Ragin Cajun Indian Pink
Spigelia marilandica 'Ragin Cajun'
Height: 24 inches
Spacing: 20 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 5b
Other Names: S. marylandica, Pinkroot, Wormgrass, Starbloom
Brand: Walters Gardens
Description:
A beautiful, floriferous selection producing bright orange-red tubular flowers with yellow tips and throats; avoid transplanting once established; excellent for border fronts, bright shade areas, and containers; deadhead to promote re-blooming in summer
Ornamental Features
Ragin Cajun Indian Pink features dainty orange tubular flowers with red overtones, buttery yellow throats and yellow tips at the ends of the stems from late spring to mid summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season. The burgundy stems can be quite attractive.
Landscape Attributes
Ragin Cajun Indian Pink is a dense herbaceous perennial with a more or less rounded form. 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 is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;
Ragin Cajun Indian Pink is recommended for the following landscape applications;
Planting & Growing
Ragin Cajun Indian Pink will grow to be about 20 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 20 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 5 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!
This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selection of a native North American species.
Ragin Cajun Indian Pink is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.