Grow this beauty wherever you have a shady spot that needs some color.
Most commonly found withsapphire blue flowers, browallia also comes with bright purple or pristine white blossoms.
This heat-loving plant will bloom continuously throughout the growing season without deadheading.
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Plus, the flowers attract hummingbirds and other pollinators.
Browallia is toxic to dogs and cats.
Plant it where the soil is rich in organic matter and well-drained, slightly acidic to slightly alkaline.
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
It makes an eye-catching option to use in place of impatiens.
A tidy mounding plant, it works well in containers or for edging the front of a border.
Space the plants at least 9 inches apart.
Credit: Justin Hancock
Browallia Care Tips
Light
The plant needspart shade to full shade conditions.
In direct sunlight, the leaves are likely to burn.
The ideal pH range is between 6.0 and 8.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Browallia does not tolerate drought.
Cold weather, even a frost, kills the plant.
Use a complete balanced fertilizer about once a month, following product label directions.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Pruning
Pinching the growing tips helps to keep the plant bushy.
Deadheading is not needed.
Potted plants need more frequent watering and fertilization than inground plants.
Credit: Justin Hancock
Pests and Problems
Browallia has no serious diseases or pests.
You might find aphids, thrips, spider mites, leafhoppers, and whiteflies on the plants.
If the numbers are small, they can often be washed away with a hose.
Infestations can be treated with insecticidal soap.
Keep the soil lightly moist.
Seedlings will emerge in two to three weeks.
As soon as the threat of frost has passed, begin to harden off plants.
Plant them outside once the seedlings have developed two sets of leaves and a robust root system.
It grows 12 to 16 inches tall and spreads 10 to 14 inches.
It is equal in size and trailing habit as Endless Illumination.
Browallia Companion Plants
Impatiens
What would we do withoutimpatiens?
It’s the old reliable for shade gardens when you want eye-popping color all season long.
Its colorful foliage, in shades of chartreuse or purple, accents just about any other plant.
Grow a few together in a large pot, and they make a big impact all on their own.
Sweet potato vines do best during the warm days of summer and prefer moist, well-drained soil.
They thrive in sun or shade.
Begonia
Talk about foolproof: Annualbegoniais about as easy as it gets.
It also loves plenty of fertilizer, so be generous.
Plant annual begonias in spring after all danger of frost has passed.
No need to deadhead this flower unless you want to, it’s “self-cleaning!”
Browallia will go dormant over the winter, so it needs less water.
Updated by Nadia Hassani
“Browallia viscosa.
“North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.
