Plant Library

Other Names:  False Heather

Group/Class:  FloriGlory Series

Brand:  Westhoff

Description:

Small, freely branching and highly floriferous, covered with dainty white flowers from spring to fall; grown as an annual in cooler climates; a vigorous grower, great for bedding, shrub borders, and containers in warm climates

Ornamental Features

FloriGlory® Maria Mexican Heather features dainty white tubular flowers with chartreuse throats along the branches from late spring to early fall. It has attractive green evergreen foliage which emerges light green in spring. The small glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

FloriGlory® Maria Mexican Heather is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

FloriGlory® Maria Mexican Heather is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

FloriGlory® Maria Mexican Heather will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 18 inches apart. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

FloriGlory® Maria Mexican Heather makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.