If you're not a big fan of purple, or have some aversion to fuzziness, you might not want to continue reading this post.
This is a tender perennial for me (zone 8), which means it won't survive our winters (which are zone 6). Last year I cut it down and put its pot into the garage when it got too cold. I didn't give it any light or water (maybe watered it once or twice) and when I brought it outside in the spring it woke back up and did just fine.
Since I put this plant into the ground a month or so ago, I'm going to have to dig it up if I want to keep it over the winter again. I rooted a couple of cuttings from it this summer so I have a couple of smaller plants too, but I think I'll still dig up the big one. Although this will grow quite large from a very small plant purchased in the spring, I like the idea of keeping a large, established plant dormant over the winter, then ending up with a much larger plant the next year.
I'm going to let the photos do most of the talking now, because I'm not sure how much more I can say about this plant except you must grow it!
The bees love this plant, and there are some butterflies hanging around too.
I think I named this post quite accurately, don't you?
Switching to my small camera, which can take better closeups (macro shots) than my good camera...
although the color's not as good...
When I see these flowers (and calyces), I get a strong desire to watch some children's television. I also start dreaming about planting a whole bed of these next year, then collecting the flowers and making some comfy slippers or a one-of-a-kind bathrobe. Something tells me they wouldn't be as luxurious as I imagine though.
I guess I'll just enjoy the plants. I do think there will be several more of these in my yard next year.
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