Diascia for Early Spring Color
Diascia—backward facing spurs are full of nectar
You might find that diascia seems familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. This new selection for early spring is a South African native that’s related to the snapdragon—if you look closely you’ll notice the family resemblance. It’s a little off the beaten path so we use this variety to add a unique element to mixed combinations.
Flowers are small here but there are lots of them. Now zoom in on one and you can see the snapdragon connection: a tubular bloom with one long top petal and two side petals that have backward pointing horns, or spurs. These spurs are actually nectaries—full of the sweet stuff that keeps visiting bees buzzing.
Snapdragon’s cheeky cousin
Some say it looks like the diascia flower is sticking its tongue out, and we’d have to agree with that description. We’re also on board with the common name for this plant: twinspur.
A unique plant to pair with cool weather accents
Diascia thrives in the cooler nights of early spring, and blooms repeatedly throughout the summer months. Plants keep going strong well into fall and can tolerate a light frost. We get the most flowers in full sun, but diascia also does well in partial shade, especially during the hotter periods in July and August. It needs regular water—just be sure to provide adequate drainage to avoid wet feet.
We have two varieties of this unique plant for early spring, available in the 4.5-inch pot:
‘Diamonte® Coral Rose’
‘Diamonte® Coral Rose’ has a mounded, upright habit with delicate, deep rose-pink flowers. It grows about 10–12 inches high and spreads around 12–14 inches.
‘Juliet Pink’
‘Juliet Pink’ is another mounded, upright selection. It has pretty pale pink blooms and is slightly shorter, reaching about 6–8 inches tall with a spread of about 4–6 inches.
Each of these plants has a spreading nature that lends itself easily to containers and hanging baskets. They both pair nicely with other cool-tolerant accents, such as Floral Lace dianthus.
