Crop Rotation Group
Miscellaneous
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Soil
Fertile, well-drained soil enriched with compost.
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Position
Full sun to part shade.
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Frost tolerant
Honeywort tolerates occasional frosts, but not frozen roots. It is hardy only to 23°F (-5°C), so it is best grown as an annual in most climates.
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Feeding
Drench with a liquid organic fertilizer when plants begin to grow tall in early summer.
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Companions
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Spacing
Single Plants: 11" (30cm) each way (minimum)
Rows: 11" (30cm) with 11" (30cm) row gap (minimum)
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Sow and Plant
Soak seeds in water overnight before planting indoors in early spring, or outdoors later on. Expect seeds to germinate within 14 days. Start exposing the plants to outdoor conditions while the weather is still cool, and set them out when they are about 6 weeks old. Or, direct-sow seeds where you want the plants to grow in spring. Young plants need water when they are actively growing, along with careful weeding. Honeywort grows fast once the roots become well established.
Our Garden Planning Tool can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area.
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Notes
Cool weather intensifies the color of honeywort’s purple bracts, so try to keep plants going until autumn. Honeywort is an unusual flower to grow as a cascading plant for walls or large containers, or you can use it to anchor a corner of the flower garden. Hummingbirds often visit the unusual drooping flowers, which are framed by gray-green leaves.
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Harvesting
Gather stems for use in cut arrangements at any time, and sear the ends to help them last longer. Heavy-blooming honeywort produces a steady crop of seeds, which fall to the ground as they mature. Seedlings that appear in the fall survive winter in mild climates. Elsewhere, gather some of the large seeds for replanting in future seasons. Removing spent blossoms keep the plants in flower longer.
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Troubleshooting
Honeywort is usually a trouble-free plant that is easy to grow.
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