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Botanical name: Gomphrena ‘Audray Purple Red’
This tall variety is excellent for both garden and cutflower use; rounded crimson-red flowers with purple centers appear in summer and bloom into fall; extremely tough, enduring hot, humid, and wet conditions; great for sunny borders and containers.
Other names: Bachelor’s Button
| Hardiness zone | |
|---|---|
| Flower color | crimson |
| Foliage type | deciduous * |
| Plant form | upright spreading |
| Mature height | 20 inches |
| Spread | 12 inches |
| Light requirements | full sun |
| Moisture requirements | average to moist |
| Plant origin | hybrid |
* deciduous = loses leaves in winter
Audray Purple Red Gomphrena has masses of beautiful crimson ball-shaped flowers with purple centers at the ends of the stems from mid summer to mid fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its pointy leaves remain light green in color with distinctive red edges throughout the season. The fruit is not ornamentally significant.
Audray Purple Red Gomphrena is an herbaceous annual with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.
This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep. Trim off the flower heads after they fade and die to encourage more blooms late into the season. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Audray Purple Red Gomphrena is recommended for the following landscape applications;
Accent, Mass Planting, General Garden Use, Container Planting
Audray Purple Red Gomphrena will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 10 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. This annual will normally live for one full growing season, needing replacement the following year.
This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.
Audray Purple Red Gomphrena is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
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