Monkeyflower ‘Jelly Bean Gold’

I don’t have a lot of monkeyflower in my garden, nor do I design much with this plant for a variety of reasons. It is a beautiful plant, particularly in bloom. Nothing says Spring like Monkeyflowers and hummingbirds, which jealously guard this plant. Monkeyflowers can be seen on the side of the 405 Freeway on the West facing side, full blasting sun, no one caring for them, blooming beautifully.

Monkeyflower will eventually want to go dormant, very dormant, which is how it survives off the 405 freeway with no care. Watering it will keep it ‘up’ which is what I do with my Monkeyflower in a pot, but you will have a much shorter lived Monkeyflower if you utilize irrigation to keep it going through the summer. On irrigation, it will bloom throughout much of the year. Once it goes dormant, it can look quite unattractive, site it in the background amongst the Muhlenbergia’s or other evergreen plants. Pinch regularly for a compact, dense shape otherwise it will get lanky.

Between the summer dormancy, which is to each persons taste, and the tip pruning requirement, I rarely put this plant in yards. Monkeyflower may work better in part shade if you have the Norcal species (Diplacus aurantiacus). The SoCal Monkeyflower, Diplacus longiflorus survives in full sun better but also appreciates a bit of shade, particularly in the late, hot afternoon summer sun. While there is a Monkeyflower color for every occasion, try to stick to the species that is from your area (Aurauntiacus for NorCal, Longiflorus for SoCal) and be aware that the hybrids often are less durable. If I plant one of these plants, I tend towards Longiflorus, Trish, Eleanor, and Jelly Bean. Not all nurseries track the parentage of their hybrids, and that sometimes results in a stunning hybrid that has Norcal genes, advertised as a Monkeyflower for Full Sun in SoCal, and that just results in a very unhappy Monkeyflower and an even sadder owner.

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