Spigelia marilandica

Description

A very desirable and not enough cultivated perennial with attractive inflorescences of upward facing, trumpet shaped flowers scarlet red on the outside and with 5 spreading lobes yellow inside. A real magnet for the hummingbirds – considered by some their favorite plant; a true hummingbird heaven!

The only ‘minus’ for this species is that, in a cold climate, it will emerge very late, somewhere in June. It is very easy to rush and try to plant something on top of it in the spring! Digging up looking to see if it’s still alive – also not advisable because you will destroy the top buds (I’ve done these all). Mark the planting spot, and plant it close to some early flowering species so the location won’t look ’empty’ in the spring (Corydalis are the best, early Primulas, Helleborus….).

My first seeds of the Indian pink came from a benefactor :) The seeds are not easy to collect because the capsules have an explosive opening; more than this, they open gradually. You can see in the gallery the ‘advanced technology’ used to capture the seeds! Unfortunately, sometimes the pollination is not great and/or the seeds may not mature by the time the weather turns cold in this part of Ontario.

Best planted in a part-shaded location of the garden in a rich, moisture retaining substrate (but with good drainage). It has a long blooming period as the flowers open from the bottom up and a full grown clump can be quite impressive.

An extract of the Indian pink roots was used by Indigenous People to eliminate parasitic worms (vermifuge).

Germination: the seeds require cold/moist treatment (2-3 months) for germinaton. The seedlings are quite delicate so don’t rush to transplant them when very young. I recommend to grow them in the sowing pot for 2 years and in the third year plant the whole pot of seedlings in one place (or in 2 pieces). It will start flowering after 3 years, but to obtain a large, established clump you will have to wait a bit longer; a long lived perennial afterwards.