A rare (G3) southern endemic and the only species in its genus that blooms in October!
Despite the fact that this species is endemic to Alabama and Georgia, it is surprisingly hardy further north. This always raises the question “why?” After all, there are many species that are native or endemic to the south that are intolerant of our freezing winters. Why did some evolve to be hardy when they didn’t need to?
Were they at some distant point in history, possibly before the ice age, present farther north? Some do theorize that this could be a possibility.
In any case, all that matters right now is that it is one of the few species that will bloom and continue to bloom through the middle of fall, tolerating even minor frosts, well into November. At a time when the rest of the garden begins shutting down, a handful of species show up as if to say “we’re not done yet!” Add these species to your garden for a bit of color and to support the season’s last holdouts of our native pollinators. Most of the bees may be done, but bumblebees, syrphid flies, some moth species and even wasps are gathering up the last stores of food before the cold sets in for good.
Even if the growing season is pretty much over, anything that helps to shorten the duration of the cold, dreary days of winter (or at least the appearance of it) is a welcome sight in the garden.
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