• Image of Spigelia marilandica 'Little Redhead'|Juniper Level Botanic Gdn, NC|JLBG

    Photo by JLBG taken at Juniper Level Botanic Gdn, NC

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Spigelia marilandica 'Little Redhead'

Little Redhead Indian Pink

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Item #: 6866

Zones: 5b to 9b

Dormancy: Winter

Height: 21" tall

Culture: Sun to Light Shade

Origin: United States

Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)


$27.00
$27.00
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We received this compact form of the wonderful North American native Indian pink from plantsman and garden writer Pam Harper, who extolled its virtues after many years in her garden. Pam originally got the plant years earlier from Bob McCartney of Woodlanders Nursery. While all Spigelia marilandica are great plants, Spigelia 'Little Redhead' is more compact, topping out at 21" tall. The stalks are topped from mid-May until mid-July (NC) with stunning, dark blood-red, tubular flowers highlighted with yellow inside...a hummingbird delight.

Maintenance:

Spigelia marilandica is an extremely low maintenance plant. Really all that is necessary is to cut it to the ground after frost turns it brown in late fall. Though a long-established plant could be divided, Spigelia is not a plant which requires periodic division to rejuvenate older plants. Left to its own devices, and with decent growing conditions, it should improve every year; each year bringing more stems and thus more flowers. Spigelia marilandica also stays put, it never needs to be reigned in since it doesn't travel anywhere.

Growing Conditions:

Spigelia marilandica is most often encountered as a woodland plant, though like many shade tolerant plants it will also thrive in full sun where it will grow stronger and bloom more. So it is a superb plant for either light shade or full sun. It will grow well in average soils that range from dry to moist.

Natural Impact:

Spigelia marilandica is very showy in bloom and its floral display is the reason to grow it. Its foliage is tidy, though not terribly interesting. The floral tube is a bright clear red and the petals are bright yellow where they divide and reflex open at the throat of the floral tube. The effect is yellow stars against a red background, one that attracts hummingbirds.