A member of the heat-loving Sweet Talk™ series, Lavender Splash is highly floriferous and long blooming. The plant sets masses of showy bicolor bloomsevenly balanced between purple and whitefrom late spring through autumn, possibly to first frost. Naturally nectar-rich, the alluring flowers are absolutely irresistible to pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
A Cuphea procumbens variety, commonly called cuphea, firefly cuphea, or creeping waxweed, Sweet Talk Lavender Splash is a tender perennial in frost free climates but is typically grown as an annual. The plant has a mounded habit and is the most compact variety in the series. Compared to most cuphea, Sweet Talk Lavender Splash has a more refined form with tighter branching and fewer gaps. Cuphea is shown to best effect when massed or grouped in the landscape or in a container. It's a natural for a pollinator garden or hummingbird haven.
Cuphea grows best in sunny locations with rich, well-draining soil. The plant is heat, humidity, and drought tolerant and generally pest and disease resistant. No deadheading is needed for abundant and continuous blooms.
Direct sow cuphea seed after the last frost in spring, as soon as the soil is warm, or start seeds indoors 10 to 12 weeks before the last frost and transplant after all threat of frost has passed.
If you plan to start your seeds indoors, be sure to check out our Bio Dome Seed Starter Kit. With the Bio Dome, you can control the temperature, light, and soil mix to ensure your seeds become strong for transplant.
