Ragin Cajun is a native Indian pink with orange-red tubular flowers, a more rounded habit and heavier flowering than older selections. It blooms from late spring through midsummer and draws hummingbirds reliably.
It does well in woodland settings and also performs in full sun with enough moisture. Grow it in a shaded border, native garden or woodland edge, where it will settle in and return for years.
What it looks like
Upright, narrow tubular flowers about 1.5 to 2 inches long in orange-red, opening at the tip into a small five-pointed star with a paler interior, borne in one-sided clusters at the tops of many stems. Leaves are opposite, oval to lance-shaped, 2 to 4 inches long, glossy green. The plant is a rounded, bushy clump 20 to 24 inches tall and wide. At peak it looks like a full green mound covered in upright orange-red tubes.
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: Orange-red
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Foliage: Glossy green
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Growth habit: Rounded, bushy clump
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Mature size: 20–24 in tall × 20–24 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
