Apple Slices is a selection of native Indian pink with dark wine-red, tubular flowers that stand upright on the stems like little candles. The blooms keep coming for many weeks from late spring into midsummer and are a favorite of hummingbirds.
The flowers drop cleanly when finished, so the plant always looks tidy. It grows in sun or shade and becomes long-lived once settled, a good fit for woodland gardens, shaded borders and native plantings.
What it looks like
Upright, narrow tubular flowers about 1.5 to 2 inches long in dark wine red, flaring at the tip into a small five-pointed star with a paler interior, held in one-sided clusters along the tops of the stems. Leaves are opposite, oval to lance-shaped, 2 to 4 inches long, in glossy medium green. The plant is an upright clump 18 to 22 inches tall and 16 to 18 inches wide. At peak it looks like a bushy green clump studded with rows of wine-red candles.
Growing it with lavender
Indian pink wants richer, evenly moist soil and some shade, unlike lavender's dry, sunny ground, so plant it at a woodland edge, along a shaded path or in a lightly shaded bed where hummingbirds can find it.
Care
Grow in part shade to full sun in average to rich soil that stays evenly moist; plants in more sun bloom more heavily but need more water, and afternoon shade helps in hot spots. Hardy in zones 6-9; it is slow to establish but long-lived, and the flowers drop cleanly on their own, so no deadheading is needed.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Spigelia marilandica
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Flower color: Dark wine red
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Foliage: Glossy green
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Growth habit: Upright clump
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Mature size: 18–22 in tall × 16–18 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 6–9
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Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
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Bloom start: Early-June
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Peak bloom: Late-June
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Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
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Deer resistance: Moderately resistant
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Pollinator value: Great
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.
Lavender companion · grow guide
Community Grower Report
