hi there cristin, i grow dienanthe bifida, but the plain white one. I fell in love with it 22 yrs ago at the great Fred and MaryAnn McGourty garden in Norfolk Ct.The leaves are so unusual. the waxy flowers are so unique and cool but they unfortntly bloom upside down. Anyway, mine has survived 8 yrs in a protected spot in mid-deep shade but because it hardly enlarged, i moved it last year to more light. woodland type soil.
such a great plant; you'll fall madly in love-i guarantee!
It's very very hard to find- is yours in a catalogue or local nursery?(you lucky PNW dog, you!!)
mindy

{{gwi:223165}}

christin,
you might want to double post this on the PNW forum.or do you post there mostly? Whenevr I don't get response on Perennials, I go there because of the larger larder of plants there and the larger collective knowledge thereof!

best,
mindy

Hi there Mindy! Your plant is AWESOME! Such neat foliage too. It really does resemble a hydrangea leaf, doesn't it? Lol, that is always the way. The one plant you would love to spread and bulk up just sits there. Kind of like my Kirengeshoma.

Thanks so much for the info- I am really going to have to get one. So you don't find it to be a fussy plant as far as needs and care are concerned? Some online places gave the impression that it was difficult to grow.

There are a few places over here that sell unusual flowers, but most of them are in Western Washington, around Seattle. That is sort of like the Holy Land for plant lovers, lol! Whenever I go see relatives over there I come back with a car load of cool plants! There are a few online vendors that sell this plant- I will likely have to get it from them since I probably won't be going to Seattle this year and doubt it will be sold locally.

I don't go much on the PNW forum since most of the people are from Western Wa- which is totally different in climate than over here in semi-arid Spokane. That is a great idea to post over there for extra info though.

Thanks Mindy! Take care and Happy Gardening ;-)
CMK

As a westsider, I'm growing d. bifida but not caerulea...I don't find much to suggest growing conditions are especially different. Explorer's Garden, Hinkley: "Successful cultivation requires shaded positions and adequately moist and rich edaphic environments. Deinanthe caerulea cultivated in situations of sun will bring disappointing results of burnt and blemished foliage even in cool climates."

I'm minutes from the ocean and have d. bifida in a shaded protected corner, out of wind and sun. Even there, without supplemental water in late summer, the foliage will suffer. If you are seeing wind and dryness warnings, I'd believe them.

Thanks for the info morz8! We do have some pretty strong winds over here at times. Yesterday there was a horrible wind storm that knocked over quite a few trees around town.

Humm....I do have one very protected site inbetween the fence and house. Maybe I will put it in this spot to keep it sheltered.
CMK

oh noooo mr. bill,
EDAPHIC. Last week it was MESIC and now i need to look up another !ah, always so much to learn.....!
best,
mindy

e·daph·icâ â/ɪËdæfɪk/ Show Spelled[ih-daf-ik] Show IPA
Âadjective
related to or caused by particular soil conditions, as of texture or drainage, rather than by physiographic or climatic factors.

"moist and rich edaphic environments"
now why couldn't danny boy just have said "moist and rich soil conditions"????!

best,
mindy

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Origin:
ÂRelated forms
e·daph·i·cal·ly, adverb

I have Deinanthe caerulea 'Blue Wonder' in my garden with buds about to pop. It's been in moderate shade, same spot since I got it perhaps 8-10 years ago from Blanchette Gardens in Carlisle, MA (they still list it in their catalog), has expanded perhaps 20-30% and seems reasonably happy.