Incarvillea delavayi

The flowers of this tough plant look very much like tropical gloxinia, but it is perfectly hardy all the way down to zone 5. Fern-like foliage nicely complements the pink trumpet flowers.

Easy to grow in average soil but needs good drainage, making it a good candidate for the rock garden. Apply mulch or dried leaves to the base of this plant in fall to help it get through winter. Little troubled by disease, but slugs love the leaves.

Southern gardeners: this plant may be best avoided as it is intolerant of heat and humidity.

Zones: 5 to 8

Family: Bignoniaceae

Type: Perennial

Height: 18 to 24 in.

Spread: 18 to 24 in.

Exposure: full sun, part-shade, light shade

Soil Conditions: well-drained, average, humus rich, fertile

Bloom Time: June to August

Bloom Color: pink with yellow throat

Native Range: China

Image Credits:

• peganum from Henfield, England, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons