Lilafee Bishop's Hat

Other Names: Barrenwort, Bishop's Hat, Fairy Wings

Description:

Delicate shooting star-like lilac flowers, largest of the species; shield-shaped green leaves have reddish mottling in spring and fall; makes a great groundcover that is tolerant of dry shade once established; also grows well in moisture if well-drained

Ornamental Features:

Lilafee Bishop's Hat features delicate nodding lilac purple star-shaped flowers with purple spurs rising above the foliage from mid to late spring. It's attractive heart-shaped leaves emerge red in spring, turning green in colour with distinctive indian red edges. As an added bonus, the foliage turns a gorgeous brick red in the fall. The fruit is not ornamentally significant. The stems are red but aren't particularly outstanding.

Landscape Attributes:

Lilafee Bishop's Hat is a dense herbaceous evergreen perennial with a ground-hugging habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This perennial will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spreading

Lilafee Bishop's Hat is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Groundcover
• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Plant Characteristics:

Lilafee Bishop's Hat will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.

This perennial does best in partial shade to shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for a low-water garden or xeriscape application. 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 zones. This plant can be propagated by division.

This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

This plant is not reliably hardy in our region, and certain restrictions may apply; contact the store for more information.