Callirhoe involucrata

One of the best native perennials for scrambling across hot, water-starved soils, Purple Poppy Mallow delights with a very heavy season of bloom in late spring and early summer, followed by intermittent blooms right into autumn. Easy to grow in any sunny, well-drained soil, it naturalizes readily and spreads to cover all those bare, difficult-to-plant spots.

These blooms are magnificent, so richly colored they appear to glow, and borne profusely above the large, lobed dark green foliage. Measuring 2 1/2 inches wide, they are equally as deep, with a small white-to-yellow center and a nicely cupped shape that gives them their common name of Poppy Mallow. Always the brightest flowers in the garden, they carpet the sunny landscape in unforgettable jewel-like tones!

Although the heaviest bloom is early in the season, Callirhoe is seldom without flowers for the remainder of the summer and well into fall, ceasing only with the first frost. It is ideal for the border, rock gardens, slopes, banks, meadows, and open spaces of all types. And although it flourishes in any well-drained soil, it is an especially good choice for dry areas, because it forms a long taproot that makes it quite drought tolerant. Ready to naturalize, it begins just 6 inches across, but can spread up to 3 feet wide within just a season or two.

Callirhoe is a native perennial, forming a dense mat of deep green that chokes out weeds, helps retain soil moisture, and blankets bare soil. It is untroubled by most pests and diseases, and will scramble across dry spaces, cascade over a wall, and otherwise fill the landscape with carefree color. Do not miss the opportunity to show off this lovely and very low-maintenance plant. Zones 4-9.