…is the mystery plant in the previous post. The flowers make me think of Abutilon – they have that nodding look – and they’re both in the Malvaceae family.
It’s native to south Asia, where it’s a weed (of course) of rice fields. That reminds me that the Lantana standard I so admired at Monticello is also a weed in India (and probably not trained to a standard there).
Thomas Jefferson may have acquired his Pentapetes seeds from Bernard McMahon, the Philadelphia nurseryman. There is apparently a range of red-to-pink shades. I only saw the red one, but pink is mentioned on the Monticello website.
Some links:
Nice… I would prefer the red shades over the pinks, because your photo of the scarlet was just gorgeous. I’m going to have to look for seeds for those this winter!
Me too on the seed hunt – I hope Monticello offers them again. I also prefer the red, and the dark leaves were a nice complement to the red flowers.
So many plants only so much space in the garden! Love the red one and the leaf shape is cool. gail
I know, I know….it’s just impossible to grow everything…
… but this one is really cute, and historical (Jefferson and everything). Besides, the garden magically expands in size over the winter (in my imagination) and will easily accomodate everything. 