 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. This fast-growing annual will normally live for one full growing season, needing replacement the following year.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Bumble™ Blue Flossflower is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.