Purple Lisianthus
All about the purple lisianthus
The purple lisianthus makes a great addition to any flower garden or bouquet. The purple lisianthus is also known as the Texas bluebell, and it’s native to Texas and other parts of the western United States. This type of flower loves warm temperatures, so you don’t want to plant them outside too early in some parts of the world.
The purple lisianthus grows large flowers that are shaped like a bell. The bloom during the summer and last all season long. You can even find some lisianthus varieties that are white and pink. The best time to plant purple lisianthus is in the spring after you’re sure the last frost is past. Frost can destroy this type of flower, so it’s important to make sure a late frost doesn’t sneak up on you.
Choose a place in your yard that has well-drained soil and is in direct sunlight. Wind can destroy these flowers, so make sure you’ve got a place that’s shielded from it. You can either start this flower from seeds, or you can purchase plants from your garden center. If you’re growing these flowers from seeds, you may even want to plant them in pots to start and then move them outdoors after the weather warms up. This will give you a longer growing season and give your plants more chances to produce flowers for your garden. They are hardy enough to handle being transplanted, so either option works very well. It really just comes down to how early in the season you want to have blooms on your plants. You may want to purchase some seeds and some plants so you’ve got a mix of plants that all bloom at different times.
Not all purple lisianthus bloom at the same time, even if they were started at the same time. Plant your flowers about six inches apart and water them right after you plant them. You should also measure the pH of your soil to make sure it’s at the right acidity, aim for a pH of between 6.0 and 7.0. You can always add lime if you need to raise the pH of your soil.
You will need to keep the soil around your purple lisianthus moist, although not waterlogged. They are native to some of the sandy, more desert-like parts of the United States, so be sure that you don’t overwater them. This variety of flower is more likely to survive a slight drought than overwatering.
To keep your lisianthus blooming longer, try trimming the faded flowers. This will ensure that the plant doesn’t waste any nutrients on blooms that are in the process of dying. You want all the nutrients to be saved for the blooms that are still developing. You’ll also need to use fertilizer on your flowers to make sure they continue thriving. Add more fertilizer about once every six weeks or so. This variety of flower can grow to be quite tall, so you may need to use stakes to help prop up some of the blooms.